To Be Least

¹My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ²He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2)

      In one of my previous posts I wrote about living in the light or darkness. If we say we have fellowship with God, but are living a life of sin, or darkness, we are essentially lying to ourselves and we are not saved.
      However, thanks be to God who will forgive us of our sins if we do sin. That is what this verse is talking about. Even though we are commanded not to sin, we are not perfect and thus we do sin from time to time. When this happens we must repent, or turn away from our sins, and ask for forgiveness from our Savior Jesus Christ.
      However, forgiveness can be easily twisted. When we repent, we are turning away from our sin. If we repent and immediately return to our sin, did we truly repent from our sin? "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked."(Galatians 6:7) "I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds." (Acts 26:20)
      In the same way that God forgives us, we are to forgive others. "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15)
      We are to walk in obedience, but if we do sin we can ask for forgiveness and he will forgive us our sins. Glory be to God.