Category: 1 John Devotionals

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1 John Devotionals

No fear: Our confidence as God’s children

Joy with the Father

And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world.

There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:16-19)

Last Sunday, I gave a message on Revelation 4, and as I read John’s words, I was reminded of that passage.

When the Israelites and later Isaiah entered God’s presence, they were terrified. They thought they were going to die. (Exodus 19:16; 20:18-21; Isaiah 6:5).

But when John entered God’s throne room, though I’m sure he was trembling greatly, he was not crying out “I’m doomed!”

John was as sinful and imperfect as the Israelites and Isaiah were. Why didn’t he fear God’s punishment?

Because John had come to know and believe the love God had for him. God’s love had been made complete in him.

How about you? Can you say with John, “I have come to know and believe the love God has for me?”

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1 John Devotionals

When our hearts condemn us: Our hope as God’s children

Toddling forward with Jesus

Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.

This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows all things.” (1 John 3:18–20)

“He knows all things.”

As I read that, I thought about Peter’s words to Jesus in John 21.

“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” (John 21:17)

And Jesus did know, even better than Peter did. He knew that Peter loved him enough that one day he would die for him. (John 21:18-19)

He knew Peter’s weaknesses.

He knew Peter’s sins and failures.

He knew Peter’s future sins as well.

But he also knew that Peter loved him and wanted to be like him.

And that’s what marks a child of God. They want to be like the Lord they love.

As John puts it,

Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is.

And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure. (1 John 3:2-3)

No, we’re not perfectly like Jesus now. But as children of God, we long to be.

We can’t wait for the day when we are made perfect. And because we can’t wait, like a small child learning to walk, we take steps now to become more like Jesus, faltering though those steps may be.

We start walking like Jesus does. (1 John 2:6)

We start loving like Jesus does. (1 John 3:16-18)

And when we stumble, and our hearts start condemning us, our Father picks us up and reassures us, saying, “I know you still love me. Keep walking.”

See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! (1 John 3:1)

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1 John Devotionals

Loving? Or stumbling around?

Love

The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother or sister is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother or sister remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. (1 John 2:9-10)

I think it’s often easy for us to skip over these verses because we think to ourselves, “No problem. I don’t hate anyone.”

Maybe we don’t hate them.

But how often do we judge them?

Or how often do we fail to truly forgive them?

I was thinking of four people today. I don’t hate them, but whenever I think about them, I tend to stumble around a lot in my heart. Which probably means I don’t love them as I should.

So this morning, I’ve been praying that God would get my heart right towards them.

How about you? Is there anyone that God is putting on your heart right now?

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1 John Devotionals

Walking in the light

Walking in the light

If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

As I read those words this morning, I was thinking about what it means to walk in the light.

Somehow, I’ve always had this impression that whenever we sin, we immediately step out of the light and into the darkness, if only for a brief time until we repent and come back into the light.

But in reflecting on John’s words, I’m not so sure that’s true.

John doesn’t say that the person walking in the light will never sin.

Rather, he says that if we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus will cleanse us whenever we do sin.

I think to walk in the light, then, means to constantly expose every facet of our life to Jesus, both the good and bad. And whenever his light exposes some sin in our hearts, we immediately repent.

We don’t try to hide our sin. We don’t make excuses for it. We repent. And as we do, he is faithful and just and will forgive us.

That’s walking in light. That’s what fellowship with God looks like.

On the other hand, it’s impossible to have fellowship with God if we’re hiding from his light. If like Adam and Eve we try to cover our guilt and our shame. Or if we constantly make excuses for and try to justify our sins.

That’s walking in the darkness.

And so as we think about whether we’re walking in the light or not, the question we need to ask ourselves is not how much we struggle with sin in our lives.

The question is, “Am I exposing all of me to Jesus? Or are there areas that I’m still trying to hide from him?”

Father, I choose to step out into the light and walk in it. To hide nothing from you, not even the sins I’m ashamed of.

Let your light shine on me. Show me the areas that need to change.

I don’t want to just stand in the light, basking in your grace. I want to walk in the light.

So show me my next step. And as I keep moving forward, step by step, make me more like you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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1 John Devotionals

Who do we believe?

For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden, because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world.

This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. (1 John 5:3-4)

This world throws a lot at us. In the words of Paul, it throws at us trouble, hardships, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and sword. (Romans 8:35)

And yet, Paul says in all this we are more than conquerors though Christ who loved us. (Romans 8:37).

John essentially says the same thing here. What gives us victory over this world and all that it throws at us? Faith. Faith that our God is good. Faith that he loves us. Faith that he knows what is best. Faith that he wants our best.

