By Gerald and Louise Mwangi, serving in Nairobi, Kenya
‘My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.‘ 1 John 2:1
The good news of Jesus coming to earth is that through him we have forgiveness of sins and can be purified from all unrighteousness. Praise be to God!
This is a wonderful season of the year when we remember the birth of Jesus. We are grateful that God became incarnate and dwelt among us. However, sometimes we’re in danger of reducing Jesus to just gentle, meek and mild. We forget Jesus is also Prophet, Priest, and King who came to deal with the greatest problem for humanity, which is sin.
Here in Kenya, we have been involved with the training of youth in Marsabit, in the north of the country. These young people have been sent by their parishes as those showing leadership potential. While on an extended trip to the region, we discovered that there is a common misconception regarding repentance. People are being taught that once you have repented and become a Christian, you do not need to continue repenting of your sin, as that one-time prayer is for all sins, past, present, and future. The challenge with training people, particularly for a short time, is that they tend to hold to their prior teaching tightly. We must keep encouraging them to go back to Scripture and examine what it really says.
The need for a repentant heart is central to understanding the gospel. If we do not continually confess our sins, we will not be able to grow in our faith. The challenge in Marsabit is that because many believe they have repented, they struggle to address their very real and present sins. Their view of sin is hampering their growth and maturity.
We used 1 John 2:1 to show them what good news Jesus is. …But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. To live in the light does not mean pretending we haven’t sinned but knowing what to do with our sin when we do. Jesus stands as our defence and guarantee of grace, not because we are perfect but because he is.
Knowing Jesus is our advocate gives these young men in Marsabit and us the confidence to daily confess our sins and then rejoice that because of Jesus our advocate, we are forgiven. What good news this Christmas!