This Thought for the Day was first published in August 2020
Bible reading – 1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness
Have you had those moments when suddenly the penny drops, and you see things more clearly than before? I knew about confession of sin, I knew about forgiveness of sins. I knew that I had sinned. I had preached about the cross, about the very reason Jesus had come into this world. I had knelt at the foot of the cross many times, I had knelt at communion rails and received bread and wine. I sometimes repeated my prayers of confession, because in the quietness of prayer my mind reminded me of something that I had done wrong, that I had confessed and been forgiven for. But although I knew God had forgiven me, and when he forgives, he forgets, my mind still had a memory of it. I imagined God hearing my repeated prayer of confession for and old sin, and thinking “What’s he on about?”
I remember an evening in Zimbabwe, where we lived in the rural area, there was no mains electricity. The school compound where we lived had a single night-time diesel generator for lighting only, for staff and for 600 boarding pupils which was switched off at either 9pm or 10pm. The generator had been switched off but I was still in my study and I lit a candle to continue my preparation for next weekend’s messages. I was reading the first chapter of John’s first letter. I got to the words of absolution in verse 9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins”. I knew it well, had pronounced those words in communion services, I had experienced forgiveness of my sins. The bright light of my florescent tube had gone, yet the next six words I saw with clarity in the dim light of the candle. I knew I was not yet perfect (and still not yet). I had confessed the sins that the Holy Spirit had bought to my memory, but these verses went much further saying I was totally clean “purified from all unrighteousness”. How utterly amazing!
I knew there were still things God has to work on in my life, I am a work in progress, which won’t be complete until I see him face to face in heaven. For those few moments in my study I experienced the joy of that purity that God is working towards in each of us. You can know that too, if you can be honest with God!