Confession Of Sins Isn’t Optional: Debunking the ‘Already Forgiven’ Reading of 1 John 1:9
We read in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. Let’s consider the first claim used to undermine 1 John 1:9, which, by extension, may be used to support the idea that the death of Jesus has no relevance for the church but only for the world.
This claim says that we do not confess our sins in order to receive forgiveness, but because we have already been forgiven. A similar statement, which essentially says the same thing, is the claim that when you come to Christ, all your past, present, and future sins have already been forgiven. But here is the problem with those statements: they are not found in Scripture, and they contradict what the Bible actually says. Yet only Scripture is given for doctrine (2 Timothy 3:16), not nice-sounding statements that tickle our ears.
The claim that we confess our sins not to receive forgiveness but because we have already been forgiven makes confession of sin entirely pointless, and it is in fact the very opposite of what the Bible teaches. 1 John 1:9 literally says that in order to receive God’s forgiveness, we must confess our sins to Him. This text makes receiving forgiveness from God conditional on our confessing our sins to Him. We cannot substitute the opposite of what Scripture says for what it actually says. If we are indeed walking in the light as we ought, walking in the light of God’s Word since His Word is light (Psalm 119:105), then we will follow God’s Word and ask for His forgiveness when we sin, and receive His forgiveness – just as He instructs us to do (1 John 1:7-9). Additionally, if all our past, present and future sins were already forgiven, then why would God instruct believers to call for the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil when they are sick or beyond helping themselves, and the prayer of faith will make them well, and if they have committed sins, they will be forgiven? (James 5:14-15). If every past, present, and future sin had already been forgiven, then this promise of forgiveness following the elders’ prayer would be useless. Yet, every word of God is flawless and the Scriptures cannot be broken (Proverbs 30:5, John 10:35).
To confess our sins in order to receive God’s forgiveness” (1 Join 1:9) is also not a call to force ourselves to remember and itemize each of our sins. As Jesus showed us in the Lord’s Prayer and His teachings, when we sincerely ask God to forgive our sins (plural), He is indeed faithful to forgive all our sins (Matthew 6:12, Mark 11:24). Contrary to some popular opinions, Jesus’ teachings in the Gospel, including the Lord’s prayer and His teachings on forgiveness, are not “Old Testament”. Jesus Himself, after His death and resurrection instructed His disciples to make disciples of all nations, teaching them the very things He taught them during His earthly ministry (Matthew 28:18-20). In Jesus’ own words, His teachings in the Gospels, constitute the foundation upon which the New Testament church ought to be built. When we reject Jesus’ teachings, we build on the wrong foundation, and stray from the New Testament (Matthew 28:18-20, Ephesians 2:20).
The Greek word translated “confess” in 1 John 1:9 also means to say the same thing or to agree with another. If we are saying what God says about our sins, then when we sin, we will call our sin what it is— sin. And we will do exactly what God instructs us to do about it: confess it to Him, ask for His forgiveness, and repent (1 John 1:9; Matthew 6:14; Acts 26:20; Matthew 3:8). As Scripture says “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy (Proverbs 28:13).
Let us not be deceived. According to the Scriptures, we do not confess our sins because we have already been forgiven; that would make confession of sin absolutely unnecessary. Neither does Scripture say that God has already forgiven even our future sins. Rather, we learn from the Bible that God has made provision for us through Christ Jesus to receive His forgiveness when we sin (Ephesians 1:7). And if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
Kwadwo Omari, PhD
July 24, 2026