Chapter 44 - Confession or Christ

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Jesus Christ is the mediator of the Eternal Covenant. God in human flesh, He alone possessed the qualifications necessary to represent both God to mankind and mankind to God.

Jesus’ first covenantal obligation was incarnation. (John 1:1-5; 14; 18; Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 2:9) His second obligation was mediation through the fulfillment of the offices of prophet, priest, and king. (Deuteronomy 18:15;Psalms 2:6; 45:6; 110:1-4; Isaiah 9:6-7; 53:12; Luke 1:33; 4:18-21; 13:33; John 17; 18:36-37;Acts 2:23-24; 3:22; Romans 4:25; 5:8; 8:32-34; Hebrews 1:8; 3:1; 4:14-16; 5:5-6; 6:20; 7:25-26; 8:1; 9:26; 13:15; 1 Peter 2:5; 3:18; 2 Peter 1:11; 1 John 4:10; Revelation 19:16)

While on earth, Jesus satisfied the covenantal obligation of the priesthood through His perfect ministry of sacrifice and intercession. His resurrection and ascension by the Father testified to His approval and the efficacy of Christ’s sacrificial death. (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25; 13:20) Seated in victory at the right hand of the heavenly Father, Jesus serves as our eternal “Advocate with the Father.”

Priesthood of the Christ

The priesthood served an important role in the Bible. Its fundamental purpose was to provide mediation between holy God and fallen mankind. As revealed through the Old Testament, the mediation of the priesthood of ancient Israel was manifested predominantly through the agency of sacrifice and intercession.

The priestly mediation of Israel was never intended to be a permanent solution for the priesthood. Rather than “taking away” sin, it could only provide a temporary covering for sin. (Psalm 32:1; Romans 4:7; Hebrews 9:13; 10:4) Although the covering made fellowship with God a possibility, the presence of sin remained and, to an extent, restrained the quality of fellowship. Thus, fellowship between God and ancient Israel was less than perfect.

With foreknowledge before the foundation of the world, God planned for His fellowship with mankind after the Fall to be without restraint, like it was in the Garden of Eden. Restoring fallen mankind to a state of holiness, however, required sins not to be merely covered but removed. Consequently, He would completely remove the hindrance of sin through the redemptive work of the incarnate Christ. (Hebrews 9:11-10:18)

Relative to the constraining presence of sin, fellowship with God under the Old Covenant had been dependent on strict obedience to specific regulations of worship. (Hebrews 9:1-9) The temporary efficacy of the regulations required them to be repeated continually, year after year.

The Old Covenant regulations of worship were never intended to remove the problem of sin. Instead, they were designed to point to the future arrival of the Messiah, the One who would permanently remove the hindrance of sin and thereby, open the door for the worship of God in Spirit and truth and intimate fellowship with Him.

The author of Hebrews explained the Old Testament regulations of worship were only “imposed until a time of reformation.” (Hebrews 9:10) It referred to the arrival of Messiah Jesus. He would provide the “way into the most holy place” and thus, permanent entrance into presence of God. (Hebrews 9:8)

In fulfillment of His eternal priesthood, Jesus arrived on earth during the first century AD. His heavenly priesthood was far superior to the earthly priesthood of Israel. The perfect high priest, He was “immutable,” “holy,” “perfect,” “innocent,” “undefiled,” “separated from sinners” and “exalted above the heavens.” (Hebrews 5:9; 7:26-28) The priesthood of Jesus was according to “the order of Melchizedek” and “the power of an indestructible life.” (Hebrews 5:6-10; 6:20; 7:11-17) Eternal in nature, it “continues forever.” (Hebrews 7:24) Therefore, Jesus’ eternal priestly ministry was fulfilled “in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.” (Hebrews 8:2) He did not simply “…enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself…to appear in the presence of God for us.” Further, Jesus did not need to “offer Himself often, [like] the high priest [who] enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.” Instead, the perfect high priest, He only needed to “offer Himself once at the consummation of the ages …to put away sin.” (Hebrews 9:24-26) In eternity and time, the death of Jesus Christ perfectly satisfied the mediatorial obligation of the priesthood. (Hebrews 10:12-14) Therefore, it can be unequivocally stated that He is the “guarantee of a better covenant” that was “enacted on better promises” and consequently, He is “able ...to save forever those who draw near to God through Him.” (Hebrews 7:22, 25; 8:6)

