Context

This line is found in 1 John 1:9.

These powerful little lines come from the opening of a letter written by a guy who was definitely not named John. Weird, right? Actually, no one knows this anonymous author's name, but since he refers to himself as "the elder," most folks just go with that. Hey, it actually sounds like a really cool biblical superhero name.

Anyway, the elder is talking about how you can really tell you're a Christian. Is it that fancy cross necklace you're wearing? Or the Bible you're carrying around in your hand? Heck, no. You show it off by just being honest about yourself. And what's the honest truth? You're a sinner, honey.

That's right. In the elder's opinion, a real Christian doesn't walk around saying he's perfect and doesn't do anything wrong. After all, everyone makes mistakes, right? The best thing you can do is own up to your boo-boos and ask God if he'll give you another chance. The good news is that God totally loves a comeback. Yay!

Where you've heard it

Ever done any sinning? Then someone has probably said or thought this about you at some point. The awesome part is that you totally get to come clean and start over fresh. God is big on second chances.

Additional Notable References:

• When Doctor Faustus reads from his Bible, he quotes 1 John 1:8… but doesn't quite get to that next part about actually confessing sins. Too bad.
• This passage is the inspiration for the song "If We Confess Our Sins." Obviously.
• No surprise that John MacArthur used this line as one of the chapter titles in his book The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Quoting from the King James Bible while lecturing folks on their sinful behavior is not gonna make you look especially laid back. But, hey, an elder's gotta do what an elder's gotta do.