Confession of Sin |
Is it necessary to receive forgiveness? |
| by David A. DePra |
| I don't have to wonder IF I will sin. I need only be concerned |
| about WHEN I will sin. We all sin, everyday, many times. So if |
| the forgiveness of God is truly finished, what happens when I |
| sin? How does God view it? And what should I do with my sin? |
| Tradition offers many answers. We are told that when we sin |
| we must confess it to receive the forgiveness of God. John 1:9 is |
| quoted: "If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive |
| our sin, and to clease us from all unrighteousness." (see I Jn 1:9) |
| Confession is offered as the CONDITION we must meet to be |
| forgiven by God. |
| This theory of confession seems sound. It points out that God |
| cannot forgive us UNTIL we confess, because if He did, He |
| would be sanctioning sin. Only IF we confess sin will God forgive |
| sin. |
| But is this true? Does God ever forgive UNconfessed sin? Or |
| does God forgive ONLY sin we confess? |
| Unconditional Forgiveness |
| The Truth is, God has already forgiven ALL of our sin, whether |
| we have confessed it or not. That may seem a bit shocking to |
| some people, but it is nevertheless a fact. Anything short of this |
| and we deny the finished work of Christ. |
| But we must prove this. It is important. Let's begin by first |
| asking this question: What would it mean if God forgives only sin |
| we confess? Where would this leave us? |
| If God forgives ONLY sin we confess, then, by definition, until |
| we confess, we are UNforgiven? Right? Sure. We can't have it |
| both ways. Either we are forgiven or we aren't. And if we are not |
| forgiven UNTIL we confess, then until we confess, we are in a |
| condition of UNforgiveness before God. |
| Now this really creates a problem. It means that I can be a |
| Christian -- saved -- but in a condition of unforgiveness. It |
| means that I can possess full salvation by the grace of God |
| through faith in Christ, yet periodically be in a condition of |
| UNforgiveness -- because I haven't yet confessed all my sin. |
| In other words, God has saved me by His grace. But it is still |
| possible for me to be UNforgiven. |
| That is impossible. It is impossible even if we try to somehow |
| say that our salvation is "overall" and our "unforgiveness" |
| temporary, until we confess. That is just playing with words. The |
| Truth is, salvation and a state of unforgiveness cannot exist |
| side-by-side. Why? Because salvation is predicated upon the |
| forgiveness of God. Salvation IS the forgiveness of God being |
| worked out in a life. |
| Furthermore, what if, as a saved person, I sin, neglect to |
| confess it, and then die in a auto accident before I come to |
| repentence? Do I die in a condition of UNforgiveness? Have I |
| lost my salvation? Afterall, even one sin can condemn me. So if |
| I have even one unconfessed sin, and it is unforgiven by God, |
| then I am condemned. |
| The only possible solution to this problem is that I am NEVER |
| in a condition of UNforgiveness once I am saved. Indeed, the |
| fact that I am saved, by definition, means that I am unalterably |
| and eternally forgiven in Christ! |
| IF We Confess? |
| But doesn't the Bible say "IF we confess our sin, He is faithful |
| and just to forgive our sin?" (I John 1:9) And furthermore, if God |
| forgives whether we confess or not, then isn't He sanctioning |
| sin? |
| The Greek in I John makes things clear. It really says, "If we |
| confess our sin, He is faithful and just to HAVE forgiven our sin, |
| and to HAVE cleansed us from all unrighteousness." |
| The tense in the Greek shows that true confession is not a |
| condition for the forgiveness of God. It is the RESULT of the |
| forgiveness of God. I confess because I believe I am forgiven. |
| NOT because I must meet a condition for forgiveness. |
| Once I see this Truth, I will see that my confession of sin, |
| rather than necessary for God's forgiveness, is the result of |
| God's forgiveness! In other words, I confess sin, not to get |
| forgiven, but because I am convicted of the Truth that I am |
| already forgiven in Christ. |
| Note in I John 1:9 that the Truth about forgiveness of sin |
| revealed there also applies to being "cleansed from all |
| unrighteousness." Thus, if I say I cannot be forgiven UNTIL I |
| confess, then I must also say that I cannot be cleaned from |
| unrighteousness until I confess. This again creates an |
| impossible condition: A person who is saved, yet not cleansed |
| by the Blood of Christ from all unrighteousness -- because |
| they haven't yet confessed everything. |
| Confesson Important |
| This Truth does not make confession unimportant. It is vitally |
