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Chapter 54 - Confession |
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“For God so loved the world (kosmos (kos'-mos); used figuratively for its human inhabitants), that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish (experience eternal death), but have eternal life (zoe).” (John 3:16)
Longing to enjoy intimate fellowship, God willingly sacrificed His most valuable asset for the redemption of fallen humanity; His only begotten Son. It should be clear then that humanity is of unparalleled value to God. Congruent with the will of God, the sacrifice of His Son accomplished everything for which it was intended. Absolutely corrupted by sin, fallen humanity has nothing to offer in return. To walk (live) in the Light with God, necessary to enjoy fellowship with Him, fallen human beings need only to surrender their will to God. It is possible through the divinely provided instrument of faith alone. By faith alone, the sinner must confess to God that he is sinful and his sin prohibits fellowship with Him. Both the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ and the confession of sins was intended to be efficacious once and for all, through time and eternity. Concordant with a sincere confession of sins, the fallen are forever transferred from the darkness of sin and death into the Light of God. Living in the Light with God, the blood of Jesus His Son continually cleanses from all sin and unrighteousness. The Greek word for “confession” (discussed below) can be literally translated “to say the same thing.” Therefore, relative to the context in which it is used, it can be translated “to agree with.” Although often overlooked, the context of 1 John 1 is favorable for the translation of the Greek word for “confession” into “agree with.” Consequently, 1 John 1:9 could be paraphrased as, “… if people continuously agree with God that sin prevents fellowship with Him, He is faithful and righteous to continuously forgive them of all sins and cleanse them from all unrighteousness.” According to John, the New Testament church is to “agree with” God about two important truths. First, people must agree with God that sin prevents fellowship with Him. Second, they must agree with Him that He is willing to permit fellowship with Him by forgiving them of all sin and unrighteousness. If people are in a continuous state of agreement with God, He is faithful and righteous to continuously forgive them of all sins and cleanse them from all unrighteousness. Confession In 1 John chapter one, John explained how to enjoy fellowship with God. In contrast to the false teaching to which the early church was exposed, he clarified that it requires walking (living) in the Light with Him. Light is an attribute of the nature of divine life (zoe). Therefore, for a human being to walk (live) in the Light with God they must share the nature of His life. According to John, sharing life with God is only possible by being born of Him. (1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1; 4; 18) He revealed that spiritual birth requires people who walk (live) in the darkness to confess their sins. As used by the Apostle John, the English word “confess” is translated from the Greek word homologeo (hom-ol-og-eh'-o). In the New Testament, homologeo is translated not only “confess,” but “declare,” “admit,” and “profess.” (NASB) As indicated, it literally means “to say the same thing” and thus, “to assent, accord, agree with.”[1] John used homologeo four times in his Gospel (John 1:20 (2x); 9:22; 12:42), in 1 John five times (1 John 1:9; 2:23; 4:2, 3; 15), and 2 John once (2 John 7). Relative to its literal meaning, it is reasonable to translate homologeo in 1 John 1:9 as “to agree with.” Thus, John indicated that if people who walk (live) in the darkness want to enjoy fellowship with God they must agree with Him they are corrupted by sin (internal principle of sin evidenced by the external practice of sin) and it has prevented them from fellowshipping with Him. Concordant with the willingness of people who walk (live) in darkness to agree with Him, God is faithful and righteous to forgive them of all sinfulness (internal principle and external practice) and cleanse them from all unrighteousness related to their sins. Thus, walking (living) in the Light with God demands agreement with Him. In 1 John 1, the Greek verb tenses indicate the agreement or disagreement, forgiveness or unforgiveness referred to are continuous. Therefore, according to John people either continually agree or disagree with God and are continually forgiven and cleansed by God or not. People who continuously disagree with God regarding their sinfulness (false teachers) walk (live) in the darkness apart from Him and do not enjoy fellowship with Him. In contrast, people who continuously agree with God that He forgives and cleanses from all sin walk (live) in the Light and enjoy fellowship with God. People who continuously live in the darkness apart from God and do not fellowship with Him exist in a state of darkness. Consequently, they are unbelievers. The following paraphrase of 1 John 1:5-10 not only protects and preserves the underlying meaning of the original Greek language but focuses the church on the Savior and His redemptive work: “This is the message we have heard from the incarnate Christ and announce to you, that God is Light (Light is an attribute of the divine nature and thus, the divine kingdom), and in Him there is no darkness at all. (5) If people say that they have fellowship with God (in His kingdom) and yet live in the darkness (apart from God outside of His kingdom), they