Confession and Forgiveness
June 3, 2010 by WebPastor
Filed under Weekly Words
Dear friends,
You will never remove the guilt of your sin on your own. You will not succeed at clearing your conscience by punishing yourself. Please don’t get me wrong, I am all for making restitution, for apologizing to people we hurt, and seeking reconciliation. I also know that clean living in obedience to God’s Word protects us from hurt and additional guilt. Nevertheless, the fact remains that left to yourself, you can do nothing to wash away the ugly stains of that behavior, those words, those thoughts which you are ashamed of. In fact, you are guilty even if you deny that you have sinned. What then can be done about the burden of sin in the human heart?
We must go to God for help! Go to him and say something like this, “I am guilty Lord. I am guilty of __________ and I know I have offend you. Please forgive me. I believe you, Lord, when you say that Jesus came to take upon Himself the punishment I deserve. So I pray now, in Jesus Name and by His blood, which was shed for me, that you will please forgive me of my sins.”
Does God listen to prayers like that? I will let Him answer that question Himself:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:6-7).
“I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin” (Ps. 32:5).
“David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die” (2 Sam. 12:13).
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Ps. 103:11-12).
So instead of continuing your attempt to scrub your soul clean with your own strength, turn your hearts to your Father in Heaven and cry out for mercy in Christ. He delights in forgiveness for the sake of His Son!
Your servant,
Stephen