1 John 1:9

But if we pray to God and talk straight about the bad things we do, and if we tell him that we are sorry, then he will let go of those bad things, and he will never do payback to us. And he will make us properly clean inside. God promised that he will do that, and he always keeps his promises, he always does what is right.

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In Context

8You know, we all do bad things. If we reckon that we never do anything bad, we are just tricking ourselves. If we talk like that, it shows that we don’t know God’s true message.

10Think about this too. God tells us in his book that everybody does bad things. So if you reckon that you never did anything bad, you are saying that God is a liar, and you are not listening to his true message at all.

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Matthew Henry on 1 John 1:9-10

Confession and Forgiveness. ( a. d. 80.) 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Here, I. The apostle, having supposed that even those of this heavenly communion have yet their sin, proceeds here to justify that supposition, and this he does by showing the dreadful… Read the whole commentary →

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