lie and do not live according to the truth; but if people live in the Light (in the kingdom of God, the realm of divine authority) with God, they have fellowship with Him, and, in the Light (in His kingdom), the blood of Jesus His Son continuously cleanses them from all sin (both internal principle of sin (source) and external practice of sin (effect)). (6-7) If people disagree with God and say they do not have a sin nature (internal principle of sin; source), they are deceived and the truth is not in them. (8) In contrast, if people continuously agree with God that the internal principle and external practice of sin prevents fellowship with Him, He is faithful and righteous to [permit fellowship by] continuously forgiving them of all sins (internal principle and external practice) and cleansing them from all unrighteousness (related to both the internal principle and external practice of sin). (9) If people continually say they have not sinned in practice (effect), they make God a liar and His word is not in them.” (10) The Apostle John provided a message of rebuttal to false teachers who continuously walked (lived) in the darkness and said they did not sin in principle or practice. (1 John 1:8, 10) He said that if people who walk (live) in the darkness desire to fellowship with God they must continually agree with Him about two fundamental truths. First, in contrast to their continual denial and disagreement regarding sin, they must repent and agree with God they are indeed corrupted by sin in both principle and practice. Second, people who walk (live) in the darkness must agree with God He is faithful and righteous to forgive all sins and cleanse from all unrighteousness. According to the Apostle John, agreement with God in regard to these two fundamental truths was designed to be continual. Thus, he was not advocating the continual admission of sins unto fellowship but to continually agree with God in regard to the glory of His cleansing salvation. As confirmed by the teaching of the New Testament as a whole, it is clear the Apostle John did not prescribe the continual confession of sins for the believer. Nor did any other New Testament author. Not one indicated the occasional practice of sin hinders fellowship with God and must be confessed to restore fellowship with Him to a greater level of purity. By grace alone, God allowed mankind the privilege to enjoy intimate, shared life fellowship with Him. Mankind was helpless to contribute. The Apostle Paul clarified, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6) After receiving the benefit of Christ’s redemptive work, the New Testament church remains helpless and thus, radically dependent on God. Thus, the role of mankind in preserving the purity of fellowship with God is faith alone. “… as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord (by grace through faith alone), so walk in Him (by grace through faith alone) …” (Colossians 2:6) The authors of the gospels wrote nothing about the confession of sins unto fellowship. The historical book of Acts does not mention continual confession. The Apostle Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, never prescribes the continual confession of sins unto fellowship. The general epistles, Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2 and 3 John, and Jude, also do not prescribe continual confession unto fellowship. Therefore, the only manner in which the Apostle John in 1 John 1:9 can be understood to prescribe continual confession for the New Testament church is to remove it from the immediate context in which it was written. |
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Two Types of Believers?
All too often, the church has ignored the fact that John wrote his first letter to correct false teaching. Unfortunately, believers have mistakenly presupposed his writing was prescriptive for them rather than corrective of false teaching. Therefore, they have assumed the Christian life is characterized by the continual confession of sins. Thus, believers have spent an inordinate amount of time begging God to forgive them of their sins. The context of the Apostle John’s writing regarding the confession of sins reveals it was not to be characterized by the continual confession of an endless, itemized list of sins. Instead, he clarified that the unbeliever must agree with God once and for all that he is sinful in both principle and practice. Therefore, it was to be a sincere, one-time agreement between holy God and sinful mankind. The confession would initiate a covenantal relationship between them once and for all that would last throughout time and eternity. The Eternal Covenant allowed fallen mankind to enter into a permanent state of shared life fellowship with God. The sign of the Eternal Covenant is a meal, the Lord’s Supper. Its continual celebration throughout the Church Age was designed to be a remembrance of the believer’s sincere, one-time covenantal agreement with God that occurred at the moment of salvation. According to the agreement, the New Testament church exists in a permanent state of shared life fellowship with God. There is no greater privilege. The maintenance of shared life fellowship with God was not intended to occur by the confession of sins over and over again. The New Testament church received the benefit of the Eternal Covenant by grace alone. Throughout the Church Age, it preserves the shared life benefit of the covenant by faith alone. Nevertheless, Satan fervently works to persuade the church it should “keep on” confessing its sins. As a result, its focus is directed to the old self, sin, and death rather than the Savior. Congruent