Continuing- Steps to
Christ-
'Chap. 4 -
Confession
"He that
covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them
shall have mercy." Proverbs 28:13.
The conditions of
obtaining mercy of God are simple and just and reasonable. The Lord does not
require us to do some grievous thing in order that we may have the forgiveness
of sin. We need not make long and wearisome pilgrimages, or perform painful
penances, to commend our souls to the God of heaven or to expiate our
transgression; but he that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall have
mercy. The apostle says, "Confess
your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be
healed." James 5:16.
Confess your sins to
God, who only can forgive them, and your faults to one another. If you have
given offense to your friend or neighbor, you are to acknowledge your wrong,
and it is his duty freely to forgive you. Then you are to seek the forgiveness
of God, because the brother you have wounded is the property of God, and in
injuring him you sinned against his Creator and Redeemer. The case is brought
before the only true Mediator, our great High Priest, who "was in all
points tempted like as we are, yet without sin," and who is "touched
with the feeling of our infirmities," and is able to cleanse from every
stain of iniquity. Hebrews 4:15.
Those who have not humbled their souls before
God in acknowledging their guilt, have not yet fulfilled the first condition of
acceptance. If we have not experienced that repentance which is not to be
repented of, and have not with true humiliation of soul and brokenness of
spirit confessed our sins, abhorring our iniquity, we have never truly sought
for the forgiveness of sin; and if we have never sought, we have never found
the peace of God. The only reason why we do not have remission of sins that are
past is that we are not willing to humble our hearts and comply with the
conditions of the word of truth. Explicit instruction is given concerning this
matter. Confession of sin, whether public or private, should be heartfelt and
freely expressed. It is not to be urged from the sinner. It is not to be made
in a flippant and careless way, or forced from those who have no realizing
sense of the abhorrent character of sin. The confession that is the outpouring
of the inmost soul finds its way to the God of infinite pity. The psalmist
says, "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth
such as be of a contrite spirit." Psalm 34:18. True confession is always of a specific
character, and acknowledges particular sins. They may be of such a nature as to
be brought before God only; they may be wrongs that should be confessed to
individuals who have suffered injury through them; or they may be of a public
character, and should then be as publicly confessed. But all confession should
be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which you are
guilty.
In the days of Samuel the Israelites wandered
from God. They were suffering the consequences of sin; for they had lost their
faith in God, lost their discernment of His power and wisdom to rule the
nation, lost their confidence in His ability to defend and vindicate His cause.
They turned from the great Ruler of the universe and desired to be governed as
were the nations around them. Before they found peace they made this definite
confession: "We have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a
king." 1 Samuel 12:19. The very sin of which they were convicted had to be
confessed. Their ingratitude oppressed their souls and severed them from God.
Confession will not
be acceptable to God without sincere repentance and reformation. There must be
decided changes in the life; everything offensive to God must be put away. This
will be the result of genuine sorrow for sin. The work that we have to do on
our part is plainly set before us: "Wash you, make you clean; put away the
evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well;
seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the
widow." Isaiah 1:16, 17. "If the wicked restore the pledge, give
again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing
iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die." Ezekiel 33:15. Paul
says, speaking of the work of repentance: "Ye sorrowed after a godly sort,
what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what
indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea,
what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this
matter." 2 Corinthians 7:11.
When sin has deadened the moral perceptions,
the wrongdoer does not discern the defects of his character nor realize the
enormity of the evil he has committed; and unless he yields to the convicting
power of the Holy Spirit he remains in partial blindness to his sin. His
confessions are not sincere and in earnest. To every acknowledgment of his
guilt he adds an apology in excuse of his course, declaring that if it had not
been for certain circumstances he would not have done this or that for which he
is reproved.
After Adam and Eve had eaten of the forbidden
fruit, they were filled with a sense of shame and terror. At first their only
thought was how to excuse their sin and escape the dreaded sentence of death.
When the Lord inquired concerning their sin, Adam replied, laying the guilt
partly upon God and partly upon his companion: "The woman whom Thou gavest
to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." The woman put the
blame upon the serpent, saying, "The serpent beguiled me, and I did
eat." Genesis 3: 12, 13. Why did You make the serpent? Why did You suffer
him to come into Eden? These were the questions implied in her excuse for her
sin, thus charging God with the responsibility of their fall. The spirit of
self-justification originated in the father of lies and has been exhibited by
all the sons and daughters of Adam. Confessions of this order are not inspired
by the divine Spirit and will not be acceptable to God. True repentance will lead
a man to bear his guilt himself and acknowledge it without deception or
hypocrisy. Like the poor publican, not lifting up so much as his eyes unto
heaven, he will cry, "God be merciful to me a sinner," and those who
do acknowledge their guilt will be justified, for Jesus will plead His blood in
behalf of the repentant soul.
The examples in God's word of genuine
repentance and humiliation reveal a spirit of confession in which there is no
excuse for sin or attempt at self-justification. Paul did not seek to shield
himself; he paints his sin in its darkest hue, not attempting to lessen his
guilt. He says, "Many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having
received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I
gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and
compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I
persecuted them even unto strange cities." Acts 26: 10, 11. He does not
hesitate to declare that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners;
of whom I am chief." 1 Timothy 1:15.
The humble and broken heart, subdued by
genuine repentance, will appreciate something of the love of God and the cost
of Calvary; and as a son confesses to a loving father, so will the truly
penitent bring all his sins before God. And it is written, "If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9.'
*******
Pro 28:13 He
that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh
them shall have mercy.
Sin can't be covered
by us. The ONLY thing that can cover sin is the blood of our Savior.
In the days of
Moses' ceremonial laws right up to and beyond ( though void ) the days after
Christ. The ceremonial sacrifices didn't stop unto 70AD when the temple was
destroyed. However, after Christ died on
the cross and the temple veil was torn in half from top to bottom, the
ceremonial laws were no longer needed. The ultimate Lamb, the Lamb of sacrifice
that all the previous sacrifices made pointed to had been slain. In the ceremonial law on the day of atonement
the high priest used the blood of various animals to cleanse the temple of all
the sins placed there through the year.
The animal sacrifices, the blood shed symbolically covered the sins of
the people but they were still there until the temple was cleansed. Christ's
blood covers our sins now, and once sin ceases and our Lord returns the
heavenly temple fully cleansed and there will be no more sins forgiven, no more
sins there, all sins gone from God's people.
If our sins are
confessed they are forgiven and Jesus' blood covers our sins. If we try to
cover our sins they are NEVER forgiven, never. We need our sins covered in the
Savior's blood and for that we need to confess them and forsake them. We can't
hold fast to any sin- even the most cherished. We need our God to bless us and
keep us from all sin. We need to submit to God so He can work in us.
May we confess ALL our sins, every single one, and forsake them and we will have mercy!!!!!!! Please Father, mercy! All through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, now and forever!!!!!!!
May we confess ALL our sins, every single one, and forsake them and we will have mercy!!!!!!! Please Father, mercy! All through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, now and forever!!!!!!!
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