Alba 6-2-2024
CONFESSION IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL
I John 1:8-10
As you know, the Roman Catholic Church uses the confessional where people go to confess their sins to a priest. There was a story in the Reader's Digest sometime ago from a priest, Douglas Fortner, who said:
“Because the younger children at our parochial school often forgot their sins when they entered my confessional, I suggested that teachers have the students make lists.
“The next week when one child came to confession, I could hear him unfolding paper. The youngster began, 'I lied to my parents. I disobeyed my mom. I fought with my brothers and...' There was a long pause. Then a small angry voice said, 'Hey, this isn't my list!'”
When you confess to the Lord, do you remember your list? Or do you find it easier to list the wrongs of others? Or maybe the better question is, do you ever confess to God any wrongs you have done? Most of us would have to admit that it is not easy to apologize, to face criticism, or to admit error, or even more, to admit that what we have done is sin.
It is a universal human impulse to hide our sin, remember Adam and Eve? We conceal, cover up, pretend, lie, deceive - anything to prevent our sin from being uncovered.
However, there are a couple of problems with this strategy. First of all, it doesn’t work. Hebrews 4:13 says, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." (NIV) And Ecclesiastes 12:14 says, "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." (NIV)
So if God already knows what we have done, why should we not be willing to simply be honest and confess it to Him. Perhaps it is because of the sense of guilt and shame we feel. Or maybe it is because we fear the consequences. If that is the case, then every one of us needs to know, even memorize, what it says here in I John 1:8-10, and especially verse nine.
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.
Verses eight and ten lay it on the line. We are all sinners. And even though we are Christians, we still too often struggle with sin in our lives. To think that we are always good with no wrongs to confess is to deceive ourselves. The problem here is not deceiving others, but deceiving ourselves. It is possible for a believer to live in sin, yet convince himself that everything is fine in his relationship to the Lord.
And even worse, if we say that we have not sinned, that makes God a liar. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” He knows who we are deep down inside. His Word makes that clear.
But we can get pretty good at pretending all is good with us. We have all experienced times when we had to fake it. You pretend like you’re having a good time. You take a family picture where you tell the kids to at least try to look like they are enjoying themselves. You put on a “happy face” and try to fake it. The truth is, we can’t do that with God!
Verse nine tells us to stop pretending there is no elephant in the room and simply admit it, confessing our sins to the Lord. To admit our sins to Him is just being honest. Confession helps us to come face to face with our sins.
Our confession should be specific and not general. In other words, if any of the following are true, our confession should be: Lord forgive me for I have lied, cheated, used foul language, committed adultery. I have gossiped, I have used people. I have not forgiven my brother or my neighbor as I should. I have lusted, I have stolen, I have not honored my mother and father. I have been lukewarm in my walk for Christ. Now, this may not be your list, but you have a list.
We might fool some of the people around us into believing we always are good people, compassionate people, honest people, being careful to never let seen what is really inside.
So, we put on a good façade and pretend all is well. With God, that's a joke. We must be open and honest. When we confess, then “the game” of pretend is over! No more duplicity. No more need to “fake it till you make it”.
In our “Scripture for Today” in the bulletin, there are several words to describe our disobedience to God. One is “transgression”. It means “crossing the boundary,” and rebellion. It is one who crosses a line or climbs a fence that he should not cross or climb. To transgress is to choose to intentionally disobey. That is what the prodigal son did when he left the father’s house and went away from his father’s love and care and protection. He crossed the boundary.
The second word in that verse is “sin” We know that is disobedience to God, but it is actually an archery term; “to miss the mark.” To miss what God has called us to aim at in our relationship with Him, and in our relationship with one another.
The third word is “iniquity.” This refers to how sin is “a twisting”, a twisting of a heart. Iniquity refers to a premeditated choice. To commit iniquity is to continue without repentance. David’s sin with Bathsheba that led to the killing of her husband, Uriah, was iniquity.
Whatever word you want to try to use to describe it, they say “A rose by any other name...”, when we are honest with ourselves, we know all too well about sin in our lives.
King David tried to cover his sins and it cost him his health, his joy, and almost his kingdom. Is it any wonder that Proverbs 28:13 warns, “He who covers his sins will not prosper”? You might ask, why is David called a man after God’s own heart, and how in this world can that be true? It is what he writes in Psalm 32 and Psalm 51where we find what makes David a man after God’s own heart. When realizing he could no longer hide or deny his sin, he did this: he confessed his sin. Psalm 51:3-4 “For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight.”
That's when David found out that though Proverbs 28:13 warns, “He who covers his sins will not prosper”, the verse continues, “But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”
So yes it is true, confession is good for the soul. And verse nine gives three reasons why that is true. The first is:
1. Because God is Faithful and Just
The very nature of God gives us hope. Psalm 86:15 says, “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.” And James 5:11 echoes that and says, “the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”
God is not only faithful, He is also just. The word “just” can also be translated “righteous”. That means that God is good and God is fair. He only provides what will benefit us. It is wrong to think that God is responsible for the evil and wrong things in this world. James 1:17 says that only, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
How many times have you been disappointed in someone that you were counting on for their help, but they didn't deliver. We probably have disappointed others by our own actions as well. But throughout scripture, God reminds us that we can count on Him. He is ever present and will not leave us. In difficult times, He is still here, and we can call on Him no matter what situation we face. In Malachi 3:6 God says,“For I am the Lord, I do not change.” God is faithful!
