I confess that I....
The words we speak when we confess our sin to God (this week's topic) and others (next week's topic) are words that can be very hard to speak but they lead to life. Acknowledging our sin can be difficult but as Scripture says:
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)
Have you ever done that - been in a state of denial about your sin? I have and it is a terrible place to be (although I didn't comprehend it at the time). In retrospect, I realize that I was protecting my pride and nurturing my fear by denying the extent of my sin. What good did that do me? None. It left me stuck in repetetive patterns of sin, unable to access God's grace and redemption for that area of my life. So what does the Bible encourage us to do?
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
Confession - the act of admitting and owning our sin - is definitely the way to go. Through it, we confess not only our sins, but also confess our faith in Jesus, our Saviour.
"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:1-2)
Wondering where to start when it comes to confession?
Here are some ideas:
1) Anytime you become aware of a way in which you have sinned, tell God. "I confess that I...(name the sin). Thank-you for Jesus, my Saviour. I ask that His atoning sacrifice be applied to my sin that I may be forgiven."
2) Sometimes we are at a place that we know something is wrong in our relationship with God or others but we don't know exactly what it is. At those time, we can trust the Holy Spirit to convict us. I like to pray Psalm 139:23-24 and then wait. The Lord is more than able to let us know what our sin is so that we can confess it.
3) Confession is embedded within liturgy. One idea is to pray a prayer of confession every night before bed. Here is the confession from The Penitential Rite from The Book of Alternative Services of the Anglican Church of Canada.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on use and forgive us,
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your name. Amen.
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)
Have you ever done that - been in a state of denial about your sin? I have and it is a terrible place to be (although I didn't comprehend it at the time). In retrospect, I realize that I was protecting my pride and nurturing my fear by denying the extent of my sin. What good did that do me? None. It left me stuck in repetetive patterns of sin, unable to access God's grace and redemption for that area of my life. So what does the Bible encourage us to do?
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
Confession - the act of admitting and owning our sin - is definitely the way to go. Through it, we confess not only our sins, but also confess our faith in Jesus, our Saviour.
"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:1-2)
Wondering where to start when it comes to confession?
Here are some ideas:
1) Anytime you become aware of a way in which you have sinned, tell God. "I confess that I...(name the sin). Thank-you for Jesus, my Saviour. I ask that His atoning sacrifice be applied to my sin that I may be forgiven."
2) Sometimes we are at a place that we know something is wrong in our relationship with God or others but we don't know exactly what it is. At those time, we can trust the Holy Spirit to convict us. I like to pray Psalm 139:23-24 and then wait. The Lord is more than able to let us know what our sin is so that we can confess it.
3) Confession is embedded within liturgy. One idea is to pray a prayer of confession every night before bed. Here is the confession from The Penitential Rite from The Book of Alternative Services of the Anglican Church of Canada.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on use and forgive us,
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your name. Amen.
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