Confession!
"He
who covers his sins will not prosper; but whoever confesses
and forsakes them will have mercy!" Proverbs
28:13.
The conditions
for obtaining the mercy of God are simple, just and reasonable.
The Lord does not require us to do something grievous 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; but he who recognizes,
confesses and forsakes his sin will have mercy.
The apostle
says, '"Confess your faults one to another, and pray
one for another, that you 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 a friend
or a neighbor, you are to acknowledge your wrong, and it is
his or her duty to freely forgive you. Then you are to seek
the forgiveness of God, because the brother or sister you
have wounded is the property of God, and in injuring someone,
you have sinned against his Creator and Redeemer. Our case
is brought before the only true Mediator, our wonderful 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 Who is able to cleanse us from
every stain of sin, 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, 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 for forgiveness, we have never experienced the peace
of God. The only reason we do not have remission of sins that
are past is that we have not been willing to humble our hearts
and comply with the conditions of God's instruction. 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 realization 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 close to them that are of a broken heart; and
saves such that have a grieving 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 we 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 for 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 My eyes;
cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve
the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Come now and let us reason together, says the Lord; though
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though
they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" Isaiah
1:16-18. "If the wicked restore the pledge, give again
what he has 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
to his Corinthian brothers and sisters: "You 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 you 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 You gave 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" Luke 18:13, 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. Paul 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.
Christ
is ready to set us free from sin, but He does not force the
will; and if by persistent transgression the will itself is
wholly bent on evil, and we do not desire to be set free,
if we will not accept His grace, what more can He do?
"He
who covers his sins will not prosper; but whoever confesses
and forsakes them will have mercy!"
This
meditation is from The Path to Peace, pp. 17-19.
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