July 04 2021
Today, Sunday July 04
The Cleansing Blood of Jesus
1 John 1:6-10 “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
Walking in the light means that we are walking with Jesus and in the truth of His Word. It means that we are abiding in Him, and His Word is abiding in us (John 15). Light produces life and growth and beauty, but sin is darkness; and darkness and light cannot exist in the same place. If we are walking in the light, the darkness has to go. If we are holding to sin, then the light goes. There is no middle ground, no vague "gray" area, where sin is concerned.
When we are walking in the light, it reveals or uncovers the sin in our life. As believers we should be in a continuous state of repentance and confession. As the light reveals the sin, we immediately confess and acknowledge it and ask for forgiveness. When we do this, we receive more light that is more intense and it reveals and uncovers more darkness and sin in our heart.
The more we acknowledge our sins, the more light that we will have in our lives. The more light that we have and walk in, the more sin in our hearts that we will discover. As we continue to confess our sin, we begin to enjoy and experience greater intimacy and fellowship with the Lord. And we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord.
But if we say we have no sin in our life we deceive ourselves. I have always thought that the greatest deception is self-deception. It is a terrible thing to be deceived by others but it is even worse when, in our pride, we cover our sins by denying them and blaming others. John says that we then have no truth in us, which means we are now living a lie!
Thank God for the great promise we read here, that if we confess our sins our heavenly Father is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This includes anything we have done that has violated God’s principles that He has revealed in His Word. I love the word, “all”! We are cleansed by the blood of His Son that leaves us pure and holy before our Father, as if we had never sinned!
Do you need right now, to acknowledge and confess (agree with God), that you have sinned, breaking His holy law and ask Him to forgive you? If you do this you will experience a new freedom to worship and enjoy fellowship with Him in a fresh and new way!
God bless!