Same Say

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

Now we meet this important word confess. It's deeper than just admitting. The Greek term etymological means to "same say," you say the same thing as, so you say the same thing about yourself that God has said about you. You Amen His evaluation of you as being the truth.

This is what leads to that quite common practice in Christian worship of including a confession of sin in the Liturgy when we gather. In Lutheran Churches, we often make this confession in the words: "I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment."

Now that's to say about our sins and what the Word of God teaches us about them. That it is damnable, and that we are indeed poor, miserable, that is, in need of mercy, sinners. But when you uncover your sin like that before God, you have this beautiful promise that God will cover them up with Christ's blood.

He is faithful and just. Just because the blood of Christ has paid for them all to forgive us all our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, to put it in Lutheran parlance, that means to justify you and to sanctify you. The two always go together.

-Pr. Will Weedon