“I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” (1 John 2:1)
“I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” (1 John 2:1)
When we sin, is there still hope for us as children of God who have been saved by faith in the perfect and finished work of Christ our Lord on the cross, where He gave Himself as the atoning sacrifice for our sins?
Yes, there is hope.
The gospel reminds us that our salvation does not rest upon our own righteousness, but upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
The Scripture does not tell us that we will never sin. For “if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
But when we sin, we have a place to go. We can confess our sins before God, knowing that He is “faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8–9)
What wonderful grace this is!
We have an Advocate in heaven—Jesus Christ the Righteous One—who intercedes for us before the Father. (1 John 2:1; Romans 8:34)
We do not stand before God trusting in our own goodness. We stand before Him trusting in the finished work of Christ.
For “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
In ourselves, we have no righteousness with which to boast. But God, in His great love and mercy, sent His Son to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8)
Christ our Lord became the sacrifice for our sins. He bore our sins in His body on the cross and paid the price that we could never pay. (1 Peter 2:24)
He did not make a partial payment for our sins.
He paid it in full.
Jesus cried out, “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
The debt was paid.
The sacrifice was made.
The blood was shed.
The price was paid.
And because Christ has finished the work, those who put their faith in Him are no longer condemned.
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
What a glorious hope we have in Christ!
We are not saved because we have never fallen. We are saved because Christ has never failed.
We are not accepted because of our perfect record. We are accepted because of His perfect righteousness.
We are not standing because we are strong. We are standing because Christ is strong.
In Christ Jesus, we have been made new. Therefore, let us fix our hearts and minds on the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1–3)
Let us not allow the enemy to keep reminding us of sins that God has forgiven.
Let us not continue to condemn ourselves for what Christ has already paid for.
Let us not run away from God when we fall.
Let us run to Him.
For God’s perfect love casts out fear. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.” (1 John 4:18)
The enemy may whisper condemnation into our hearts, but the Word of God declares:
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
Our confidence is not in ourselves.
Our confidence is in Christ's Righteousness.
Since we know that we are saved by grace and that all have fallen short of the glory of God, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence when we have sinned, whether knowingly or unknowingly, and confess our sins before our heavenly Father.
Why?
Because we have a great High Priest.“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)
And because of what Christ has done, we are invited to come boldly before the throne of grace:
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
When we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
We thank God that we have our Lord Jesus Christ seated at His right hand, interceding for us. (Romans 8:34)
Therefore, when we see another believer fall into sin, let us not be quick to condemn them. Let us pray for them, encourage them, restore them gently and point them back to Christ.
Scripture tells us that if we see a brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, we should pray, and God will give them life. (1 John 5:16)
For our God is the God who brings life from death.
As it is written:
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” (Romans 8:11)
Jesus said:
“Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
Therefore, let us continue to walk in the light.
And when we stumble, let us rise again by the grace of God.
When we sin, let us confess.
When we are weak, let us draw near.
When we are afraid, let us trust.
When we are condemned, let us remember the cross.
And when the enemy reminds us of our past, let us remember what Jesus has already accomplished on the cross for the full forgiveness of the sins of mankind so that we are forever connected back to our Heavenly Father and never to be separated from his unfailing and unconditional love again .