Rest in Jesus’ finished work on the cross.
Follow along with bible verses below.

An Obsession with Confession

1 John 1:9 is the verse we use to negate the good news of Christ’s finished work on the cross. The following questions will help you probe our obsession with confession and conclude with Jesus, “It is finished”

A. Confession cannot obtain forgiveness:

What must be done in order to receive forgiveness of sins according to Hebrews 9:22?

Hebrews 9:22
“In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

What then are you asking God to do?

Is Christ going to come back and die again according to these verses? 1 Peter 3:18; Hebrews 9:24-28; Hebrews 10:10-14

I Peter 3:18
“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,…”

Hebrews 9:24-28
“For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did He enter heaven to offer Himself again and again the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.”

Hebrews 10:10-14
“And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of  Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time He waits for His enemies to be made His footstool, because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”

If you are in Christ, what do you have according to Ephesians 1:7-8?

Ephesians 1:7-8
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”

Does it make sense, then, to continually ask for something you already have?

Where is the forgiveness of sins found?

Are you in him?

Since you have forgiveness, is there a need for another sacrifice for the sins you commit today or in the future according to Hebrews 10:17-18?

Hebrews 10:17-18
“Then He adds; ‘Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.’ And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.”

Who alone has the power to forgive sins?

Mark 2:7
“Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Can your confession bring about forgiveness?

What have we been given as a result of Christ’s death according to the following verse?

2 Corinthians 5:21
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Where is righteousness found?

Are you in Him?

Do we make ourselves righteous or does God provide righteousness according to Romans 5:17?

Romans 5:17
“For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”

How much unrighteousness does 1 John 1:9 say we are cleansed of?

If we are cleansed of all unrighteousness, do we need more cleansing?

B. Confession cannot restore fellowship:

With this mentality, what is it that breaks your fellowship with God?

If your sins caused you to be out of fellowship with God, what then keeps you in fellowship with God?

How much of your life can you live without sinning?

So, how much of your life would you be in fellowship with God?

What does God say is the wages of sin in Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

If you think sin breaks your fellowship with God, what are you saying is the wages of sin?

Which one is right – the wages of sin is being out of fellowship or the wages of sin is death?

If God were going to deal with you according to your sins, what would He have to do when you sinned?

Do you know of any place in the Bible that discusses being in and out of fellowship?

According to 1 Corinthians 1:8-9, who has called you into fellowship and who is able to keep you in fellowship?

1 Corinthians 1:8-9
“He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.”

The Bible is very clear. The wages of sin is death and the gift of God is eternal life. It is a black and white issue with no in-between. Somewhere, however, the issue has been clouded through the concept of being in and out of fellowship. Instead of the wages of sin being death, it is now being out of fellowship. Instead of the gift of God being eternal life, it is now being in fellowship. This has watered down the gospel and has robbed literally thousands of Christians the ability to experience the abundant life Jesus promised.

When Jesus said “It is finished,’ what do you think that means?

Colossians 2:13-14
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us, He took it away, nailing it to the cross.”

Acts 26:17-18
“I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”
(Click here to learn more about light & darkness )

Psalm 103:10-12
“… He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him,- as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Isaiah 38:17
“Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In Your love You kept me from the pit of destruction; You have put all my sins behind Your back.”

Colossians 1:13-14
“For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Acts 10:43
“All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”

Matthew 26:27-28
“Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, now drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Luke 23:34
“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up His clothes by casting lots.”

Hebrews 9:12
“He [Christ] did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.”

Revelation 1:5b-6
“To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father – to Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.”

When Christ went to the cross, He died for our sins “once for all.” He paid the penalty of death, which is what the law demanded, so that we could experience His life. Don’t complicate the simplicity of the gospel through the fellowship issue. Recognize that you are in the fellowship, that the blood of Christ purifies you from all sin and rejoice in God’s free gift of eternal life.