He IS

1 John 1:9

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

Every person is guilty of sin. No matter what you have done in life, 1 John 1:9 applies to you. In this verse, there are several promises about God and who He is that should help you to return to doing right. Let me share what God does for the person who comes to Him and confesses their sin to Him.

First, God is. Notice that this verse says, He is. Psalm 46:1 reminds us, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. We don't serve a God of the past, but we serve the God of the present. The fact that God is present should remind us that He is still very much with us, even when we have done something wrong. One of the lies Satan tries to feed the believer is that God is no longer with them. However, the Scriptures teach that God is, which means that He is present in our lives despite what we have done. You have to remember that God did not save us because we were good, but He saved us when we were bad. Romans 5:8 says, But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. You will notice that God loved us while we were yet sinners. God still loves you, even though you have sinned; you must never forget that God still loves you despite your sin.

Second, God is faithful. We serve a faithful God who never stops loving us, even when we have done wrong. God is faithful to be there with you despite all that you have done. God is faithful to love you, and God is faithful to help you in your time of need after you have done wrong. The faithfulness of God to never leave nor forsake you should bring comfort to your heart that God is still interested in your life.

Third, God is faithful to forgive. We often compare God's forgiveness to how we would forgive, but never lower God to man's level of forgiveness. God is faithful to forgive no matter what we have done. God promised that He is faithful to forgive, and the fact that He promised forgiveness should bring us the assurance that if we have confessed our sin to Him, He has already forgiven us. Never let your conscience, nor Satan, discourage you into thinking that you still have to do something to get God's forgiveness. I don't do right to get God's forgiveness, but I do right because God has forgiven me. The fact that you can confess your sin to God is what He promised that, if you would do that, He would forgive you.

Fourth, God is faithful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I am thankful that there is no sin that God will not cleanse us from. Now, this is the important phrase that we often confuse. We think that God cleansing us from all unrighteousness means that He forgives us, but that is not what this means. God cleansing me from all unrighteousness means that God is the one who cleanses the believer of the aftereffects that sin has left in their lives. This phrase means that God is the One who helps me to overcome my sin. God has already promised to forgive us, so cleansing us from unrighteousness has nothing to do with forgiveness but everything to do with removing the effects of sin from our lives.

This verse is dependent upon one thing: you confessing your sin to God. If you admit that you have done wrong to God, He is faithful to fulfill the results of this verse in your life if you keep yourself from doing that sin again.