The apostle Paul in II Timothy 2:13 assures us saying, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” It isn’t always easy to admit just how unfaithful we are to God. But He has always been faithful to us. And we do come to Him acknowledging our wrongs, we must come with grief over our sin and be determined to change.
When we do, we have the assurance of I Thessalonians 5:23-24 which says,“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”
We can trust the Lord. I Corinthians 1:9 says, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” When God made salvation possible, He was being faithful to Himself, demonstrating His character as a loving and merciful God. And, oh yes, verse nine says confession is good for the soul:
2. Because God Will Forgive Our Sins.
God has given us His promise that if we confess our sins to Him, He can and will fully restore our relationship with Him and save us from our sins. The angel, when announcing the birth of our Lord, declared that His name should be Jesus because He would have the power to save us. The precise language of this angelic message was, "He shall save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
That is the purpose for Jesus coming to this earth. He came to “seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). If someone asks, how can a holy God uphold His justice and still forgive sinners, the answer is in the sacrifice of Jesus. At the cross, God in His holiness judged sin. God in His love offers Jesus Christ to the world as Savior. God was just in that He punished sin, but He is also loving in that He offers free forgiveness through what Jesus did at Calvary.
Isaiah 53:5 says, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”
God’s forgiveness is based on the blood of His Son that was shed on that cross. That blood provided God with a righteous basis on which He can forgive sins. Forgiveness is the result of God’s unlimited love for us.
So when we confess our sins, they are brought under the blood of Jesus. When we are in Christ, blood bought, born again, baptized believers, we are assured that what Jesus did on that cross removes our sins now and forever.
When we willingly confess our sins, it keeps the lines of communication open. I know that when we came to Christ we were sinners. I also know that even though we became Christians, we still have had sin in our lives. If we are tempted to believe in the possibility of human sinlessness, we are only fooling ourselves by not accepting the truth.
Jesus’ death broke the power of sin, but did not do away with our ability to sin. Thankfully, if and when we sin, God has already made a provision to deal with these sins. It is right here in these verses. Jesus not only died for all past sins, He also died to take the punishment for all those that would be committed until He returns.
Our Heavenly Father loves us so much more than we know. So we can go to Him and He will remove the sin that creates barriers between ourselves and Him. King David brought his remorseful and repentive heart to the Lord.
And David believed that God would, and did, forgive and remove the guilt of his sin. David sang his song of rejoicing in Psalm 32 and also admitted what it felt like to hold on to unconfessed sin. Psalm 32:3-5 says this:
“When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.”
If you are carrying some burden of past wrongs, take them to the Lord. He has the power and willingness to forgive. Oh yes, confession is good for the soul. And as verse nine says:
3. Because God Will Cleanse From All Unrighteousness.
A mother was helping her son with his spelling. They came to ’conscious’ and ’conscience’ and she asked him if he knew the difference. "Sure. ’Conscious’ is when you are aware of something, and ’conscience’ is when you wish you weren’t."
Our prayer should be, “Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). God does all the work in providing us with inner peace, but we have to be open and honest with Him. We must confess our sins to Him. He will forgive us and He will purify us, but He calls us to confess to Him. Because the sin that makes us guilty in God’s sight also makes us unclean.
The first thing that must be done for an open wound or injury is to clean the wounded area. Infection must be stopped before healing can begin. So it is with our souls. God must cleanse us of all unrighteous before we can hope to live a life satisfying to ourselves and pleasing to God. For sin not only defiles the body but also the spirit. God's forgiveness is a gift that grants us a clean slate and a fresh start.
When we are washed, sanctified, and justified, our past is gone! We have been made clean, been set apart, and been adopted as sons and daughters of God! When we are forgiven, we are also purified from all of the iniquities which stain the soul and spirit. There is a wonderful power in the blood of Jesus Christ. The song we sing is true, “The blood will never lose its power.” It has lasting ability to cleanse us. Oh how we all need that!
These verses teach us the truth, that even as Christians, sin is going to exist in our lives and will need to be dealt with. But beware. There are some who would teach that if you were to die before you confessed your last sin, that you could not be saved. If that were true, then what Jesus did on the cross means nothing, and we have the power to save ourselves. And that is not true.
On the other hand, if there is anyone who thinks that they are beyond saving, listen to what the apostle Paul said, he who persecuted Christians before his conversion. In I Timothy 1:15-16 he writes: “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.”
Paul is saying that if God could faithfully forgive and cleanse him of his sins, God can do it for anyone! But we need to be honest with God.
Romans 10:10 tells us, “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Yes, confession is good for the soul.
CLOSE:
Beverly Sills, an American operatic soprano who won international fame, was from 2003 to 2005 chairman of the board of the Metropolitan Opera. The story is that being general director of the New York opera took a toll on her.
She ballooned into obesity. She said, "It made me sick to look at myself. I'd reached the point where I didn't want to have my clothes made anymore. It was too embarrassing. So I ordered everything from catalogs."
Eventually Sills was forced to face the problem. She said, “I woke up one day and realized I was really ill.” She went to see a specialist. She said, “He put me on the scales. They read 215 pounds! I cannot possibly weigh that much! I gasped.” And the doctor said, “Please look down. Are those two fat feet on the scale yours or mine?”
In telling this story she said with a smile, “Once I accepted the problem, I was on my way.” Yes, confession is good for the soul.
