Confess and Repent Of Your Sins

"There is mercy for a sinner, but there is no mercy for the man who will not own himself a sinner."    - C. H. Spurgeon

Everyone, including you and I, without exception, has sinned. Fortunately, the moment one rejects sin, and looks to Jesus Christ in total faith, their sin is forgiven (Romans 3:23-24).

Along with the rejection or dismissal of sin, there must be an admission of sin which is the result of the confession of it. Yet, not everyone likes to admit when they've done something wrong, or said something they shouldn't have.

You see, it's not in our to nature to own (confess/admit) our sin. We'd like to think that we're better than that, so we might make excuses, shrug our shoulders in indifference, even blame others for our sin; anything but admit to it (Daniel 9:5).

Okay, now we have sin, plus the confession, and admission of it. There's another important ingredient which we need to include, and that is: repentance, or the eagerness to make a complete change from sinning.

Let's take a look at what we've discussed so far. When we confess our sins, we are admitting that what we did or say was wrong, and not up to par with God's expectations for us. In other words, we did not comply with His law.

The result is that we stand guilty of sin in front of God. We cannot hide or cover-up our sins. Still, some are foolish enough to think that they can get away with sin, or are more clever about it than He is (1 John 3:20). 

In order to be in compliance with God, we must confess/admit our sins; it's imperative that we do so. However, confession by itself, although good, is just lip-service, or empty talk as far as God is concerned. 

Here's where repentance comes in. If we only confess our sins, it leaves the door open for us to run right back into our sinful ways. True, when confronted we would admit to our sins, but there's no real incentive to change (Ephesians 5:6).

The only thing we would would be sorry for is that we got caught, and not because of what we did! Repentance allows us to demonstrate that we truly are serious about changing our lives, and not just going through the motions (Luke 13:3).

John the Baptist even preached about the importance of repentance as he prepared the world for the Messiah. He taught the significance of not just confessing sins, but showing everyone they meant it by their actions (Matthew 3:8).

There are, however, some things that can interfere with our confession of sin. Things such as ignorance and pride are but only a few. No matter, confession is good, especially for believers in Christ. It's a housecleaning for the heart! (Psalm 32:5)

Who doesn't want to live with a clear conscience and heart? Jesus Christ, by his life and teachings, left us with a good model to follow. Yes, it's true, He was sinless. But at least He showed us that a life free of guilt and shame is possible, and regular confession of sin is the key.

Scripture: Acts 3:19; Hebrews 4:14; Psalm 38:18; Matthew 4:17; Proverbs 28:13

Prayer: "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.."  - James 4:8

In His name always,

Emily