Scripture
Introduction
1We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning,[1] whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 2This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. 3We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.[2]
Living in the Light
5This is the message we heard from Jesus[3] and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
8If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
Translation notes (3)
- 1:1 Greek What was from the beginning.
- 1:4 Or so that our joy may be complete; some manuscripts read your joy.
- 1:5 Greek from him.
"Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!"
When He began His ministry on earth, Jesus made it clear that everything had changed. His coming signified something new. His coming meant that hope had come. Jesus' life, death, and resurrection meant that the long-awaited Messiah had come to save the people of Israel from their sins. He had come, and his coming changed everything. However, his coming did not mean that the people of Israel could stand by and simply watch Jesus. No, they had a responsibility when it came to Jesus' rescue mission.
Jesus announced in Mark 1 that "the time promised by God' had finally come" (verse 15). He continued explaining that God's kingdom was near (verse 15). Then, he called His listeners to action: "Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!" (verse 15). Their call was clear: Turn away from sin. That is what it means to repent. Repenting involves acknowledging our sins to God. It means naming our sins individually, asking God for forgiveness, and asking for help to live differently and turn away from that sin. In light of Jesus' mission on earth to overcome sin and death, we must repent. The good news is that "if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness" (1 John 1:9). God is gracious to forgive us when we repent, but we have to actually repent to experience His forgiveness.
Jesus' message in Mark 1:15 still rings true today. In light of everything that Jesus has done for us, we must repent. We have to acknowledge our sins to Him and ask Him for forgiveness. Will you confess your sin and turn to Him today? Confession is not easy. It requires us to be humble. Confession means we have to admit where we have been wrong. While it is not easy, confession to God always leads to healing and freedom. Turn to Him today.
Moving toward action
Take a few minutes to think about sins in your life that you need to repent from. Tell God that you are sorry for your sin. Recognize that your sin has broken His heart. Ask Him to help you let go of that sin and turn to Him.
Going Deeper
1 John 1:1-9 (NLT)
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