This world we live in is marked by unbelief. It’s a world that essentially calls God a liar. And when we face all that the world throws at us, it’s easy to fall into disbelief. To let disbelief crush us.

And when disbelief crushes us, God’s commands become a burden. Living for him becomes a burden.

But with faith comes victory and joy despite our circumstances.

Whose testimony will we receive? This world’s? Or God’s?

One leads to death. One leads to life.

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (11-12)

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1 John Devotionals

Do I know Your love?

And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us…We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:16, 19)

Father, I do know your love. And I do believe you love me. I love you because you first loved me.

And yet.

There are so many times I struggle to love others as you have loved me.

And so it makes me wonder, “Have I truly come to know and believe in your love for me?“

I would think that if I have, it would show in my love for others. In the way, I accept them. In the way I forgive them. In the way I deal with them.

So while I do know and believe in your love, it is so apparent to me that I need to know it so much deeper. Because right now, my love is so imperfect.

I want to love as you do. I want your love to be made complete in me. Make me like you.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

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1 John Devotionals

Because I have hope

Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is.

And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure. (1 John 3:2-3)

Father, I have a hope.

I have hope because you have called me your child.

I have hope that your Son will return, and when he appears, I will be like him for I shall see him as he is.

And so in the here and now, I strive to be more like Jesus. To live as he did. To love as he did.

But when I fall, when I sin, I have hope because you don’t give up on me.

Instead, when I confess my sin, you are faithful and just to forgive my sin (1 John 1:9).

And though Satan may accuse me, though my own heart at times accuses me, you are greater than my heart and you know all things. You know I love you. (John 20:15-21)

Let me walk each day in your love, your grace, your hope. In Jesus’ name amen.

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1 John Devotionals

Growing in grace and knowlege 

Today, I was meditating on verses 12-14 and thinking about the stages of Christian maturity.

Newly born again Christians don’t know much, but they know this one thing: “My Daddy loves me and accepts me. And though I fall, he still loves me and will forgive me.”

And so God is totally approachable. They can run to him like a little child without fear.

Mature Christians also have this relationship. But it goes beyond that. Their experience with God is so much deeper.

They no longer simply see Daddy. But they see someone who has existed from all eternity. They see the all-powerful Creator who made all things.

They see the Holy One who is perfect in all his ways. They see one who never changes in his character, in his love, in his grace, and in his mercy.

They have seen God’s goodness and faithfulness to them, despite all their failures and the times they have been unfaithful. And as they think on these things, they stand in awe. They can’t help but worship.

And we have the young people who have grown to adulthood. They are no longer living on milk, but are eating the solid food of the Word. The word remains in them.

They are experienced and skilled in wielding the Word of God. They have trained their senses to discern right and wrong. And because of that, they have started to see victory in their lives over sin and the evil one. (Hebrews 5:12-14)

Father, I pray for the young Christians in your church, that they would truly come to know you. That they could learn they are loved, accepted, and forgiven by you. That they can approach you as a little child, running to you, fully confident in your love for them.

Father, I pray for the mature Christians in your church, that as they think back on their relationship with you and all they’ve seen, experienced, and learned, they would stand in awe of you and share with the younger Christians all they have experienced with you.

And Father, I pray for the young adults in your church, that the word of God would remain in them. That they will have trained their senses to discern right and wrong. And that they will wield the sword of the Spirit skillfully in their lives as they face trials, temptations, and spiritual battles.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

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1 John Devotionals

Calling God a liar?

1 John

The one who does not believe God has made him a liar. (1 John 5:10)

Those words struck me this morning.

When we do not believe God, we are effectively calling him a liar.

Satan called God a liar in the garden of Eden and taught Adam and Eve to do the same. (Genesis 3:3-6)

When we reject his word as outdated or flat out wrong, we call him a liar.

Perhaps the biggest thing people struggle with is the idea that Jesus is the only way to have a relationship with God. That he is the only way to eternal life. (John 14:6)

We especially struggle with that when we think of our loved ones who don’t know Jesus. Couldn’t there be other ways?

But to say that is to call God a liar.

John tells us that God has testified to his Son as being the only way through the water, the blood, and the Spirit.

Through Jesus’ baptism, God testified to who Jesus was and his mission of salvation. (John 1:29-34 )

When Jesus died, his blood cried out a better word than Abel’s (Hebrews 12:24).

A word that instead of crying for vengeance, cried out for forgiveness (Genesis 4:10-11, Luke 23:34, John 19:34-35).

