God is Faithful to Forgive and to Cleanse

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)

Sandwiched between verses eight and ten is the verse that has been called, “The Christians Bar of Soap”

The word, “confess,” means to “agree with the facts.” God knows the facts of our lives, including our sins, already. When we confess our sins we are agreeing with the facts which He already knows, facts perhaps known to no one else.

Then the word tells us that He is faithful to forgive. A little boy in his excitement to go out and play knocked over a vase and broke it into many pieces. He attempted to glue it together but there was no fixing it. He wrote on a slate, “Mom, I am very sorry I broke your favorite vase. Please forgive me.” Then he left it and the pieces of the vase on an end table. When he came in later the slate was there, wiped perfectly clean and all the pieces of the vase were gone.

When we are forgiven the slate is wiped clean. That bar of soap works every time.