When a believer acknowledges that he has sinned and repents of the sin, God is willing to forgive them no matter how grievous their sins are.
John also addressed the matter of sin in his epistle. The believer is not supposed to live a life of sin, but there is provision for forgiveness if the sin is confessed and forsaken, the merciful God forgives and cleanses the stains of iniquities from the believer. 1 John 1:8-10 states that if we do not accept we are sinners, we lie and therefore lack the truth. It then implies that we call God a liar. The original nature of man is sinful. It is therefore very clear that we might fall into sin, and when we do, there is a solution waiting for us, but only if we confess our sins and forsake them. John wrote in 1 John 2:1-2; “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
David committed a sinful act with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah and organised that Uriah be put in the hottest point at war, and he was murdered. The Lord was angry and sent prophet Nathan to tell him what the consequences were; “And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul” (2 Samuel 12:7).
After David accepted and confessed that he had committed a sin before the Lord, he was forgiven, though he suffered the consequences.
When a believer acknowledges that he has sinned and repents of the sin, God is willing to forgive them no matter how grievous their sins are. God does not delight in the death of a sinner; so it is about choice. Dr. J.L. Hayes presented an argument on this topic; that we call God a liar if we say we have no sin and according to Yarbrough, (2008:61), “To claim to be exempt from sin or sinning, asserts John in 1:8, is to be self-deceived”.
John, in this epistle, categorically warns every believer of the result of living in denial of sin, especially when the believer is growing in faith. We must therefore be conscious that we have an advocate who has offered Himself as the propitiation for our sins and not only us believers, but the sins of the whole world. It is now the believer’s choice to submit to the authority of Jesus as the Saviour, in order to remain in peace and fellowship with the Father. The gospel of John:15:3-4 states; “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me”. The moment a believer accepts Jesus and allows Him to be at the centre of their lives, the experience of fellowship with God begins.
There is a mutual experiential factor that can be traced to both Jesus and the believer. The reality is that it takes two people who have the same or similar experience to fellowship.
The reason Jesus left His glory and was on the earth for 33 years before he was crucified. He was 100 percent human and 100 percent God. Based on this truth, the believer can then be convinced that the advocate already experienced all the troubles and persecutions which the believer may be going through now. No wonder the writer of the Hebrews wrote; “For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16). That has given a clue to the rationale behind the fellowship between the Father and the believer.
