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Listen
to the Word
"If we claim we have not
sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our
lives." (1 John 1:10) |
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1 John 1:9 challenges us to
confess our sin. It says that act has two results: God will
forgive us, and He will purify us. The very next verse describes
the alternative to confession: claiming we have not sinned. If we
refuse to acknowledge our imperfection, we are pretending that we are
perfect. In other words, the opposite of confession is
hypocrisy. That act also has two results. First, we make God
out to be a liar. God says we are flawed, but we say we know
better than God. Second, God's word has no place in our
lives. When we foolishly act as if we are faultless, we cut
ourselves off from the blessings that come with a healthy relationship
with God. Our hypocrisy shuts off the valve through which His
wisdom, joy, and power flow to us. Confession may not be a
pleasant experience, but it certainly beats the alternative.
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