The “better covenant” mediated by Jesus Christ was the Eternal Covenant. In fulfillment of its stipulations, He offered Himself to the heavenly Father as a perfect sacrifice. (Hebrews 9:14) Therefore, unlike the earthly priesthood of Israel, Jesus did not enter the most holy place of the earthly tabernacle through the sacrificial blood of bulls and goats. He entered the most holy place of the heavenly tabernacle once for all through His own blood. (Hebrews 9:11-12)

The blood of sacrificial animals could not fully cleanse the sinner. While it provided for outward cleansing, it could not cleanse the conscience. (Hebrews 9:9, 14; 10:22) Therefore, it could not allow for perfect intimacy with God.

The sacrificial blood of the perfect high priest, however, is able to cleanse the believer so thoroughly that it extends to his conscience. As a result, the self-awareness of sin, all inner discord related to sin, and the guilt of sin are cleansed. The responsibility of the believer is not to feel forgiven but to faithfully and continually agree with God that His cleansing extended even to the depths of the soul.

Also different from the earthly priesthood of Israel, Jesus, the perfect high priest, did not offer Himself year after year. Instead, He offered Himself once for all time. Therefore, Jesus permanently “put away sin.” (Hebrews 9:26) Thus, the veil of the Jewish temple was torn from top to bottom, signifying His sacrifice was sufficient to remove the hindrance of sin between God and mankind. (Matthew 27:50-51a) As a result, intimacy of fellowship could be restored.

From the divine perspective, the blood of the Eternal Covenant provides for the New Testament church to be cleansed from all sin and unrighteousness; past, present, and future. Its cleansing is so thorough that it removes the hindrance of sin both outwardly and inwardly. The responsibility of the New Testament church then is not to continually confess its already forgiven sins but its faith in the Savior.

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Advocate with the Father

In the second chapter of his first letter, John moved beyond refuting false doctrine and addressed his church brethren. He said, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2)

Seven times in 1 John chapters 2-5, John referred to his fellow brethren in the early church as his, “little children.” (1 John 2:1, 12, 28; 3:7, 18; 4:4; 5:21) Translated from the Greek word teknion (tek-nee'-on), it was a term of “affectionate address” or endearment.[1] Thus, throughout the remainder of his first letter John used a more personal and affectionate form of speech to move past general teaching about false claims of fellowship with God and address some of the specific evidences of true fellowship with God.

John affectionately explained to his church brethren that he did not want them to practice sin. Nevertheless, he was aware of the continued presence of the indwelling sin nature. Although “rendered powerless,” it remained an unrelenting source of temptation and thus, provocation to practice sin. (cf. Romans 6:6)

Given the likelihood the church would struggle with temptation, John revealed the divine remedy for the believer’s practice of sin. Rather than the continual confession of sins, it was the continual advocacy of Jesus Christ. The perfect high priest, He serves as the church’s “Advocate with the Father.”

The English word “advocate” was translated from the Greek word parakletos (par-ak'-lay-tos). It is used five times in the New Testament, four times in John and once in 1 John. In the NASB, parakletos is translated as “Comforter” in John and “Advocate” in 1 John. Referring to consoling, encouraging, or mediating, parakletos was “... used in a court of justice to denote a legal assistant, counsel for the defense, an advocate; then, generally, one who pleads another's cause, an intercessor, advocate.”[2]

John specifically described Jesus, the Advocate for the New Testament church, as “righteous.” Qualified by His perfect righteousness, Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross was sufficient to pay in full the penalty and debt of all sin and all unrighteousness. Anything less than perfect righteousness would have made His death less than sufficient and disqualified Him from serving as an “Advocate with the Father.”

Essential to the advocacy of the Christ was His role in the fulfillment of the Eternal Covenant. It was initiated in eternity before the foundation of the world and fulfilled in time by His sacrificial death.

