1 John 1 · Verse 9

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.

1 John 1:9, King James Version

1 John 1:9 in other translations

BSB	If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
WEB	If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
ASV	If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
YLT	if we may confess our sins, stedfast He is and righteous that He may forgive us the sins, and may cleanse us from every unrighteousness;
DARBY	If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
BBE	If we say openly that we have done wrong, he is upright and true to his word, giving us forgiveness of sins and making us clean from all evil.
Webster	If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

What does 1 John 1:9 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

9. confess--with the lips, speaking from a contrite heart; involving also confession to our fellow men of offenses committed against them. he--God. faithful--to His own promises; "true" to His word. just--Not merely the mercy, but the justice or righteousness of God is set forth in the redemption of the penitent believer in Christ. God's promises of mercy, to which He is faithful, are in accordance with His justice. to--Greek, "in order that." His forgiving us our sins and cleansing us, &c., is in furtherance of the ends of His eternal faithfulness and justice. forgive--remitting the guilt. cleanse--purify from all filthiness, so that henceforth we more and more become free from the presence of sin through the Spirit of sanctification (compare He 9:14; and above, see on 1Jo 1:7). unrighteousness--offensive to Him who "is just" or righteous; called "sin," 1Jo 1:7, because "sin is the transgression of the law," and the law is the expression of God's righteousness, so that sin is unrighteousness.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 9. If we confess our sins. Pardon, in the Scriptures, always supposes that there is confession, and there is no promise that it will be imparted unless a full acknowledgment has been made. Compare Ps 51 Ps 52; Lk 15:18, 7:41, Prov 28:13.

He is faithful. To his promises. He will do what he has assured us he will do in remitting them.

And just to forgive us our sins. The word just here cannot be used in a strict and proper sense, since the forgiveness of sins is never an act of justice, but is an act of mercy. If it were an act of justice it could be demanded or enforced, and that is the same as to say that it is not forgiveness, for in that case there could have been no sin to be pardoned. But the word just is often used in a larger sense, as denoting upright, equitable, acting properly in the circumstances of the case, etc. Comp. Mt 1:19. Here the word may be used in one of the following senses:

(1.) Either as referring to his general excellence of character, or his disposition to do what is proper; that is, he is one who will act in every way as becomes God; or,

(2,) that he will be just in the sense that he will be true to his promises; or that, since he has promised to pardon sinners, he will be found faithfully to adhere to those engagements; or perhaps,

(3,) that he will be just to his Son in the covenant of redemption, since, now that an atonement has been made by him, and a way has been opened through his sufferings by which God can consistently pardon, and with a view and an understanding that he might and would pardon, it would be an act of injustice to him if he did not pardon those who believe on him.

Viewed in either aspect, we may have the fullest assurance that God is ready to pardon us if we exercise true repentance and faith. No one can come to God without finding him ready to do all that is appropriate for a God to do in pardoning transgressors; no one who will not, in fact, receive forgiveness if he repents, and believes, and makes confession; no one who will not find that God is just to his Son in the covenant of redemption, in pardoning and saving all who put their trust in the merits of his sacrifice.

And to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. By forgiving all that is past, treating us as if we were righteous, and ultimately by removing all the stains of guilt from the soul.

