Day 356, or December 22nd, Deep Down Clean Our
thoughts today are rooted in 1 John 1, verse
9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just and will forgive us our sins and purify
us from all unrighteousness. First, the big picture
surrounding this verse. As the last survivor
of Christ's twelve disciples, John writes a series
of three letters in addition to his gospel in
the book of Revelation. His first letter agrees
with several others in the New Testament that
false teaching must be confronted. These heretics
and their false teachings must be removed from
the church. He refutes false teachers as he declares
Jesus was indeed a fleshly man who our hands
have touched. At that time, some were teaching
that Jesus was just spirit and that someone else
died on the cross, probably Simon of Cyrene.
The heretics reasoned that as God is only spirit,
His Son must be exclusively Spirit too. John
denies this travesty of the truth by saying Jesus
was definitely a physical man who is now in heaven
and offers forgiveness of sins. As his children,
we are to love one another. And now today's action
step. The hospitals and surgeries of our country
are overflowing with people who are burdened
with guilt and need to be forgiven, and to forgive
others in return. Sadly, all the psychoanalysing
in the world cannot cleanse us from our sins.
We are made in the image of God and naturally
long to be renewed and cleansed to be like Him
again and have fellowship with Him. Of course,
the world doesn't use such spiritual language.
That would give the game away. The Apostle John
comes straight to the point in the first chapter
of his letter with the verse we are focusing
on today. This verse may be summed up with three
phrases which describe the way to be forgiven
and to be made right with God. 1. Confess or
agree with God that you are wrong. 2. God will
forgive us. Three, God will cleanse us. It's
as simple as that. Don't make it complicated
when God planned it simple.