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hide or heal?

1 John 1:5-2:2 (JDV)

1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him.
1 John 1:6 If we would say, “We participate with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we would be lying and are not practicing the truth.
1 John 1:7 Since we are walking in the light as he himself is in the light, we participate with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all failure.
1 John 1:8 If we would say, “We have no failure,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1 John 1:9 Since we confess our failures, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our failures and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:10 If we would say, “We have not failed,” we would be making him a liar, and his word would not be in us.
1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not fail. But if anyone does fail, we have an advocate with the Father — Jesus Christ the righteous one.
1 John 2:2 He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our failures, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.

hide or heal?

I use “fail” and “failure” rather than the traditional word “sin” — not denying the reality of sin, but stressing its comprehensive nature. To sin is to miss the mark, whether intentionally or by mistake. Our Lord’s death on the cross is our one sacrifice for every possible failure. Everyone who hears the gospel has a choice. The choice is to confess all failures and let the blood of Christ bring restoration and healing. Or, the alternative is to hide the failure behind a respectable darkness. Those who choose to hide their failures may claim to participate with God, but the claim is empty. There can be no healing without treatment, and there will be no treatment if we refuse to acknowledge the disease.

LORD, give us the wisdom to seek your healing restoration, not to hide our failures.