Acts 3.19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
There has developed within myself a passion for confession and repentance. I believe God is doing a work; and I desire to spread the Word of God and His Ways.
What is so important about confessing one’s sins? (If you’re in a hurry, you can skip to the end of this post for a short synopsis 😉).
Conviction of sin is an initial response when God quickens one’s spirit for salvation. There’s not much confessing or repenting unless one feels convicted.
Are you saved? Do you know without a doubt that you are going to Heaven to be with Him in eternity because you are a sinner, saved by the blood of Jesus Christ? If you are not in that situation, I earnestly commend you to fall on your face before an Almighty God, and throw yourself upon His mercy
1 John 3.6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Although in this life we will sin; as a Christian, we do not continue in sin. We confess and repent.
1 John 2.3 – 6 3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
If you live in sin / with sin, and do not confess (agree with God) and repent (change your ways to conform to His), you may well question your salvation. Do you avoid God’s Word, or avoid Godly preaching, so that you may think and do whatever seems right in your own eyes? Do you desire to read God’s Word so that you know how to live in obedience to Him? Do you actually take the time, daily, to read, study, and meditate on God’s Word? Do you pray to be attuned to His Holy Spirit, listening to Him to be guided and warned throughout your daily life? Do you desire to confess your sins, to have a clean slate in His eyes, to live in the Truth and Freedom that He promises? (John 8.31, 32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.).
Of course we have flesh, of course we think we know what’s best for us. But it’s not a wise way to live. Our hearts deceive us. Satan is working to deceive us. The world is working against us. (1 John 2.16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.) God is our protector and defender – against sin, the flesh, and the devil. He is our perfect Father, warning us, guiding us to what is best for us; and He know us best! He designed and created each of us with loving wisdom.
Read these verses from 1 John Chapter 1: 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:… 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us… 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.
Interspersed within those verses, though, is God’s love and promises that He desires to bring us to Himself: 1 John 1.6 – 2.1 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us. 1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
Besides God speaking to us, telling us that we need to confess and repent, He also tells us that He rewards and blesses those who obey Him. For some fascinating reading on God’s blessings and curses, go to Deuteronomy Chapters 11 and 28.
Look at 1 Corinthians Chapter 3.11 – 15: 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. … And 2 Corinthians 5.9, 10 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. … And Romans 14.12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
If we are not obedient, we lose the rewards that God had in mind for us. As born-again Christians, we do not lose our salvation; we still get into Heaven. But our works on Earth count for something in Heaven.
When we do not confess sin, that leads to continuing in our sin. (John 8.34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.) That leads to a downward spiral of more sin, failures, unhappiness, and strife (again, Deuteronomy Chapter 28), until we turn to God and beg Him to lead us back into His Ways.
Hebrews 4.13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account.
God is watching you. Even when you think you have a secret sin, God knows all about it. Secret sin doesn’t only affect you; it affects those around you, too. (See my post, Secret Sin Not So Secret.) He isn’t hovering over you to judge you; He loves you and vigorously desires to gather you in His arms and lead you to a more perfect Way.
Proverbs 9.10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Are you convicted? Are you convinced that confession is vital? That repentance must be a priority? Then by the grace of God, read on.
In order to confess our sins, we must first draw near to God. We must put ourselves on our knees and bow before Him, acknowledging that He is our Creator, Redeemer, and Friend; and that He is right in all things.
To draw near to God, we must read His Word. God gave us His Word so that we may know how to live rightly, and receive His blessings of joy and peace. Mind you, that does not mean that we will sail through life with no troubles (John 16.33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.); but He will provide you with His peace in, around, and through anything that happens.
Quiet your heart before God. I highly recommend the book, The Hour That Changes the World by Dick Eastman. Even if you don’t plan to spend an hour every day to have your quiet time, Mr Eastman provides wisdom and counsel for our attitudes and opportunities when we go to prayer.
Pray about this. Pray, pray, pray!
Here are some verses to prepare your heart:
Psalms 46.10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
James 4.8-10 Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.
Isaiah 30.15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
As you read God’s Word, pray: Ask Him to reveal your sin to you. We cannot judge for ourselves what sins we may have committed. We must ask for guidance from God’s Holy Spirit: He is the One Who knows what sin is. Yes, it’s a scary thing to do, because we don’t like to look on the bad side of ourselves. But the rewards of confession and repentance are so great, it’s WORTH IT.
Think about your words, actions, thoughts, and attitudes. How do they line up with what God says in the Bible? Pray: Ask God. What does He say?
The wonderful thing about confession is that GOD FORGIVES! For a lengthy discussion on receiving God’s forgiveness, see this post.
Are you weighed down? Do you feel like you’re missing out on something? Do you have unexplained sickness, physical disorders, relationship friction, job loss, dissatisfaction, depression (self or those close to you), financial issues, strife, and/or general dysfunction? These symptoms are indicative of unconfessed sin.
For a discussion about what kinds of sins, see this post or this.
When we live life the way our hearts guide us, we miss out on God’s best. (Jeremiah 17.9 The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?) God gives us His Word to show us, to woo us, into obedience. God loves you, and wants the very best for you.
Reasons to confess and repent:
- Sin has consequences. You will miss blessings because of your sin; but you will relieve yourself of added burdens when you confess and repent.
- One of the consequences of unconfessed sin is that we continue to sin, and that opens the door to more sin. We lose track of God and Who He is in our lives.
- We often don’t notice the added burden of sin in our lives, but it builds up. The relief from burdens is not to be underestimated.
- God supplies infinite peace and rest when you confess, repent, and receive His forgiveness. Living in peace is worth more than anything this world can offer.
- God blesses obedience. God longs to shower you with His best for you. When you confess and repent, you position yourself under God to receive fully those blessings.
- You get added rewards in Heaven when you obey God. Living in obedience to Him includes confessing sin and repenting.
After you confess and repent (and live continuously this way), you will likely notice a new peace and a joy in your life. You may have a new spring in your step, and renewed hope.
Maggie Tiggles 