God's Glory Church

“He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and cleanse us.” — 1 John 1:9

My first short-term mission trip was to the Amazon jungle in Brazil, where I helped build a church on the banks of a river. One day we visited a house in this area that had a water filter. When the owner poured cloudy well water into the upper part of the device, in a matter of minutes all impurities were removed: clean, transparent drinking water appeared. Right there, in this man’s living room, I saw an image of what it means to be cleansed by Christ.

When we first come to Jesus with our guilt and shame, ask Him to forgive us, and accept Him as our Savior, He cleanses us of our sins and makes us new. We are purified in the same way that muddy water is transformed into clean drinking water. How joyful it is to realize that thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we are in a proper state before God (2 Cor. 5:21), and God removes our sins as far “as the east is far from the west” (Ps. 102:12).

At the same time, the apostle John reminds us that this does not mean that we will never sin again. If we sin, we can be sure of the effectiveness of the “water filter” and take comfort in knowing: “when we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

So, let’s live with confidence, knowing that we are constantly being purified by Christ.

Why is it so important to ask Jesus to forgive our sins? How does it feel to realize that you no longer need to be a prisoner of sin?

Dear God, thank You that You are faithful and just and forgive me if I confess my sins to You.

By Nancy Gavilanes