Good morning and a blessed Thursday morning to you. 

I'd like to share with you a couple of verses from 1 John chapter one that are quite familiar. They're embedded in our liturgy, as we gather congregationally and we make confession.

I John 1:8-9

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

The Greek word for sin is hamartia.  It was actually borrowed from the sport of archery. It means to miss the mark.  I'm reminded of when I was in junior high school. During the PE period the girls would oftentimes be in the center of the field. There was a track around the field and in the center of this field they would be practicing archery. While at the same time us boys were running the track. It was always a little bit disconcerting, because what happens if they would miss the mark and the arrow would fly an unintended directions?

Sin is like one who has a bow and arrow and lets the arrow fly and it misses the mark. God's law reveals to us the objective fact that we are all sinners…. that we all miss the mark. We sin against him in thought, and in word, and indeed… by what we've done and by what we have left undone. But God in his grace comes to us with the objective word… that objective fact of the Gospel: that the Lord Jesus Christ has borne our sin on the cross, that we are forgiven through his shed blood.  That's an objective fact.

But what if we don't feel like we're forgiven? the late and great Theologian RC Sproul shares the story of one time when he walked in to talk with his pastor. And he told his pastor that he was feeling guilty. The pastor asked him if he had confessed his sin, and Sproul said he had. So the Pastor said, “I'd like you to open up to 1 John chapter 1 verse 9, and read it.” So that's exactly what Sproul did.  “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Sproul read that and looked up to his pastor and said, “But I still feel guilty.” The Pastor said, “Read it again.”  So Sproul read 1 John chapter 1 verse 9 again. He looked up to his pastor and said, “I still feel guilty.” The Pastor said, “Okay, okay. What I want you to do this time, is I want you to read first John chapter 1 verse 9.” Sproul accounts how he read that text five or six times.

Beloved, it is an objective fact, indeed, that we're all sinners, that we all miss the mark. And it is objective fact, indeed, of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of our sins.

Have you confessed your sin?  Do you still feel guilty? Then read it again. Read it again.

“If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Still feeling guilty?  Read it again. Because that word is for you. And instead of living based upon our feelings, God calls us to live based upon his Word.

Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for this time in your Word.  Your Word is truth.  We give you thanks for the glorious word of forgiveness born of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, continue by your grace to pull us to your Word. And may we read it over and over, being assured, indeed, we are forgiven through Christ. In his holy and precious name we pray. Amen.

May God bless you this week.  Encourage someone!

Pastor Eibel