And the Father answered by tearing the temple curtain, opening the way for us to have a relationship with God. (Matthew 27:50-51)

The Spirit then testified to what Jesus had done at Pentecost, and continues to testify to this day. (Acts 2:16-21, John 15:26, 16:7-10, Romans 8:14-17)

When we reject that testimony and insist there must be other ways, we call God a liar.

Do you ever question the things God teaches and testifies to in his Word?

Let us never compromise his word, especially what he has to say about salvation. Instead, let us hold fast to his testimony and take it to the ones we love so that they may know him, and that our joy may be complete. (1 John 1:1-4)

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12)

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1 John Devotionals

Walking in darkness? Walking in the light?

1 John

1 John 3:4-10 are among the more difficult in the Bible and can cause many Christians to doubt their salvation. Why? Because it seems to be saying that those who sin are not truly Christians.

That is clearly not what John means, however, as we’ve seen in 1 John 1:8-10 and 2:1.

So what does he mean?

I think we see a hint of the answer in 1 John 1:6-7.

True children of God walk in his light, not in darkness. Why?

Because they love God. They believe he is good. And they strive to be like their Heavenly Father.

People living in darkness are not this way. Instead, they have deep-seeded doubts about God, questioning the goodness of his character and his commands. And they essentially say, “If that’s the way you really are, if that’s the way you really think, I want nothing to do with you.”

That was Satan’s attitude.

That was the attitude he passed on to humanity in the garden.

And that’s how many people live today.

Such people have not seen or known Jesus or his Father.

True Christians don’t live that way. They can’t live that way.

Though they may fall into sin, when God’s light exposes it, they repent. No excuses. No trying to justify their sins. And certainly no questioning of his goodness.

The question, then, is not whether you sin or not. All of us sin. The question is if you’re walking in the light or not.

Because if we walk in the light as he is in the light, confessing our sins and repenting of them, the blood of Jesus his Son purifies us from all sin. (I John 1:7)

And the good news is, when our hearts condemn us for our failings, God is greater than our hearts and knows all things. He knows we truly love him and desire to please him. And he accepts us. (1 John 3:20)

So let us rejoice in his grace, singing with John.

See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! (1 John 3:1)

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1 John Devotionals

Walking with God

1 John

In reading these two chapters, I’ve been reflecting on what it means to walk with God.

Many people claim to walk with God. Or in John’s words, many people claim to know God and have fellowship with him.

But what does that really look like?

One thing John makes clear is that you can’t walk in darkness and still claim to have fellowship with God. In other words, you can’t reject his commands and just live as you like.

Unfortunately, too many people who claim to be Christians do just that. They accept the things in God’s word that they like and throw out the things they don’t.

But a person who truly walks with God believes all his commands and ways are good. And so they embrace these things. They honor these things. Their heart truly belongs to God and they desire to walk as Jesus did. (I John 1:5-6, 2:3-6)

That said, living in the light doesn’t mean we live perfect lives. But when his light reveals our sin, we don’t make excuses for it. Rather we confess it and repent.

And the good news is that when Satan tries to accuse us, Jesus stands by our side and defends us. By his blood we are purified from all our sins, and God’s wrath is appeased. (I John 1:7, 2:1-2).

We are forgiven, not because we are so faithful, but because God is. (1 John 1:9). We are accepted, not because we are so righteous, but because Jesus is righteous (2:1, 12), and he has clothed us with his righteousness.

So let us not walk in the darkness living our own way. Nor let us fear coming into the light because we fear God’s anger or judgment.

Rather let us come into the light…no, let us run to the light, embracing God, embracing his ways, and walking each day in his grace as his beloved children.

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1 John Devotionals

Not burdensome

1 John

For a lot of people, when they say, “I love God,” it’s primarily an emotional thing. It’s a feeling of “I feel close to God,” or “I feel God’s love in my life.”

But love for God is not just some ishy-squishy feeling we have for God. Rather, John tells us this:

For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. (1 John 5:3)

Do you truly love God? If you do, you show it by keeping his commands.

“But that sounds so legalistic,” you might say.

It only sounds that way if you think that God’s commands are a burden. If you think that God is trying to steal all your joy in life. If you think that God is standing with a bat ready to bash you when you fail.

But John says,

And his commands are not a burden, because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. (3b-4)

No, God’s commands are not a burden. Why not?

Because of our faith. We trust God. We trust that God loves us. We trust that God desires our best. And we know that even when we fail, God doesn’t bash us. Rather, he picks us up in love, and keeps walking with us.

We don’t have to try to keep his commands in our own strength. Instead, each day, he leads and guides us in his love.

More than that, we know the victory has already been won.

