Clearing-the-Fog

July 14, 2026

Isn’t it amazing how we often have more trouble forgetting than God does!  That statement may sound puzzling to you – and rightly so!  But I’m talking about forgetting when it comes to confession of sin.  Listen again to this familiar promise in 1 John.

1 John 1:9 (NLT) – “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.”

This is a tremendous promise with two parts.  First, there is our part.  We are to confess our sins.  Confess – the Greek word is omologeo and it means “to say the same thing as,” “to agree with.”  God says, “That’s wrong in your life.”  “I agree with you God, this is wrong.”  God says, remove that from your life.”  “God I agree that this needs to go.”  That’s confession – to admit to God that what He and His word say is wrong in my life is a correct assessment.

A second part of confession that is often overlooked is repentance.  It’s one thing to say “I’m wrong,” but it also has to be followed up by deserting the wrong.  Repentance and confession are two sides of the same coin.

So confession and repentance are our part in dealing with sin in our life. God takes it from there. When we confess our sin, “He is faithful” – God can be counted on – “and just” – He deals with all equally – and He “will forgive us our sins.”  The word “forgive” carries with it the idea of “sending it away” – putting it out of sight – and out of mind. 

Psalm 103:12 points to the very same idea –

Psalm 103:12 (NLT) -“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”

Not only does He forgive our sin – removing them – but He also cleanses us, washing us and making us new.

Isaiah 1:18 (NLT) – “’Come now, let’s settle this,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.’”

In Isaiah, God is telling us that the record is scrubbed clean.  We might have trouble here in this world with forgiving and forgetting, but that’s not so with God.  When He forgives us, He never thinks of our sins ever again.

Isaiah 43:25 (NLT) – “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.”

Think about that – you have confessed your sins to God, and yet you still beat yourself up with guilt and sad feelings toward actions and attitudes that God has long forgiven and long forgotten. 

Here’s my advice – claim this great promise that when you confess, God forgives; meditate on exactly what the verse means.  And then forget about the guilt and sadness because God has forgiven and forgotten.  When you and I keep coming to Him and confessing sins from the past that we confessed in the past – God’s response to us is simply this – “Sin?  What sin?” 

That’s the wonderful truth of the amazing forgiveness that is ours in Jesus Christ!