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God is Faithful to Forgive “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)Without the assurance of this verse, it would be practically impossible to go on in the Christian life. As we grow in grace, we have a deepening awareness of our utter sinfulness. We must have some provision for instant cleansing for sins, otherwise we are doomed to perpetual guilt and defeat.John tells us that, for believers, provision is made through confession. The unbeliever receives judicial forgiveness from the penalty of sins through faith in the Lord Jesus. The believer receives parental forgiveness from the defilement of sins through confession.Sin breaks fellowship in the life of the child of God, and that fellowship remains broken till the sin is confessed and forsaken. God is holy and He commands us to be holy as well (1 Peter 1:16). To be sure, unconfessed sin will cause us to lose our fellowship with our Father, but we will never lose our sonship. For are kept in His hand (John 10:28-29). Jesus Himself said He will not cast out those who come to Him (John 6:37). We are indeed sealed (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; Ephesians 4:30). When we confess our sin, God is faithful to His Word; for He has promised to forgive. it He is just in forgiving because the work of Christ on the Cross has provided a righteous basis on which He may do so.What this verse means then, is that when we confess our sins, we can know that the record is clear, we have been completely cleansed, and that joyful fellowship been restored. As soon as we are conscious of sin in our lives, we can go straight into the presence of God, call that sin by its name, confess it, and know with certainty that it has been put away. And yes. when FELLOWSHIP is restored, FOLLOWSHIP will be the result!But how do we know for certain? Do we FEEL forgiven? It is not a matter of feelings. We know that we have been forgiven because our faithful God says so in His Word. Feelings are UNDEPENDABLE at best, but folks, God’s Word is UNDENIABLE! Friends, never allow yourself to say, “I know that God has forgiven me, but I just can’t forgive myself”? That might sound very pious but actually it is dishonoring to God. When God has forgiven you, then He wants you to appropriate that forgiveness by faith and rejoice in His faithfulness and serve Him as a cleansed vessel.