with the believer’s continual confession of sins, Satan influences the church to presuppose that 1 John 1:9 refers to two different types of believers. The first unholy, fleshly, and darkened and the second, holy, spiritual, and enlightened. It is presupposed by the church that the "unholy, fleshly, and darkened" believer’s relationship with God has not been affected by his fleeting preoccupation with the darkness of sin. Although, it has temporarily interrupted his fellowship with God. In contrast, the holy, spiritual, and enlightened believer also has a relationship with God. However, he remains in good standing. Therefore, his fellowship with God is unhindered and thus, exemplary. Concordant with the above presupposition, the only recourse for the "unholy, fleshly, and darkened" believer to reverse his interrupted fellowship with God is to confess his sins. Once he has confessed to God every sin of which he can possibly conceive, the obstruction caused by walking in darkness and disobedience is supposedly removed and his fellowship with God is restored. Yet, after committing a new act of sin; he again enters into a state contrary to God and must again confess his sins to restore fellowship. Theoretically, this treadmill of sin occurs again and again throughout the believer’s lifetime. Sadly, the continual acknowledgement of sin serves to alter the believer’s focus in life. It unintentionally turns him from the living (zoe) Christ and His perfect, finished work to self, sin, and death. Contrary to New Testament doctrine and a scheme of the devil, it is one of the many reasons attendance in the modern religious church has shrunk rapidly during the last 50 years. Those who believe in the continual confession of sins assume there are two types of believers described in the New Testament. Consequently, there are believers who are unholy, fleshly, and darkened and believers who are holy, spiritual, and enlightened. As a result, the proponent of continual confession explains there are two types of confession; one-time confession of sin unto salvation and afterwards, the continual confession of sins unto fellowship. |
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Unbeliever and Believer
Concordant with John’s descriptions of the two types of people in 1 John 1, it should be clear that he was not distinguishing between two different types of believers; the first unholy, fleshly, and darkened and the second, holy, spiritual, and enlightened. Instead, he was referring to unbeliever and believer. The first not having fellowship with God and the second enjoying fellowship with Him. It should be clear then that the confession of sins of which John spoke was not an exhortation for the believer, already in fellowship with God, to confess his sins unto fellowship. Instead, it was prescriptive for the unbeliever, not in fellowship with God, to confess his sins unto salvation. As a result, he could enter into the Light with God and a blessed, eternal state of fellowship with Him once and for all. Both the Apostle John and the teaching of the New Testament in its entirety provide an unmistakable distinction between unbeliever and believer. As a result, it is clear only one of the two is privileged to enjoy fellowship with God. The New Testament never describes the unbeliever as having fellowship with God. It is the very reason the Apostle John explained how to enjoy fellowship with Him. (1 John 1:3; 9) The New Testament never describes the unbeliever as living in the Light with God and being cleansed from all sin by the blood of Jesus. It describes the unbeliever as walking (living) in the darkness and denying sin. (Acts 26:15-18; Ephesians 5:8; 1 John 1:6) The New Testament never describes the unbeliever as being without sin in principle or practice. According to John, such a claim makes the unbeliever a liar and clarifies he does not have the truth of God or the word of God in him. Conversely, the New Testament never describes the believer as not having fellowship with God. Through spiritual birth he shares the very life (zoe) of God. Bestowed by grace through faith alone, the impartation of divine life (zoe) in the believer was a one-time, permanent event. It cannot be undone. The New Testament never describes the believer as walking (living) in the 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; cf. 12:46) Paul explained the believer has been, “... rescued from the domain of darkness (realm of satanic authority) and transferred... to the kingdom of His beloved Son...” (realm of divine authority) (Colossians 1:13) “God is Light.” (1 John 1:5) It is an attribute of His nature. Consequently, there is no darkness in the kingdom of the beloved Son of God. The New Testament never describes the believer as being without the truth of God. Born of the Spirit, the believer is indwelt by the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of truth.” He is the believer’s source of divine truth. (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13; 17:17, 19; Ephesians 6:14) In both 2 John 4 and 3 John 3-4, the apostle describes the believer as “walking (living) in truth.” Further, the New Testament reveals that the church has “been established in the truth” (2 Peter 1:12); is “of the truth” (1 John 3:19), and has the truth abiding in it (2 John 2). The New Testament never describes the believer as denying sinfulness. Every believer is painfully aware of his sin. Thus, it is only the unbeliever who is unaware of sinfulness. The New Testament describes only the believer as being indwelt by the “word of God.” (John 5:38; 1 John 1:10) The Apostle John clarified, “the word of God abides