Jesus paid the price for our sin on the cross. And one day he will return and make all things we new. He will make us new, and we will be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)

That’s our hope. That’s why we love him. And that’s why his commands are not a burden. At least, they shouldn’t be.

How about you? Are God’s commands burdensome to you? Or a joy?

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1 John Devotionals

When our hearts condemn us

1 John

A lot of us struggle with the truth we find in verse 1.

See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! (1 John 3:1)

Why do we struggle with it? We struggle because we feel we aren’t truly worthy of his love. We see words like,

Everyone who remains in him does not sin;, everyone who sins has not seen him or known him. (6)

and,

Everyone who has been born of God does not sin. (9)

and we say to ourselves, “But I do sin. Does that mean I’m not really a Christian?”

But as I said yesterday, John is not saying that Christians never sin. Rather, they have a changed heart which desires to be like the Savior who loves them.

They long for the day when we will see him face to face. And because of that, they no longer pursue sin, but holiness (2-3).

But in the meantime, there are times we sin. And it is so easy to condemn ourselves. To say we are not worthy of God’s love.

Satan of course will throw those accusations against us. But sometimes our own hearts will too.

And so John says,

 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. (20, NIV)

God see our failures. But God also sees our hearts.

After Peter denied Jesus three times, his heart condemned him. But Jesus was greater than his heart. He knew that Peter truly loved him. (John 21)

In the same way, when your heart condemns you, rest assured, Jesus knows your heart.

If your conscience is pierced because of your sin, and yet you love Jesus and desire to be like him, he knows. And he extends his grace to you.

Every morning, his mercies to you are new. Though we are not always faithful, great is his faithfulness! (Lamentations 3:22-23, 2 Timothy 2:13).

Let us rest each day in his grace and his faithfulness to us.

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1 John Devotionals

Truths we hold

1 John

We live in a world that holds on to a lot of partial truths.

But as Christians we can’t do that. We need to hold to the whole truth.

And so as we read 1 John, it’s important to hold all truth together.

What are these truths.

  1. You can’t walk in darkness and claim to be a Christian. Put another way, you can’t live in unrepentant sin and say you are a Christian. To do so, John says, makes you a liar (1 John 1:6). Rather a true Christian is marked by a love for God and a love for others.
  2. That said, all Christians sin (1:8, 10). No Christian is perfect. And no Christian loves God or people perfectly.
  3. When we sin, Jesus intercedes for us before the Father. On the cross, Jesus took all of the Father’s wrath for our sins upon himself (2:1-2). And because of that, we have peace with God.

What happens when we fail to hold these truths together? We either fall into a life of licentiousness, or we fall into depression that we don’t measure up as Christians.

Let’s run from both extremes. Rather, let us do these two things:

  1. Live in the light. Make loving God and loving others your top priorities. And when you fall, don’t hide your sin. Bring it before God with a heart of repentance.
  2. Walk in grace. When you fall, don’t beat yourself up. Don’t run in shame from God. Instead, run to him, knowing Jesus himself is interceding for you.
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1 John Devotionals

Who we sound like

1 John

I wish I could give a whole message on John 4, because there’s a lot of good stuff here. But let me focus on one thing.

John says,

They (the false prophets) are from the world. Therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them.

We (the apostles) are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us.

This is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception. (1 John 4:5-6)

Think about what John is saying. John says, “Whoever listens to the apostles’ teaching is from God. Anyone who does not follow the apostles’ teaching is not from God.”

Either John is being very arrogant here, or he is telling the truth.

And how you answer that question will determine your worldview.

The world is changing around us. And not for the better. What used to be clear-cut in terms of right and wrong, has now been made foggy by the world.

And when it comes to morals, Christians left and right are starting to sound more and more like the world.

“The apostles didn’t understand what we do now, so what they say doesn’t apply anymore. They were just ignorant, biased Jews. We’re are more enlightened now.”

Some even talk as if Jesus and his apostles contradicted each other in their teachings.

But John says, “Do you want to know the difference between truth and deception? The standard is our teaching.”

Question: When it comes to morals, when it comes to truth, who do you sound more like? The world? Or the apostles? Whose worldview are you accepting? The world’s? Or the apostles’?

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1 John Devotionals

God’s love? Love for God?

1 John

After a flood of insights last week, it’s been a quiet one for me this week. Not that I haven’t learned anything, but nothing stood out to me that I haven’t already written about.

But today, verse 5 stood out to me.

But whoever keeps his word, truly in him the love of God is made complete. (1 John 2:5)

“The love of God.”

The phrase there could mean either “God’s love for us” (probable), or “our love for God.”