(a) "confess" Job 33:27,28, Ps 32:5, Prov 28:13

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 9 If we confess our sins - If, from a deep sense of our guilt, impurity, and helplessness, we humble ourselves before God, acknowledging our iniquity, his holiness, and our own utter helplessness, and implore mercy for his sake who has died for us; he is faithful, because to such he has promised mercy, Psa 32:5; Pro 28:13; and just, for Christ has died for us, and thus made an atonement to the Divine justice; so that God can now be just, and yet the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus. And to cleanse us from all unrighteousness - Not only to forgive the sin, but to purify the heart. Observe here, 1. Sin exists in the soul after two modes or forms: (1.) In guilt, which requires forgiveness or pardon. (2.) In pollution, which requires cleansing. 2. Guilt, to be forgiven, must be confessed; and pollution, to be cleansed, must be also confessed. In order to find mercy, a man must know and feel himself to be a sinner, that he may fervently apply to God for pardon; in order to get a clean heart, a man must know and feel its depravity, acknowledge and deplore it before God, in order to be fully sanctified. 3. Few are pardoned, because they do not feel and confess their sins; and few are sanctified or cleansed from all sin, because they do not feel and confess their own sore, and the plague of their hearts. 4. As the blood of Jesus Christ, the merit of his passion and death, applied by faith, purges the conscience from all dead works, so the same cleanses the heart from all unrighteousness. 5. As all unrighteousness is sin, so he that is cleansed from all unrighteousness is cleansed from all sin. To attempt to evade this, and plead for the continuance of sin in the heart through life, is ungrateful, wicked, and even blasphemous; for as he who says he has not sinned, 1Jn 1:10, makes God a liar, who has declared the contrary through every part of his revelation; so he that says the blood of Christ either cannot or will not cleanse us from all sin in this life, gives also the lie to his Maker, who has declared the contrary, and thus shows that the word - the doctrine of God is not in him. Reader, it is the birthright of every child of God to be cleansed from all sin, to keep himself unspotted from the world, and so to live as never more to offend his Maker. All things are possible to him that believeth; because all things are possible to the infinitely meritorious blood and energetic Spirit of the Lord Jesus. See the notes on the parallel passages in the margin; and particularly in St. John's gospel, John 1 note.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 John 1:5-10

A message from the Lord Jesus, the Word of life, the eternal Word, we should all gladly receive. The great God should be represented to this dark world, as pure and perfect light. As this is the nature of God, his doctrines and precepts must be such. And as his perfect happiness cannot be separated from his perfect holiness, so our happiness will be in proportion to our being made holy. To walk in darkness, is to…

Read the full comment on 1 John 1:5-10 →

1 John 1:9 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ἐὰνeanIfG1437

ὁμολογῶμενhomologōmenwe shall confessG3670

τὰςtastheG3588

ἁμαρτίαςhamartiassinsG266

ἡμῶν,hēmōnof us,G3165

πιστόςpistosfaithfulG4103

ἐστινestinHe isG1510

καὶkaiandG2532

δίκαιοςdikaiosjustG1342

ἵναinathatG2443

ἀφῇaphēaHe may forgiveG863

ἡμῖνhēminusG3165

τὰςtas<the>G3588

ἁμαρτίαςhamartias[our] sinsG266

καὶkaiandG2532

καθαρίσῃkatharisēmay cleanseG2511

ἡμᾶςhēmasusG3165

ἀπὸapofromG575

πάσηςpasēsallG3956

ἀδικίας.adikiasunrighteousness.G93

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 John 1:9

Psalms 32:5
I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
Proverbs 28:13
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
Jeremiah 33:8
And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.
Psalms 51:2-5
Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Ezekiel 36:25
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
1 Timothy 1:15
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Ezekiel 37:23
Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.
Nehemiah 1:6
Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.
1 Corinthians 1:9
God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Lamentations 3:23
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

we confess.
Le 26:40-42; 1Ki 8:47; 2Ch 6:37,38; Ne 1:6; 9:2-37; Job 33:27,28
Ps 32:5; 51:2-5; Pr 28:13; Da 9:4-20; Mt 3:6; Mr 1:5; Ac 19:18
he is.
De 7:9; La 3:23; 1Co 1:9; 1Ti 1:15; Heb 10:23; 11:11
just.
Isa 45:21; Zec 9:9; Ro 3:26; Heb 6:10; Re 15:3
and to.
7; Ps 19:12; 51:2; Jer 33:8; Eze 36:25; 37:23; 1Co 6:11; Eph 5:26
Tit 2:14

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

1 John 1:8
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
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.
1 John 1:10
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Read all of 1 John 1

1 John 1:9 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Si confesamos nuestros pecados, él es fiel y justo para que nos perdone nuestros pecados, y nos limpie de toda maldad.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Si nous confessons nos péchés, il est fidèle et juste pour nous pardonner nos péchés et nous purifier de toute iniquité.
German Elberfelder 1871	Wenn wir unsere Sünden bekennen, so ist er treu und gerecht, daß er uns die Sünden vergibt und uns reinigt von aller Ungerechtigkeit.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Si confiteamur peccata nostra: fidelis est, et justus, ut remittat nobis peccata nostra, et emundet nos ab omni iniquitate.