From:
Date: October 27, 2020
Subject: It's October 27; Good Morning Union


“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins…”    1 John 1:9

Another of dad’s “forgiveness texts”—I do one thing, He does two! I confess, He forgives AND cleanses. Pretty good deal!

There are actually three verses right together in the first chapter of 1 John that deal with the concept of forgiveness:

  1. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
  2. “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
  3. “If we say we have not sinned we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

Those are pretty strong statements with pretty powerful consequences and/or blessings. It’s as if understanding forgiveness is a pretty crucial thing. I can deceive myself and I can declare God a liar if and when I refuse to acknowledge my sins. The only safe approach to dealing with sin is to confess it.

Even that word “confess” has brought me to a renewed understanding of forgiveness. It’s as if I don’t need to beg or plead for forgiveness; God has already provided forgiveness through what Jesus already did! I don’t have to “beg,” I simply need to “confess.” “God I admit I have sinned,” and God says, “That’s all I need to hear; you are forgiven!”

I can deny it or I can pretend I haven’t done anything wrong and I’m stuck with carrying the consequences. OR I can “confess” my sins, providing God the opportunity to apply HIS forgiveness and HIS cleansing to my life. Yep, it’s a pretty good deal and has removed guilt, shame, fear, anxiety, and the crippling of my joy. It’s just not worth hanging on to my bad choices when His solution is SO available.

Have a great day knowing you are forgiven simply by confessing,

Pastor Rich

Quote for the day:      “If the people in mental hospitals could be convinced that they were forgiven, 75% would be able to walk away from the hospital tomorrow.”  Carl Menninger (I don’t know if this statistic is accurate or just Dr Menninger’s attempt to define the  magnitude of the psychologically crippling affect of guilt, but he is a very well known Christian psychologist and I have learned much from him and was challenged by this statement he made in one of his presentations.)

PS        Pastor Gua is in Campus Ministries every Tuesday from noon-2pm to provide you the option of a female pastor perspective. You can make an appointment by contacting Pastor Gua at gmontour@collegeviewchurch.org (978) 333-1209 • mobile, or just drop in and see if she is busy!

PPS      I mentioned in “This week in CM” on Sunday that Stan Hardt would be available for counseling today but he has to postpone until next week. Sorry for any inconvenience.

PPS      Christ on Demand- 7:30pm weekly and is moving to the Shawnee Porter Room. 30 minutes of songs and the Word. All are welcome. This week Taryn Rouse will be sharing her journey.