Easing My Mind!
"He who conceals his sins does not
prosper: but whoever confesses and renounces them finds
mercy."
The conditions of obtaining mercy from God are simple and just and reasonable. The Lord does not require me to do some grievous thing inorder that I may have forgiveness of sin. I need not make long and wearisome pilgrimages, or perform painful penances, to commend me to the God of heaven or to expiate my transgressions; but when I confess and renounce my sin I shall have mercy.
The apostle says, "Confess your sins
to each other and pray for each other, so that you may be
healed." I can confess my sins to God, who only
can forgive them, and my faults to others. If I have given
offense to my friend or neighbor, I am to acknowledge my wrong,
and it is their duty freely to forgive me. Then I am to seek the
forgiveness of God, because the brother I wounded is the property
of God, and in injuring him I sinned against his Creator and
Redeemer. The case is brought before the only true Mediator, My
great High Priest, who "has been tempted in every way,
just as we are--yet was without sin." and who is "not
unable to sympathize with our weaknesses," and is able
to cleanse from every stain of iniquity.
If I have not humbled my soul before God in
acknowledging my guilt, I have not yet fulfilled the first
conditon of acceptance. If I 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 my sins,
abhorring my iniquity, I have never truly sought for the
forgiveness of sin; and if I have never sought, I have never
found the peace of God. The only reason why I may not have
remission of sins that are past is that I may not be willing to
humble my heart 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 close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are
crushed in spirit."
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 I am 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 to all our other
sins the evil of asking for a king." The very sin of which they were convicted
had to be confessed. Their ingratitude opressed their soul and
severed them from God.
Confession will not be acceptable to God without sincere repentance and reformation. There must be decided changes in my life; everything offensive to God must be put away. This will be the result of genuine sorrow for sin. The work that I have to do on my part is plainly set before me:
"wash and make youselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight!
Stop dong wrong, learn to do right!
Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow."
"If he gives back what he took in
pledge for a loan, returns what he has stolen, follows the
decrees that give life, and does no evil, he will surely live; he
will not die."
Paul says, speaking of the work of repentance: "See
what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness,
what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm,
what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.
At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this
matter."
When sin has deadened the moral preceptions, I do not discern the defects of my character nor realize the enormity of the evil I have committed; and unless I yield to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit I remain in partial blindness to my sin. My confessions are not sincere and in earnest. To every acknowledgment of my guilt I add an apology in excuse of my course, declaring that if it had not been for certain circumstances I would not have done this or that for which I 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 you put here with
me -- she gave me some of the fruit of the tree, and I ate
it." The woman put the blame upon the serpent, saying, "the
serpent deceived me, and I ate." Why did you make the serpent? Why did You
allow 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, especially me. Confessions of this order are
not inspired by the divine Spirit and will not be acceptable to
God. True repentance will lead me to bear my guilt myself and
acknowledge it without deception or hypocrisy. Like the poor
publican, not lifting up so much as my eyes unto heaven, I will
cry, "God be merciful to me a sinner," and if I
acknowledge my guilt, I will be justified, for Jesus will plead
His blood in behalf of this repentant soul.
The examples in God's word of genuine
repentance and humiliation reveal a spirit of confession in which
rhere 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, "On
the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in
prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against
them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have
them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme, in my
obsession against them, I went to foreign cities to persecute
them." He does not hesitate to declare the "Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners -- of whom I am the
worst."
My humble and broken heart, subdued by genuine
repentance, will appreciate something of the love of god and the
cost of Calvary; and as a child confesses to a loving father, so
will I, being truly penitent, bring all sins before God. And it
is written, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just and will forgive us our sins, and will purify us from all
unrighteousness."