sinned,” when such traits of carnality are felt in his life. A safeguard against deception is confession of sin. Confession is a recognition of one’s sinfulness and a humbling of oneself before God. When a man has sinned, defences, excuses, and self-justification are irrelevant. Since the word sins is plural, it refers to the acts of sin which need both specific and general confession.14 John does not say to whom this confession is made, but the
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