If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
World English Bible
This verse is examined in more than one Scripture Analysis section. Each lens is shown on its own terms, in the section's own words; GEBible reaches no verdict of its own.
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If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
World English Bible
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Several texts present God as freely forgiving sin upon repentance (2 Chr 7:14; Jer 31:34; 1 John 1:9). Joshua 24:19 says flatly that God 'will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.'
Critical scholarship: Leans toward a genuine contradiction.
Theology
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
The Synoptic Jesus identifies one sin that will never be forgiven "neither in this world, neither in the world to come" — blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matt 12:31-32; Mark 3:29; Luke 12:10). The post-Easter writings reverse the limit: Acts 10:43 says "whosoever believeth" receives remission of sins, Acts 13:39 says "by him all that believe are justified from all things," Colossians 2:13 says "all trespasses" are forgiven, and 1 John 1:9 promises cleansing from "all unrighteousness."
Critical scholarship: Genuinely disputed among scholars.
Theology
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
Each section sets the viewpoints side by side; you weigh the evidence. Here, "critical scholarship" means academic study, not a value judgment. How this is built →
Within each section, grouped by shared field or question type — not a cross-section comparison.
This citation refers to this GEBible page — the verse and the analysis gathered here. To cite the underlying scholarship, cite those sources directly.
"1 John 1:9 — Scripture Analysis" GEBible, https://gebible.app/analysis/verse/1-john/1/9?version=WEB (retrieved 27 August 2026).