The blood of the Eternal Covenant graciously provided for the forgiveness and cleansing of all human sin and unrighteousness. Extending throughout time and eternity, its efficacy is continual. Within the confines of time, the church is called to agree with God regarding its sin and need for His forgiveness. It occurs by the continual exercise of faith alone.

The Apostle John emphasized one aspect of Christ’s fulfillment of the Eternal Covenant. He said, “... He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” The English word “propitiation” is translated from the Greek word “hilasmos (hil-as-mos').” Also used in 1 John 4:10, it means “to satisfy by a sacrifice.”[3] Concordant with His righteousness, Jesus’ sacrificial death propitiated and thus, perfectly satisfied God’s wrath against all sin.

In this present age, those who receive the benefit of Christ’s propitiatory work are no longer sinners. They are the saints (hagios - hag'-ee-os; (used 46x from Acts to Jude) of the New Testament church.

Meaning “holy one,” the word “saint” refers to those eternally set apart for the purpose of God. Thus, the born-again Christian is not merely a “sinner saved by grace.” To say so is not only evidential of false humility but diminishes the redemptive work of Christ and demonstrates biblical ignorance. Rather than a “sinner saved by grace,” the true Christian is “a new creature” in Christ and consequently, a “saint” saved by grace.

From the divine perspective, the saints of the New Testament church no longer walk (live) in the darkness (the “domain of darkness,” the realm of sin and death; the fallen realm of satanic authority). They have been rescued from eternal darkness and legally positioned once and for all in the eternal Light (the kingdom of God; the realm of the Spirit of life (zoe) in Christ Jesus; the realm of divine authority). Therefore, the saints of the New Testament church walk (live) in an eternal state of agreement with God regarding sin and the need for forgiveness. In agreement with Him, they are continually cleansed from all sin and unrighteousness by the blood of Jesus.

When the saints of the New Testament church occasionally fail to walk according to faith, fall to the temptation, and practice sin, they are privileged to count on the gracious, propitiatory work of Jesus Christ the righteous and recognize that His propitiatory death fully satisfied the justice of the heavenly Father in regard to sin. Therefore, the saints have absolute assurance that God’s wrath has been forever propitiated. Consequently, His anger in regard to sin has been fully appeased.

Preserving the integrity of divine justice, the divine remedy for sin allowed for fallen human beings to be freely transferred from the realm of sin and death (the “domain of darkness,” the realm of satanic authority) into the realm of the “Spirit of life (zoe) in Christ Jesus” (the Light, the realm of divine authority, the kingdom of God). Extending through time and eternity, the transference is permanent.

Transferred from the realm of sin and death, the New Testament church is eternally positioned in the Light. Forever walking (living) in the Light with God, the church is privileged to exist in a perpetual state of fellowship with Him.

Relative to its occasional practice of sin, the New Testament church, permanently positioned “in Christ,” does not transfer back and forth between the Light and darkness. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12)

Forever walking (living) in the Light with God, the New Testament church is continually cleansed from all sin and unrighteousness by the blood of Jesus. (1 John 1:7) Therefore, it is superfluous for the church to continually confess its sins. Thus, the Apostle John did not instruct the church to agree with God about its practice of sin but to agree with Him the blood of Jesus continually cleanses the church from all sin and unrighteousness in both principle and practice.

For the New Testament church, eternally positioned in the Light with God, the privilege of fellowship with God occurs by grace through faith alone. The grace of God is not contingent on the occasional practice of sin by His beloved ecclesia. From God’s perspective, it was washed, sanctified, and justified from all sin and all unrighteousness by the blood of Jesus Christ. (Acts 22:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 5:26; Titus 3:5) Instead, the grace of God is based on His immutable character and unconditional promises. Thus, the New Testament church’s state of perpetual fellowship with God is only hindered by scriptural ignorance.

Sin Not Leading to Death

Concordant with the advocacy of Christ, it is important to understand there are two different types of sin. According to the Apostle John, there is sin “not leading to death” and sin “leading to death.” (1 John 5:16-18a; cf. 1 John 3:9) The first is descriptive of the believer and the second the unbeliever.

The New Testament church occasionally practices “sin not leading to death.” Nevertheless, it is contrary to the holiness of God and, for the benefit of the church, should be avoided.