| important. Confession is evidence that I have seen the Truth |
| about myself, and have likewise seen the Truth about Jesus |
| Christ. It is an act of will whereby I acknowledge and surrender |
| to God. |
| But what if I refuse to confess known sin in my life? What |
| happens then? Am I still forgiven for that sin? |
| Yes. I'm already forgiven for that sin. But refusing to confess it |
| doesn't "let me off." In fact, it now creates a more serious |
| problem. If I refuse to confess sin then I have actually committed |
| a NEW sin: The refusal of God's forgiveness, i.e., unbelief. I am |
| sinning willfully after having received the knowledge of the Truth. |
| And there is then no longer a sacrifice for my sin. I have refused |
| the only sacrifice God offers. |
| Note that I am already forgiven for all of my sin. God never |
| withdraws this forgiveness. But I can refuse His forgiveness. |
| And if I refuse to receive God's forgiveness, I have committed a |
| NEW sin: Unbelief. |
| Now, rather than prove that we must confess in order to be |
| forgiven, this actually proves that confession is a result of |
| forgiveness. For just as confession results from receiving |
| forgiveness, so does a refusal to confess result from a refusal of |
| forgiveness. Our confession is merely a reflection, or fruit, of the |
| moral choice we make within regarding the Blood of Jesus |
| Christ. |
| True Confession of Sin |
| "Confession," in the Bible, means "to say the same thing." |
| When I confess sin, I am saying the same thing about it as God |
| says: That it is evil and to be forsaken. Yes. But I'm also saying |
| that it is forgiven. Confession, in the truest sense, is an |
| acknowledgement of my need for the unmerited grace of God, |
| and the proclamation of that grace through the Redemption of |
| Jesus Christ. |
| Often, we mistakenly limit our concept of "confession" to our |
| admission of certain sins and faults. We should confess those. |
| But God wants much, much more. He wants us to not only |
| confess what we have done, but He wants us to confess what we |
| ARE! All acts of sin are merely the manifestation of who we are. |
| God wants us to be in a continual attitude of confessing who we |
| are in the light of who Christ is, and what He has done for us. |
| Confession of sin leads to freedom from sin -- not because |
| it convinces God to forgive me and set me free. It leads to |
| freedom because true confession is an abandonment of the sin I |
| am confessing. Real confession is an act of repentance. It is an |
| acknowledgement that I have need for God's free grace in Christ |
| Jesus. |
| Past Tense |
| The Truth that God has already forgiven all sin is all through |
| scripture. We see it most clearly revealed in the epistles: |
| And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one |
| another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you. (Eph. |
| 4:32) |
| And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your |
| flesh, has he quickened together with Him, having forgiven all |
| your trespasses. (Col. 2:13) |
| I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven |
| you for His name's sake. (I John 2:12) |
| Note the past tense in all of these verses. God has already |
| done all the forgiving He is going to do. And the fact is, there is |
| no sin so deep that the Redemption cannot reach. There is no |
| time and space beyond the reach of the Blood of Christ. God |
| HAS forgiven us. Now, we need only believe and receive by |
| faith. |
| Confession Should be Natural |
| Confession, for a Christian, should not be a struggle. If we are |
| still arguing with God about whether we are guilty before Him, it |
| is questionable whether we have seen His grace. If we are |
| debating over whether we should surrender our sin to Him then it |
| is a sure sign that our problems run a bit deeper than this issue |
| of confession. Confession should not just be something we DO. |
| It should be an attitude we wear. We should be in a continual |
| attitude of exposing ourselves to God. |
| Herein we see the real nature of confession: It is a willingness |
| to stand naked before God. One who has an attitude of |
| confession has nothing to hide. No agenda. Nothing off limits to |
| God. We walk in the light as He is in the light, and in doing so, |
| eagarly and willingly surrender all of ourselves to Him. |
| Confession never gets God to forgive us. We are forgiven for |
| one reason only: The Redemption of Jesus Christ. Our |
| confession is nothing more than a full acknowledgement and |
| surrender to the fact that we are eternally forgiven -- once for |
| all and forever -- solely by the Blood of the Lamb. |