Confession
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"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and
forsaketh them shall have mercy." Proverbs 28:13.
The conditions of obtaining mercy of God are simple and just and
reasonable.
The Lord does not require us to do some grievous thing 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 or to expiate our transgression; but he that confesseth and
forsaketh
his sin shall have mercy.
The apostle says, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for
another, that ye 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 your friend or neighbor, you are to acknowledge your wrong, and
it is his duty freely to forgive you. Then you are to seek the forgiveness
of God, because the brother you have wounded is the property of God, and
in
injuring him you sinned against his Creator and Redeemer. The case is
brought before the only true Mediator, our great 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 is able to cleanse from every
stain of iniquity. Hebrews 4:15.
Those who have not humbled their souls before God in acknowledging their
guilt, have not yet
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fulfilled the first condition of acceptance. If we 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 our sins, abhorring
our iniquity, we have never truly sought for the forgiveness of sin; and
if
we have never sought, we have never found the peace of God. The only
reason
why we do not have remission of sins that are past is that we are not
willing to humble our hearts 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 nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as
be of a contrite 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 you are guilty.
In the days of Samuel the Israelites wandered from God. They were
suffering
the consequences of
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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 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 Mine eyes;
cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed,
judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." Isaiah 1:16, 17. "If the
wicked
restore the pledge, give again that he had 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: "Ye 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 ye have approved
yourselves to be clear in this matter." 2 Corinthians 7:11.
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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
cir***stances 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 Thou gavest 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
41
merciful to me a sinner," and those who do acknowledge their guilt will be
justified, for Jesus will plead His blood in behalf of the repentant soul.
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