My coworker received a "bible promise book" this past weekend and decided to bring it to work. Every once in a while he will bust it out, read a random verse, and ask me where it is in the Bible. This is pretty fun and allows for some sporadic Gospel conversations in the office, which i must say I enjoy very much. Even though I don't know most of the references, it's still nice to get a little Bible action in the office.
Just today he read 1 John 1:9, which says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." While I've heard this verse a million and a half times over my lifetime, it struck me differently today. Since I've heard it so many times it has become somewhat of a cliche verse that I just normally interpret it to mean "yes, God saves us and cleanses our sin." The focus is on me and the Father. But when I take a closer look, the verse is actually all about Christ.
What struck me was the mentioning of God's faithfulness and justice being fulfilled in FORGIVING me. The reason this struck me was that, due to my sin, God is faithful and just to CONDEMN me, not forgive me. So I was smitten with great confusion, which lead me to read the context.
Just two verses before, John says "the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." This verse does not just imply that there is a way to be cleansed. It doesn't just reveal the love of God toward us. It reveals God's passionate hatred against sin. In order for us to be cleansed, someone truly had to bare our judgment, and that was Christ. It is only because Christ took our judgment that we can be made pure. God truly is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. He does not push aside sin just because He loves us. No, He remained faithful to Himself and His demands for purity. He remained just, as our sin received an appropriate punishment. But we do not have to be the ones baring that punishment! We are cleansed from ALL unrighteousness because of Christ's substitutionary atonement.
It is a mockery to the face of God to value our own works even the slightest bit. It is a blasphemous mockery to believe that there is yet some sin that needs to be purged during or after life. God is faithful to His demands. He is just in His judgments toward us. If we rely on ourselves or any purging work outside of Christ's sacrifice, we will receive the burning judgment of His faithfulness and justice. If we rely on Christ alone, we will receive the total cleansing of the Spirit. Christ completed the work! Don't waste His love toward you.