But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
Under the old covenant, God made provision for sins committed unintentionally or in ignorance. “But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance” (Hebrews 9:7). Since by his death, Jesus replaced the sacrificial system, Jesus forgives the sins we commit unintentionally or in ignorance. The writer goes on to speak about the greater provision of Christ saying, “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ … cleanse our consciences” (verse 14).
We live in a state of constant forgiveness. We don’t need to make mental lists of all our wrongdoings and wonder if there’s something we have forgotten to confess. God is always forgiving us. In the above verse, we read, “If we walk in the light … the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” If we’ve committed to living openly and honestly before God then we are walking in the light. Therefore we are continually being purified from sin. I have heard it called, “up to the minute forgiveness.”
Of course, if God convicts us of a particular sin, we need to confess it and repent but generally, we rely on Jesus’ atoning work in our lives. God has gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure our consciences are clean. He forgives us of things we aren’t even aware of. God has dealt with our sins past, present and future so that we can live free of guilt.
