Proverbs 28.13-14
“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.”
Though many people don’t like to admit it, sin is a reality. It is the human condition. Every person has been infected by sin and its corrosive influence. Scripture is direct and unequivocal on this topic: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3.23)
Scripture teaches that the solution to sin is humble confession before God. The NT book of 1 John spells it out: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1.8-10)
To say that we have no sin puts us in a very dangerous place, because God’s grace and mercy is extended to sinners. It is not extended to people who proclaim platitudes like “we all make mistakes” or “I’m only human” or “no one is perfect.” Grace is extended to those who acknowledge they are sinners.
A right relationship with God requires confessing our sin, repenting, and trusting in Christ’s sacrificial death. Forgiveness comes from saying, “Lord, I confess that I am a sinner, and I humbly receive the forgiveness you offer in Jesus your Son.”
The Greek word for “confession” in 1 John 1.9 is homologeo, which means “say the same thing as.” Genuine confession goes beyond simply admitting that you have sinned. Confession is saying the same thing about your sin that God says about it.
John tells us that confession is connected to walking in the light. When you walk in the light you see God more clearly and you see yourself more clearly. You have a much better understanding of where your life does — and does not — align with the life God wants you to live.
Walking in the light creates an honest view of self, and it activates self-awareness. People who walk in the light are aware of their strengths and blessings, but they also see the reality of their sin. Most importantly, they see their sin not just from their own viewpoint, but also from God’s perspective.
Walking in darkness creates a false view of self and causes self-deception. People who walk in darkness are blind to the reality and depth of their sin. They are blind to the impact of sin on themselves, and they are blind to the impact of sin on God.
Most people have self-centered view of sin; they feel badly about what sin does to them. However, a profound shift takes place when a Christian begins to see sin from God’s perspective, and they recognize what sin does to God. This is the sense of homologeo … see sin as God sees it, and say about sin what God says about it.
Thus the message of Proverbs 28.3: “The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.”
We serve a great God who loves us beyond comprehension. May we respond to God’s love and grace by confessing our sin, walking in the truth, and enjoying fellowship with the Lord and each other.
“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. 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.” (Psalm 32.1-5)