Why doesn’t the believer’s sin lead to death? Because he has been released from the jurisdiction (authority) of the rule of law. (Romans 7:1-6) For a believer then, the rule of law has no authority and the penalty and debt for an occasional act of sin is not legally imputed to His account. (Romans 4:13; 5:13) Consequently, it is not a “sin leading to death.”

Conversely, the sin of the unbeliever is legally imputed to his account. Therefore, it is a “sin leading to death.”

What keeps the believer from continual sin? Not law! The rule of law has no power to prevent sin. Its purpose is merely to reveal sin.

If not the rule of law, what then is the motive for the believer not to practice sin? It is life (zoe) in fullness! There is no greater motive to avoid the practice of sin than the intimate presence of the indwelling, eternal life (zoe) of Jesus Christ and the gracious intimacy of His rule of life (zoe).

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Conclusion

The idea that the continual, legalistic confession of sins is prescriptive for the New Testament church is false. It is a law-based misinterpretation of 1 John 1:9 that is not supported in the pages of the life-based (zoe) New Testament.

While 1 John was written for the benefit of the early New Testament church, it was not entirely prescriptive for the church. Fundamentally, it was written as a rebuttal of first-century teaching that falsely proclaimed mankind could live in the darkness, deny the presence and practice of his sinful condition, and yet still enjoy fellowship with God. Consequently, some of 1 John was prescriptive for the church, those who enjoy fellowship with God, and other parts of the letter were prescriptive for humanity in general, those not in fellowship with God.

In 1 John 1:1-4, John revealed that fellowship with God was a distinct possibility. In 1 John 1:5-10, he explained how to enter into fellowship with God.

Unfortunately, the lifeless (zoe), law-bound church naturally approaches the New Testament from a subjective, law-based perspective. Therefore, it has a tendency to misinterpret.

One passage of scripture commonly prone to subjective, law-based misinterpretation is 1 John 1:5-10. As a result, it is commonly assumed to be prescriptive for the church.

Presuming 1 John 1:5-10 is prescriptive for the church and thus, viewing it from a subjective, law-based perspective, the lifeless (zoe), law-bound church translates the Greek word homologeo in verse 9 as “confess.” Its literal meaning, however, is “to say the same thing.” Therefore, it can also be translated “agree with.”

Understanding verse 9 in relation to a continual agreement rather than a continual confession, it can be understood that unbelieving mankind must continuously agree with God regarding certain prerequisites for entering into fellowship with Him. First, unbelieving human beings must continually agree with God that sin prevents fellowship with Him. The unbelieving false teachers rebutted by John walked (lived) in the darkness, the realm of sin and death, and yet denied they were sinful. While they claimed to fellowship with God, in reality they did not. Second, unbelieving human beings must continually agree with God that fellowship with Him requires walking (living) in the Light where He is faithful and righteous to forgive all sins and cleanse from all unrighteousness.

By the redemptive work of God in Christ, believing human beings exist in an eternal state of agreement with God. Therefore, they have already been eternally positioned in the Light with God and as a result, are children of the Light.

Nevertheless, while on earth, believers retain the capacity to act like children of darkness. When they do, it does not mean they traverse back and forth between the Light and darkness, ever altering the quality of their fellowship with God. Concordant with the unfailing advocacy of Christ, the New Testament church is secured in the Light with God.

If and when the New Testament church acts like the children of darkness, it is not God’s will for it to grovel before Him in a faithless manner. Instead, His will for His children on earth is to trust in the advocacy of Jesus Christ, the perfect high priest.

The New Testament church then is not called to continually confess its sins according to law but to continually agree with God that sin is contrary to His holiness, thank Him for His redemptive work of justification from all sin and unrighteousness, choose life (zoe), and return to a walk of faith.

Legalistic groveling is antithetical to intimate, shared life fellowship with God. Therefore, intimacy with God cannot be realized through attempted obedience to the rule of law. Thus, as long as the church ignorantly continues to confess its sins in a legalistic manner it will not enjoy fellowship with God according to the fullness of His will. Only when it learns to elevate life (zoe) over law will it begin to understand what it means to walk (live) in the Light with God. It is not until then that the New Testament church will quit trying and start trusting.

© 2025 James Hiatt

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