“Repent And Walk in Fellowship with God”
1 John 1:8 (NIV)
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
My very first Sunday School lesson I taught was on living in a constant state of repentance. As a Christian our sins are forgiven by what Jesus did on the cross. However, we still must deal with our sins daily in order to remain in fellowship with God. 1 John 1:8-9 was written by John for Christians.
1 John 1:9 (NIV)
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Genuine repentance requires more than just offering God an apology for our misdeeds. Repentance begins with confession of our guilt and recognizing that our sin is against God. Real repentance may lead to feeling of remorse and sorrow but ends when we turn away from the sin we committed. So, in essence we not only confess our sins to God, but true repentance requires that we turn from our sin. So it requires us to change our behavior. We shouldn’t just confess our sin and then keep on doing the same sin.
1 John 1:6-7 (NIV)
6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
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