As a preacher I have seen the pattern that most people take when in sin. They hide it as long as they can hide it. They minimize it once they are caught. They blame others for committing the sin when they can no longer minimize it. Those that follow this pattern have a hard time repenting. Somehow they keep thinking that it was someone else's fault. You really can't confess unless you realize that you fully sinned even if someone else had a part of it.
King David would have been much better off to have admitted his sin from the beginning. Uriah would still be alive. He should have confessed and gotten it over with. He should have confessed and been cleansed. He would have had a whole lot less consequences.
I know that God used the union between Bathsheba and David to produce Solomon. I know that He works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called to His purpose. Yet, I don't see sin as the way to get those things to happen. The sword also never left David's house. David was not able to build God's Temple because of the blood on his hands.
Most people make things worse by hiding their sin. They continue in the sin thinking that no one else knows but they are wrong. God always knows. God always takes an account. Confession would cleanse the sinner but the sinner chooses to hide it.
Think of it: David tried to hide just as Adam tried to hide. It is our lower nature to hide our sins unless we turn toward God. It would be better to call sin what it is, repent of it and place yourself at God's mercy. That's what you will do anyway in the end.
There is nothing like being clean after you have been dirty. Believe me, I know. I have had to confess my own sins.
I will never be able to get close to a righteous God holding onto unrighteousness.
Psalm 51:1-4 (NIV)
1
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
2
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
3
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.
1 John 1:9 (NIV)
9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 comment:
Confessed and be cleansed
It is wonderfully written, and I cannot add more, except to lament about the heretic teachings of the overly grace brethrens/preachers in our midst, concerning this important issue of the need of believers to, on an ongoing basis, confess their sins to God, and have them forgiven, and cleansed. You so rightly said, "I will never be able to get close to a righteous God holding onto unrighteousness." It is NOT God can never get close to an unrighteous fellow or reveal or talk to such a fellow, but it is offending to God.
What do these overly grace preachers/pastors teach concerning this subject? These statements below summed up their HERETIC teachings:
1. 1 John 1:9 is NOT for believers, i.e. to them, believers are NOT to confess their sins from time to time. One of their key leaders held out that believers should only confess their sins ONCE, and that one time is at the entry into salvation.
2. Confessing one's sins after entry into salvation is belittling the name and blood of Jesus.
3. Core theology of the Christian faith is, on entry into salvation, a person's past and FUTURE sins are forgiven him AT THAT MOMENT of entry into salvation.
4. The thing that matters, and is the only thing that matters, is righteous standing (righteous living is thrown to the wind!), all a believer needs to do, is just to bask in grace.
5. Live by this motto: the means and end of the Christian life is to just bask in grace (in other words, no need to sweat over anything, so to speak).
6. Not need to consider "should I or shouldn't I", that would be going down the slippery road of works. Grace = no works and no laws, absolutely! You have the full mind of Christ instantly, upon conversion. Whatever Christ would have wanted done, you would know and done, too! In other words, if I have not done, it has to Christ did not want it done! No need to think; everything is God's part! There is no Man's part!
7. When you sin, just remember you are ever and forever righteous; you just need to tell the Devil off, that you are righteous (confession and asking for forgiveness not needed)!
8. Whenever God sees you, God does not see you, ALL God sees is the perfect Jesus!
Under such doctrinal errors (the above are just some of them, with regard to the teachings of this group of brethrens who don't called themselves other name, but Christians, like us all; and are fast growing in numbers, because of the easy-believism they hold onto), the worldwide church grows, and grows fast, but so does, superficiality in the body of believers! How sad!
It greatly saddens my heart to hear people teach and fellow brothers and sisters follow, such teaching that says, we do not need to confess our sins, repent, and ask God for forgiveness for sins we commit subsequent to conversion or entry into salvation. At the least, it grieves the Holy Spirit. To say more, just I have commented on the preceding entry of Ps Prentis, it hampers the desire of God to count fellow brothers and sisters worthy of His calling. I leave us with Apostle James' warning - Do not be fooled, he who does righteous, is righteous, even as he is righteous. It is not, only righteous standing matters, or only legal status, like you are a child of God, or a prince, or a citizen, matters. It is you are who you are, when you live out, who you are. Scripture exhorts believers (not non-believers, as the overly grace leaders would mislead) to righteous living, to repentance, to confession, to asking for forgiveness, to always return to the place of humility and contrite of heart, and to be holy as God is holy. It has never been, and never will be, you only need to acknowledge Jesus as your Saviour at your conversion, and you can carry on living your life without regard to the holiness of God without consequences. God is loving, God is faithful, and gracious, but God cannot be mocked.
Anthony Chia, high.expressions
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