But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. 1 John 1:9-10
In studying the Bible, it becomes clear that humility is one of the key evidences that we are followers of Jesus. Scripture teaches that Jesus is our ultimate example of humility, and if He, the King of Kings, lived a humble life, then we, too, are called to live humbly (Philippians 2). As we study Scripture today, we will see that part of living humbly means acknowledging sin.
To everyone struggling with sin in their lives, John offers encouragement at the end of the book of 1 John. 1 John 1:9 says, "But if we confess our sins to him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." For us, as people living in a world full of sin and battling against sin every day, this is good news. If we confess our sins to God, we have the promise that He is faithful. This means that He will forgive us and cleanse us from our sins when we come to Him, apologize, and turn away from our sins. In doing this, God renders sin powerless over us. This is the best news we could ever receive.
Apologizing and turning away from your sin requires humility. It requires that we admit our faults and wrongdoings. It causes us to shine a light on our imperfection. Humbling ourselves in such a way that we acknowledge our sin and apologize for it. You see, humility leads to forgiveness and cleansing. It leads to the restoration of our relationship with God. If you find yourself struggling with sin today, confess it to God. Turn to Him and say the words "I'm sorry" and ask Him to forgive you and help you live differently as a result. There is no room for pride in the lives of believers. The apostle Paul says it perfectly in 1 Corinthians 1:31, "If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord."
Spend some time right now to make a list of all of the things you know about God. Write about His power, strength, majesty, kindness, and everything else that comes to mind. As you write all of these truths about God, write at the bottom of your list: "God is God and I am not." As you write these words, ask Him to give you a humble heart.
Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (NLT)
The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”
So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.
But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.
Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”
©2024 Sagebrush Church
