Foundations of Faith
SIN (VI)
Scene: Sunday school class.
Teacher: Today we are going to discuss the question, “What should I do if I sin?” Who can answer that question with a verse from the Bible?
Tom: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9).
Karen: Is that necessary if we are already saved? The Bible says, “In [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Eph. 1:7).
Rick: Isn’t it important to confess our sins daily to God in order to stay in a good relationship with Him?
Teacher: Yes, do you have some verses to support that?
Rick: In Psalm 51 David confessed his sins against Bathsheba and Uriah. He did not ask God to save him again but he did say, “Restore unto me the joy of my salvation” (verse 12).
Teacher: Good. I would suggest that each of you read Psalm 51 several times. It is a wonderful example of a prayer of confession that God can accept. Some other benefits of confessing our sins, and consequences of not confessing them, can be found in Psalm 32:3-7 and James 5:16.
Lisa: In verse 4 of Psalm 51 David says, “Against … Thee only, have I sinned.” Does this mean we only have to confess our sins to God, and not to the people we sin against?
Teacher: Excellent question, Lisa! Let me point out that the word “only” in verse 4 is better translated “especially.” So all of our sins are especially against God, though they may be against other people as well. Who can find a verse about confessing to other people?
Tina: “Confess your faults one to another” (Jas. 5:16). (See Assignment 13)
Teacher: Excellent! Now Tina, what words do you use when you want to make a confession to the person you have sinned against?
Tina: Well, let’s see. I guess I would say, “I’m sorry if I did anything to hurt you.”
Teacher: Let’s analyze that statement. What did you really confess?
Tina: Oh, I see! I didn’t really confess anything. Instead I sort of blamed the other person for being too sensitive.
Teacher: Now we’re on target. What would be better language to use when making a confession?
Rick: “David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Sam. 12:13). He also said, “I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (Psa. 51:3). So when we confess to others, shouldn’t we just tell the persons what we said or did to them and say that we were wrong in doing so?
Teacher: Exactly, Rick. The word “confess” is homologeo in the Greek and means “to speak the same thing.” God and the people sinned against already know what you did. When you confess, you are agreeing with them about what you did. This, more than anything, opens the way for true restoration of friendship with the one sinned against. There is a similar Greek word, apologeo. We get the English word “apology” from it. The word means “to make a defense.” The statement, “If I did anything to hurt you, I am sorry,” is an apology, a defense, rather than a confession. Let us consider one more question before our time is up. How do you respond when someone confronts you or rebukes you concerning some sin or fault of yours. Do you say, “Yes, you are right. I sinned. I failed to show the love of Christ to you. Will you forgive me”? (There is dead silence.)
Tom: Sometimes I say, “You’re crazy, I didn’t say anything like that!” even though I know the other person is right.
Karen: Just the other day I responded angrily, “Do you think you are perfect?” when someone pointed out a fault of mine.
Aaron: I often hear children, and sometimes even myself, saying things like, “It’s not my fault!” or “I couldn’t help it!” or “He hit me first!” (See Assignment 14)
Teacher: I appreciate your honesty. Often it takes real courage and a strong push from the Holy Spirit for one Christian to confront another about a sin or fault. Such persons have a real love and concern for our spiritual welfare. Let us try to be prepared to respond humbly, confessing our wrong if we have sinned. If you think the person is wrong and that you are not guilty, don’t get angry. Rather, gently probe for more information since there may be some misunderstanding between you. This leads us into a question that we shall discuss next time:”What should I do when one sins against me?”
Running the Race
“GOD FORGIVES, DOESN’T HE?” (II)
I was conducting a Bible study with a group of jail inmates. We were discussing the ninth commandment about bearing false witness (Exod. 20:16). Most of the men were preparing to go before a judge or jury to face the charges against them. I urged them to tell the truth in court, even if it meant receiving a long prison sentence.
One fellow looked very troubled at what I had just said. He raised his hand and asked the question: “But God forgives, doesn’t he?” It was immediately obvious what was going through his mind. He was going to lie to the judge; if the judge believed him and found him not guilty, he would confess his lie to God and God would forgive him. As simple as that!
I assured the young man that God indeed forgives us when we confess our sins, but there was one thing he was forgetting. In order for us to be fully forgiven and restored to the Lord, we must also confess our sin and make restitution to the people we have sinned against. In this case, it would include the judge to whom he had lied and the person whom he had robbed. If we want to have God on our side, we must confess our crimes and sins up front to all concerned.
On another occasion I gave the same lesson. A fellow came up to me afterward and told me that he had lied in court concerning a charge of petty crime. The judge believed him and set him free. Not having learned his lesson, he then proceeded to commit a far worse crime and was now facing a 20-year sentence. Let us not play games with God!
Assignment 13: Write out verses in Matthew 5 and Luke 17 that express the thought of a person confessing his/her sin to another.
Assignment 14: How did you respond the last time someone confronted you concerning a sin?