in you.” (1 John 2:14) Only the believer is indwelt by both the living (zoe) Christ and His living (zoe) word. (John 1:1-3; 14; Revelation 19:13) The teaching of the New Testament in its entirety clarifies the Apostle John did not describe two types of believers in 1 John 1:5-10. Instead, in order to correct false teaching, he differentiated between unbeliever and believer. Concordant with New Testament doctrine, only the unbeliever says he has fellowship with God and yet walks (lives) in the darkness, does not practice the truth, disagrees with God about sin in principle, the truth is not in, disagrees with God about sin in practice, makes God a liar, and the word of God is not in. Therefore, it is clear the unbeliever has not confessed his sins and does not exist in a state of agreement with God. In contrast, the believer enjoys fellowship with God, walks (lives) in the Light with Him where he is being continually cleansed from all sin and unrighteousness by the blood of Jesus, and is characterized by both the indwelling truth and word of God. Consequently, the believer exists in a perpetual state of agreement with God. Familial Forgiveness There are not many arguments defending the idea that 1 John 1:9 refers to two different types of believers, one unholy, fleshly, and darkened and the other holy, spiritual, and enlightened. The most common argument is called “familial forgiveness.” From the human perspective, “familial forgiveness” is the belief that when a son disobeys his father it does not affect their biological, family relationship as father and son but merely hinders the intimacy of their fellowship with one another. To restore intimacy of fellowship with one another, it is presumed the son must confess his wrongdoing to the father and ask for forgiveness. In turn, the father must choose to forgive his son. The proponent of familial forgiveness assumes the family of God operates according to the same principle. Thus, the church family, subject to the occasional practice of sin, must continually confess and forgive. It is believed to be a life-long necessity. While the idea of familial forgiveness might appear sensible from the human perspective, it is not biblical. It is merely a concept that originated from mankind. The heavenly forgiveness of God is not like the earthly forgiveness of mankind. It is perfect. Consequently, divine forgiveness is absolute, immutable, unrestrained, unconditional, and unlimited. As a result, its beneficiary is forgiven once and for all throughout time and eternity. In contrast, the forgiveness of mankind is imperfect. It relies on finite beings who have been granted freedom of choice but are prone to practice sin. Therefore, the forgiveness of mankind is qualified, mutable, conditional, and limited. Thus, it cannot be guaranteed. The imperfect forgiveness of mankind is conditional, contingent on the ever-changing world and the influence of personal circumstances and feelings. In contrast, the perfect forgiveness of God is anchored in the Savior, His mediation of the Eternal Covenant, and its unconditional benefit. The redemptive Eternal Covenant of life (zoe) provided mankind with the new law and new life necessary for God and mankind to enjoy intimate fellowship with one another. Initiated and fulfilled by the Godhead in eternity and time, it necessarily included the fulfillment of the righteous requirement of the rule of law, the perfect forgiveness of all transgression of the rule of law, the imputation of divine righteousness, and subsequently, release from the jurisdiction (authority) of the rule of law. Consequently, the Eternal Covenant removed the New Testament church from the influence of the old rule of law. It was predetermined to occur before the foundation of the world. (cf. Ephesians 1:4; Hebrews 4:3) The promised new law of the Eternal Covenant was the gracious rule of divine, indwelling life (zoe). The new life of the covenant was the life (zoe) of God indwelling mankind. Life shared with God and His intimate rule allowed for the restoration of intimacy between the two parties. In past ages, the old law and life of the human race were graciously established by God for the benefit of fallen mankind. Although the old law and life were suitable to allow for human beings to exist on the degenerated earth apart from God, they could not facilitate intimate fellowship with Him. Instead, the old law and life were graciously designed to lead the fallen to faith in Christ Jesus and consequently, a state of intimate, life-based (zoe) fellowship with God. For mankind to enjoy true intimacy with God he had to be released from the old, impersonal rule of law to a much more intimate form of governance; the new, gracious rule of indwelling life (zoe). (Romans 7:1-6) It was made possible only through the redemptive, Eternal Covenant of life (zoe). By benefit of the Eternal Covenant, the New Testament church was made to share life with the mediator of the covenant, Jesus Christ. It is a living (zoe) relationship characterized by immeasurable intimacy. It is not nurtured by the continual confession of sins but faith alone. Through the unconditional benefit of the redemptive Eternal Covenant, intimacy of fellowship with God was restored through new law and life. Its benefit is received within the confines of time and space by grace through faith alone. To add any other prerequisite, including the continual confession of sins, is superfluous and contrary to the teaching of the New Testament. Law The most common reason the church misinterprets scripture is confusion regarding the old, impersonal rule of law and the new, intimate rule of life (zoe). The outcome of misinterpretation can be devastating. When willingly subjected to the old rule of law from which it has been released, the practice of the church enters into the downward spiral of spiritual death. Once it becomes fully law-bound and thus, lifeless (zoe), it begins to approach the word of God with legalistic, religious bias. Eventually, the lifeless (zoe), law-bound church bears only “fruit for death.” (Romans 7:5) Concordant with its bias, the lifeless (zoe), law-bound church commonly misinterprets 1 John 1:5-10. Therefore, it presupposes it has the freedom to either walk (live) in the Light with God or in the darkness without Him. The lifeless (zoe), law-bound church assumes that when it chooses to walk (live) in the Light with God its activity is righteous. Conversely, when the lifeless (zoe), law-bound church chooses to walk (live) in the darkness apart from God, it assumes its activity is unrighteous. Theoretically then, the lifeless (zoe), law-bound church believes it has the ability to travel back and forth between the Light and darkness, righteousness and unrighteousness. Relative to its bias, the law-based church has naturally adopted a law-based remedy for its continual return from the darkness to the Light. It is the continual confession of its sins. In reality, the law-based church is attempting the impossible. It is continually trying to please and appease God by fulfilling the righteous requirement of His old rule of law. Relative to its impossibility, the law-based church is forever on a “treadmill” of sin; ever sinning, confessing, sinning, and confessing. It is a clear example of living under the old rule of law. In disagreement with God, the lifeless (zoe), law-bound church accepts an unbiblical, religious narrative as follows: |
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The lifeless (zoe), law bound church mistakenly believes it remains under the rule of law. However, it does not understand that its fallen nature prohibits it from the obedience necessary to satisfy its requirement of righteousness. (Romans 8:3-4a)
Self-subjected to the rule of law, the only path for the lifeless (zoe), law-bound church is, of course, to attempt to satisfy the old law’s requirement of righteousness. Yet, by design the old law was intended to lead to failure and the continual confession of that failure over and over again is not capable of satisfying the old law’s requirement of righteousness. The lifeless (zoe), law-bound church is consumed with attempting to satisfy the requirement of the old rule of law, its failure to obey, and the resultant false guilt and condemnation. (Romans 7:14-24) Thus, its focus is continually centered on the old self, sin, and death. Promoting the idea that 1 John 1:9 instructs the church to continually confess its sins diminishes the redemptive work of God. It serves to replace Jesus Christ, the life (zoe) of the New Testament church, with works of the old law for God. The continual confession of sins unto fellowship is a presuppositional idea. It is a law-based, religious concept that has been forced on the living (zoe) church by well-intentioned leadership who have failed to understand the difference between the bondage of the old, impersonal rule of law and the gracious freedom of the new, intimate rule of life (zoe). “For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.” (Galatians 2:19-21) The fundamental need of fallen mankind is not obedience to the old, impersonal rule of law but faithfulness to God through His new, gracious rule of life (zoe). The old rule of law was never intended to provide life (zoe). It was designed only to lead to sinner to the Savior, the source of life (zoe). Life The New Testament church was never meant to be governed by the old, impersonal rule of law. It was created to be life-based (zoe). Therefore, the beloved ecclesia of God was always intended to be governed according to the new, gracious rule of His indwelling life (zoe). As indicated, the rule of law was not established on earth for the church but the unbeliever. The Apostle Paul clarified, “But we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners ...” (1 Timothy 1:8-9) For benefit of the unbeliever, the rule of law was designed to reveal sin (transgression of law) and consequently, produce accountability to God. As a result, it was intended to lead the transgressor to the Savior. (Romans 3:19-20; 7:7; 1 Timothy 1:8-11) The gospel of Jesus Christ is the Good News of life (zoe) shared with Christ. Unfortunately, the law-based church has unintentionally made the Good News of Jesus Christ a “gospel” of law. Therefore, the majority of the church on earth is law-bound and lifeless (zoe) and thus, unfaithful and fruitless. The gospel of life (zoe) is very different from the “gospel of law.” Christians who believe in the fullness of the redemptive work of Christ accept a life-based (zoe) ideology as follows: |
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The rule of law and the rule of life (zoe) are very different. The rule of law was established for the sinner who exists in a state of separation from God. (1 Timothy 1:8-11) In contrast, the debt of sin paid in full, the rule of life (zoe) provides a “new and living (zoe) way” that is conducive for nurturing intimacy with God. (Hebrews 10:20)
Continual Confession Unfamiliar with the “new and living (zoe) way,” many in the church do not realize intimacy with God cannot be achieved by obedience to the rule of law. In fact, it is not possible. |
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© 2025 James Hiatt |
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