And I thought, “How much has the love of God been made complete in me?”

There are still so many ways that I break his word every day.

A lot of times, that’s because his love for me has not truly sunk down into my heart.

If I truly knew in my heart of hearts his love for me, I would be much more patient with others.

I would be less selfish.

I would be more gracious toward others.

I would be less tempted by the things of this world and my lusts.

Lord, may I come to completely understand your love for me. And as I do, may my love for you be made more complete as well.

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1 John Devotionals

The one who keeps us

1 John

We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the one who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.

We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one.

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true one. We are in the true one—that is, in his Son Jesus Christ.

He is the true God and eternal life.  (1 John 5:18-20)

The words John uses here intrigue me. In verse 18, he uses the phrase “born of God” twice: once in reference to us, and once in reference to Jesus.

We are born of God, made into new creations, because 2000 years ago, Jesus was born of Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The same Holy Spirit that was responsible for the birth of Jesus into this world is the same Holy Spirit that is responsible for our spiritual birth.

And the one who was born of the Holy Spirit 2000 years ago is the same one who now keeps us from sin.

Though Satan would tempt us and deceive us so that we would fall into the destructive trap of sin, Jesus is ever by us to watch over us and to lead us on the safe and right path.

Though this whole world is under the sway of the evil one and is headed for destruction, we are now under the sway and care of the One who loved us and gave his life for us.

Just as John uses the phrase “born of God” twice in verse 18, he uses the phrase “true one” twice in verse 20.

It’s a little vague as to whether he’s referring to the Father twice, or to the Father once and Jesus the second time. Translators differ on this, as you’ll see in various translations of this verse (Compare the NIV and ESV for example).

But it seems to me that the first time, John is referring to the Father, the second time to the Son.

Jesus gives us understanding that we might know the Father, who is completely true and trustworthy.

The reason Jesus is able to do this, however, is because he himself is completely true and trustworthy, and we are in him, and he in us.

As Jesus told his disciples,

The one who has seen me has seen the Father. (John 14:9)

This is not to say that the Father and the Son are the same person, but that the Son is the perfect reflection of the Father. And by being in Jesus, by learning of him and resting in his love, we come to know the Father.

And whether John is talking of the Father or the Son, it can be said of both truly,

He is the true God and eternal life. (20b)

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1 John Devotionals

No cause for stumbling

1 John

The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother or sister is in the darkness until now.

The one who loves his brother or sister remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

But the one who hates his brother or sister is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and doesn’t know where he’s going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. (1 John 2:9-11)

Anger.

Hate.

Resentment.

How much stumbling comes into our lives because of these three things?

Just thinking about the people who hurt us is like a knife that cuts afresh into our hearts.

Sometimes because we feel all over again all they did to hurt us.

Sometimes because we know our attitude toward them isn’t right and our conscience slices into us.

Sometimes both.

And so we get angry all over again.

At them.

At ourselves.

The result?

Our anger, hatred, and resentment hang like a millstone around our neck, dragging us down.

How different is the person who has let all that go.

John says that for that person, there is no cause for stumbling in them.

They are free.

They walk with their heads held high.

Their lives are filled with the light of joy.

And of God’s love.

How about you?

How are you walking?

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1 John Devotionals

Faithful…and just?

1 John

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

I have read this verse hundreds of times, and taught on it multiple times, but something struck me as I read this verse this time.

John tells us that if we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive our sins.

Or as Paul told Timothy,

if we are faithless, he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself. (2 Timothy 2:13)

I have no problem with that concept.

But that second half of the verse, “He is righteous to forgive us our sins,” caught me short.

He is “righteous” (or “just” as many translations put it) to forgive us? Just because we confess our sins to him, God can be considered “righteous” or “just” in forgiving us? How does that work?

I can see calling him “merciful.” Or “gracious,” perhaps.

But “just?” “Righteous?”

Of course, the answer is found in the cross.

You see, it is simply not enough that we say, “I’m sorry,” when we sin.

A price, a penalty had to be paid. And that’s what Jesus did on the cross. He paid our penalty for us. He took all of God’s wrath upon himself, shedding his blood for us.

And John tells us that because of this,

the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (I John 1:7)

It is the missing point in many religions that preach “forgiveness” today.

They may preach the mercifulness of Allah or Amida Buddha. But justice is never truly served. These gods may forgive, but they never truly deal with our sin. And because of that, it’s impossible to truly call them righteous or just.

The same thing can be said of the view Orthodox Jews hold of God as well. In their view, God forgives, but the truth is, God never truly deals with their sin. He just forgives.

But because of Jesus, when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

And for that, we can be grateful.