"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9 (KJV)
During the recent deplorable Paris attacks, certain terrorists held some people hostage in a building. A special intervention team moved in and shot all of the terrorists. Gladly, all of the hostages survived.
We could say that that intervention team cleansed the building, meaning that they left no possibility of a terrorist threat from within the building. Special forces often shout “clear!” to each other, to indicate that a certain room within the building does not have living terrorists in it who can form any possible harm to them.
picture source: Wikimedia.
When we consider 1 John 1:9, many Christians seem to be very good Bible magicians. Somehow, they can keep the part “he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” while ignoring the rest of the line; “and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. They think they can be save, while there are still terrorists (sins) in some of the rooms of their lives. They think they can be saved from the lake of fire, while still being in their sins. Even church going “Christians” believe this. They do not understand that Christ came primarily to save us from our sins (NOT in their sins | Matthew 1:21) and secondarily from the lake of fire. I would say that they are deeply deceived! I encourage them to reconsider their ways (Ezekiel 18:26-28, 30b)!
"He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
- Revelation 21:7-8 (NKJV)
Christ came to be our heroic Soldier, who shouts ‘Clear! Your “room” has been cleared out! You have been cleansed from ALL your sins!’ through His Spirit (read Romans 8:12-17 | 1 Peter 3:21) and His word (1 John 1:9).
You can pray to Him:
"Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin."
- Psalm 51:2
“Much of modern Protestant expression morphs salvation into a private affair that rescues us from an approaching hell, rather than rebirthing us into a new reality. Jesus saves us from hell, yes, but in reality, Jesus saves us from ourselves and we are reborn into an entirely different life than the one we left.”
– Ricky Allen, “Salvation as The Kingdom of God” (communal theology)
‘Salvation is not a ticket to heaven (or a better version of the “American Dream”) but a cleansed life that now sacrifices for the good of God’s creation.’
– Ibid
‘The nature of Christ’s salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day “evangelist.” He announces a Saviour from Hell, rather than a Saviour from sin. And that is why so many are fatally deceived, for there are multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of fire who have no desire to be delivered from their carnality and worldliness. The very first thing said of Him in the N.T. is, “thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people (not “from the wrath to come”, but) from their sins” (Matt. 1:21).
Christ is a Saviour for those realizing something of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, who feel the awful burden of it on their conscience, who loathe themselves for it, who long to be freed from its terrible dominion; and a Saviour for no others.
Were He to “save from Hell” those who were still in love with sin, He would be the Minister of sin, condoning their wickedness and siding with them against God. What an unspeakably horrible and blasphemous thing with which to charge the Holy One!’
– Arthur W. Pink, Studies on Saving Faith, Part I – Signs of the Times
‘The impression of many seems to be, that grace will pardon what it cannot prevent; in other words, that if the grace of the Gospel fails to save people from the commission of sin in this life; it will nevertheless pardon them and save them in sin, if it cannot save them from sin.
Now, really, I understand the Gospel as teaching that men are saved from sin first, and as a consequence, from hell; and not that they are saved from hell while they are not saved from sin. Christ sanctifies when he saves. And this is the very first element or idea of salvation, saving from sin. “Thou shall call his name Jesus,” said the angel, “for he shall save his people from their sins.” “Having raised up his Son Jesus,” says the apostle, “he hath sent him to bless you in turning every one of you from his iniquities.”
Let no one expect to be saved from hell, unless the grace of the Gospel saves him first from sin.’
– Charles G. Finney, Any One Form of Sin Persisted In is Fatal to The Soul, The Oberlin Evangelist; September 11, 1861
“Do not let sin defenders tell you that you have to be a slave to sin all your life, and that you can never be set free from sin! Being set free from sin was one of the main reasons Jesus came.”
– Jamie RA Gerrard, “Is Sanctification A Process?” (holyandpure)
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