1 John 1:9 and Rewards

(By Pastor Mark Fontecchio)

Question: Does 1 John 1:9 lead us as believers to be in a constant state of confession? If we fail to confess our sins, how does this interact with our future rewards in Heaven? Can our failure to confess our sins negate our future rewards?

Answer: There are several excellent questions wrapped up and entangled here. Let’s briefly examine each doctrine separately, and then the pieces will come together and provide us clarity on these subjects.

A survey of the epistle reveals quickly that 1 John is written to believers (not as a test of whether individuals are truly in the faith). This becomes self-evident in the text itself. Chapter 3 teaches, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1).  Again, we read in the very next verse, “Beloved, now we are children of God” (1 John 3:2). We also see this same teaching in Chapter 2 verses 12-14. John made it perfectly clear that he thought of his audience as Christians, and his purpose was not to convert them.

A necessary section of text to evaluate is found in Chapter 1. The Apostle John wrote, “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full” (1 John 1:3-4). Without a proper understanding of these two verses, you cannot come to a correct interpretation of 1 John. It is here we learn that the theme and purpose of 1 John is fellowship with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. This should be the goal of every believer in Jesus Christ. Joy comes from fellowship with God.

Once we understand the purpose of 1 John, we begin to see that the Apostle John gave many examples of how we as believers may know that we are living in fellowship with God. We see right away in 1 John 1:6-7 that walking in fellowship with God means we walk in the light. Verse 5 had already taught, “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Having fellowship with God is walking with God.

1 John 1:8-9

This takes us directly to the text in question. These two verses should be considered together. Verse 8 presents the deception that can come in the life of a believer when we deny the reality of our sin. It is an astute observation to note that our sin surpasses the guilt we are conscious of. It is a somber reality that we can deceive ourselves and attempt to cover over our sin. Proverbs 28:13 warns, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” To say that we have no sin is to state the opposite of the truth of God’s Word. At that point, as believers, His truth is not guiding our lives.

Verse 9 states the converse of the preceding teaching of verse 8 and brings a number of points to consider. The picture given is of a believer living in fellowship with Christ. This fact cannot be overstated in its importance of grasping the intended meaning. When a believer is walking with Christ they are sensitive to God showing them their sin. When this takes place, the believer is instructed to confess these sins to God.

It should be recognized that the Apostle John never used the term repentance in this epistle. We can tell from his consistent word usage that he viewed Christian repentance as taking place when dealing with habitual sin (Rev. 2:5, 16, 21, 21; 3:3, 19). In other words, 1 John 1:9 is not dealing with a believer living in rebellion to the Lord. The teaching is quite the opposite. John is referring to believers living in fellowship with the Lord and God reveals their sin to them. When this takes place the Christian is then confronted with a choice. If a believer confesses his sin (admitting or acknowledging our sin to God) fellowship with God continues. John instructs, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Failure to acknowledge the sin that the Lord brings to our attention takes us out of fellowship with Him, but our redemption continues to be secure even though we are not abiding in Christ.

It is also worth noting, that verse 9 could be correctly translated, “to forgive us the sins” instead of, “to forgive us our sins.” This seems to be a specific reference to forgiveness for the sins confessed by the believer in Christ. But even the sins we are not conscious of are covered because God will, “cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Fellowship with God is not broken if the sins which we are aware of are confessed. These are the sins that are brought to our attention as we live in fellowship with Christ. Remember, the instruction is not to worry over sins that we are not even aware of.

Rewards

Scattered throughout the New Testament are a number of references that teach about the Judgment Seat of Christ. Paul stated, “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (Rom. 14:10). After the Rapture, Church Age believers will give an account of how they used their time, spiritual gifts, abilities, and resources to serve Christ. There will be rewards given and a loss of rewards (1 Cor. 3:11-15). Thankfully, we can rest on the promise that when the Lord comes He, “will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts” (1 Cor. 4:5). Keep in mind that this is only for believers in the Church Age and has nothing to do with determining our salvation. Our eternal destiny is determined once and for all the minute we place our faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died and rose again to pay one’s personal penalty for sin, and the one who gives eternal life to all who trust Him and Him alone for it. The sins of the believer in Christ have been forgiven by the work of Christ on the Cross and Christians are not being judged for them at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Rewards and Fellowship with God

When believers are living in submission to the Spirit of God, their lives are governed by God and produce the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-23; Eph. 5:18). Works done in obedience to the Spirit of God will lead to future rewards. Even these rewards will be a testimony of the grace of God and His love.

It certainly is true that continued sin in the life of a Christian does lead to a loss of fellowship with God (Ps. 32:3-4). When this happens, our motives and focus change. We begin to live for ourselves, rather than Christ. Under our own efforts, we cannot live for Christ. Again, Paul spoke to this, “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:3). The end result will be the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-26).

Consider the following illustration. Suppose that I am at the store and I grow impatient because of the long line at the checkout. The cashier continues to make a number of mistakes adding to the frustration of everyone in line. In my heart, I judge the cashier. Once I finally clear the checkout line, the Spirit of God convicts me of my attitude and I utter a short prayer acknowledging my sinful thoughts. Even though I sinned, I now continue to abide in Christ. On my way out of the store, I am approached by a man seeking directions to another location. After a few moments of conversation, I have the opportunity to lead the man to faith in Christ. Because of the confession of my sin to God, my actions in sharing the Gospel of Christ are done according to the Spirit. Surely this is among the type of works that Christ will reward (1 Thess. 2:19-20).

Two important points from the teaching of 1 John 1:9 are brought to the forefront with this simple illustration. First, confession deals with the sin that God brings to mind. Second, confession allows us to remain in fellowship with God. Christ is encouraging us to live moment by moment in an intimate relationship with Him. We join the Apostle Paul in making it our aim to take every thought captive for Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). Biblically speaking, to be filled with the Spirit is to be controlled or governed by the Spirit of God (Eph. 5:18). When believers are living according to the Spirit our motivations honor God, which will bring rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ for serving Him (1 Cor. 3:10-15; 2 Cor. 5:9-11; Rev. 22:12; Col. 3:23-24; 1 Tim. 6:18-19).