Day 327: 1 John 1:5–10

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (v. 9).

First John 1:9 tells us the secrets to sharing a life of fellowshipping with Christ and walking in the light. “If we confess our sins . . .” The basic Greek word for “confession” is homologeo, which is derived from two other words. Homou means “at the same place or time, together.”69 Lego means “to say.”70

In essence, confession is agreeing with God about our sins. But the portion of the definition that holds the primary key to remaining in koinonia—in “fellowship”—is the expediency of “the same place or time.” I have confessed and turned from some sins in my life that profoundly interrupted koinonia. Why? Because I waited too long to agree with God about them and turn. I still found forgiveness, but koinonia was broken through the delay. As God began to teach me to walk more victoriously, I learned to often respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit at the “same place or time,” thereby never leaving the circle of fellowship or the path of “light.”

You see, some of us think fellowship with God can only be retained during our “perfect” moments. I want you to see how 1 John 1:8 refutes that philosophy. “If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (hcsb).

You might ask, “How can a person sin grievously and still remain in fellowship?” Please understand, all sin is equal in its demand for grace, but not all sin is equal in its ramifications (see Ps. 19:13). A person who commits robbery, adultery, or vicious slander departed koinonia when he or she refused to agree with God over the sin involved in the thought processes leading up to the physical follow-through. Think of koinonia like a circle representing the place of fellowship. We don’t just walk in and out of that circle every time a flash of critical thinking bolts through our minds. I don’t even think we leave that circle if a sudden greedy, proud, or lustful thought goes through our minds.

If we’re in koinonia with God, the conviction of the Holy Spirit will come at that “place and time” and tell us those thoughts or initial reactions aren’t suitable for the saints of God. Confession without delay not only helps keep us in koinonia; it is part of our koinonia!