Devotional

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

It is easier for most Christians (including myself) to believe and practice the first part of the above verse – Confessing of sins. We don’t have that much problem believing that God is faithful to forgive us : if we come to Him, He will not cast us away; come ye …. will give you rest etc).

The second part – he is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness is what we often misunderstand, resist because we are mostly in charge of our life by not entirely be in submission to Him or refuse to believe that we can be cleansed of sin (often hiding behind righteousness by faith and not by works) hence, we do not bear the transformation taking place in our lives. It is after confession of our sins the cleansing from those sins takes place as we are being reformed. In other words, if our repentance is not followed by willingness to give up the sin the cleansing cannot start as the result we cannot be reformed. Thus, our spiritual life instead of progressing will be regressing. if our repentance is not genuine we cannot be reformed.

Repentance (deep sorrow for sin) and the cleansing of the heart are both gifts of God. God puts both desire in our hearts if we let him. Genuine repentance is God”s gift and produces reformation – the cleansing of our heart. We must beware of some Protestant teaching – all we must do is to keep our sin confessed. If this was the whole truth, God didn’t have to raise the Seventh-day Adventist church. God’s grace is a power not just that pardon and justifies but God’s grace is able to keep us from falling (when we are cleansed from unrighteousness we wont have the desire to fall). Do we believe this? God provides more than pardon. He offers us power to overcome all sins. “The gospel …..is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” Rom. 1:16

“To him that overcometh, will I give him to eat of the tree of life ” rev. 2:7

God puts repentance in our heart. True repentance is to be sorry because our sin hurts God. That’s why God said “sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire;

mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required” Psalm 40:6 “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings”. Hosea 6:6. Sacrifices of each lamb symbolizes the sacrifice and death of His own Son. God wants obedience rather than sacrifice.

Godly sorry produces repentance. The direction of our will changes after genuine repentance when we are sorry in a godly manner.- if I am sorry to have hurt someone, I want to clear up the situation, I want to make it right. True repentance creates diligence. True confession is specific in nature. God gives us the gift of repentance so we can receive His forgiveness so He starts working on our heart.

If we only want God to forgive us and yet we don’t want to give up a particular sin, which sin would we like God to have overlooked and take to heaven? Would we want a person smoking under the tree of life? How about someone get drunk every Saturday night? Unthinkable, isn’t it. If our answer is nothing like that will never happen, then when are people going to quit smoking cigarettes and drinking – on the trip to heaven?

We expect people to quit something’s down here in the world. Can a robber be saved? Yes. The thief on the cross was saved. he quit stealing didn’t he? True, his experience didn’t last very long, but it lasted all the rest of his life! For (don’t miss this) sin is not so much an act as it is an attitude of rebellion. Our rebellion must be cured before Christ can blot out the record of our transgression in heaven’s books.

A person may avoid some outward sins because he doesn’t want to suffer the consequences or because he desires others to think well of him. But all that doesn’t give him a place in heaven. The selfish heart will always find something to rebel about. So the Scriptures say that to offend in one point is to be guilty of all. He who willfully transgress one commandment shows he would break all ten if he wanted to. His attitude is rebellion.

Someone asks, “what about when I fail again and again?”. That is why the blood has not been sprinkled yet in the most holy place. With all my faults and failures I can come again and again and ask God to forgive me and He will sprinkle His

blood to cover me. But someday He will sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat, and the sanctuary will close. He doesn’t intend to scare me into obedience. Jesus will wait till the last one has come with burden of sin. Don’t think He will be impatient and say “I have waited long enough”. The fact that He has tarried so long shows that He would wait forever if it would do any good.

The reason that He finally makes the atonement on the mercy seat, blots out the sins of His people, and puts the sins that haven’t been overcome back on those who continue with them is that the righteous have reached the point where they will remain righteous forever. But he who is filthy has reached the point where he will continue filthy still. Because the saints have parted with their sins forever and the sinners have no desire for cleansing, probation closes.

Then comes the period of demonstration, the great time of trouble. God’s children reveal the power of His grace by loyally obeying even to the point of threatened death.

God will be holding the wind of strife until his children are sealed. He has children who are earnestly preparing themselves and others. Let us strive to be among those who are entering a deeper experience of repentance and revival and reformation so we can experience the latter-rain power in its fullness. Where shall it begin in your heart and my heart. Let us not wait for the whole church to revive. That time will never come. We must enter upon the work individually. 1SM 122.

May God give us a living faith that works by love and purifies the soul.

Tsion Fisseha