Confession of Sin
February 9, 2013
We
may not always like it but the central truth of
Few Christians would argue with the essential teaching of these two verses. We may not always agree on what sin really looks like. We may not always think the same regarding how serious or insignificant a sin may be. We may not always expect the same consequences for sinfulness in our lives. We may not have the same understanding of how sin is to be handled within the Christian community of faith.
This
presents a problem for Christianity. We may agree in principle that all have
sinned and fall short of the Glory while giving thanks to God for the grace of
The
Bible offers us some very practical and essential guidance regarding sin—Godly council
that we frequently do not like to hear or follow.
The Bible calls for confession, but Christians also believe that nothing is beyond God’s sight. Confessing a sin does not provide God with any additional information or tell God anything that God did not already know. This reality has motivated some to think that confession of sin really serves no vital purpose, as if telling God the obvious would be a waste of God’s time or a uselessly redundant activity.
Confession, however, is not for God—it is for you and me. There are two essential realities that come from confession. When we take the time to examine our hearts and truly seek out the sins which separate us from a closer relationship with God, it opens our souls to powerful Holy Spirit transformation. Through prayerful confession we see beyond the sin and find the power to overcome it.
Spiritually
powerful confession also goes beyond the secrecy and privacy of the prayer time
with God alone. When we humbly confess our sins to a trusted believer, it helps
establish a means of accountability for overcoming the sin. Praying and working
together in faith, two confessing sinners become a powerful force for healing,
transformation, and spiritual power in
A
central point behind confession is that it must be personal.
This Wednesday begins a prolonged period of such personal self-reflection. Ash Wednesday will be for many faithful Christians the beginning of transformation from sin!
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