Kyle Kauffman

Sin is like a nocturnal animal. It loves to hide away in the darkness. But the more we hide it away, the more sin tends to thrive and grow. It’s often only as we bring our sin into the light that it starts to lose its power. This is exactly what John is calling us to do in 1 John 1:5-10. It’s why confession to others can actually be a means of God’s grace in our lives. Confession acts to bring what was otherwise hidden into the light. This act loosens some of the power of sin and helps us to find support in our fight against sin. John tells us that confession of sin strengthens our relationships with each other in the church and strengthens our grip on the gospel. As we confess our sins we experience real (not fake) fellowship with one another and we experience the felt forgiveness that is ours in Jesus Christ. These things then give us greater power to fight the sin that is in our lives.

1 John 1:5-10

Kyle Kauffman

One of the reasons we are prone to fake it and hide away our sin is because we don’t really believe the gospel. If we believe the gospel, then it should free us from having to act like we have it altogether or aren’t really sinners. The gospel is based on the very fact that we really are sinners who need a savior. The gospel assures us that we are accepted by God despite our sin. As those who are united with Christ, we are fully known and completely loved by our God. When we understand that, we are freed to risk being honest with other people because we don’t need their acceptance and approval. And the more honest we are about our sin the more we will have a community that displays what it feels like to be both known and loved by each other.

Galatians 2:15-21