We damage fellowship through indifference that fails to acknowledge how we injure others by what we say and do. We do this on personal and social levels that pass along racism and prejudice that damage our social and civil lives. We damage fellowship unintentionally and intentionally. We are without excuse, but there is a way to reconnect us when we fail each other personally and open the door to the healing of fellowship in the civil and social order (1:9-2:2). It is confession and forgiveness!

The ultimate purpose of confession and forgiveness is to restore harmony and peace within our web of relationships. Having personally experienced the transformative power of reconciliation with God and each other through Jesus Christ, we are not just called but empowered to extend this reconciliation to the world (1 John 1:1-2:2). May we invite others to partake in this transformative journey of confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation, which commences with a humble confession. Through these acts, we heal the web of relationships that envelop us and our world.