Let's be honest

Yesterday, we were discussing our prayers of confession; when we are burdened by guilt and the knowledge of our sin, we can confess our sin to God and receive the blessings of a clear conscience, instruction from Him, and a joyful, peace-filled heart.

In addition to agreeing with God about our sin, as we talked about before, we also need to be honest and work to remove it from our lives.

Not just uncover it. Forsake it.

Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit. (v. 2)

Sin can deceive us. It can harden us so much that we have trouble knowing right from wrong. Ane we can be deceitful, in that we don't intend to follow through after our confession.

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,
    but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)

It's dishonest to confess sin if we have no willingness to forsake it. The Hebrew word used here has some rich meanings: forsake carries with it the nuances of "cast away" and "leave behind."  In other words, we are going to throw the sin away from us, and then walk away, leave it behind.

Let's be honest here . . . we may not feel like forsaking it. In that case, we also need to confess that to the Lord. We may be overwhelmed and not know how to forsake the sin -- it may take prayers and soul-searching on our part, or counsel from a godly friend before we know how to leave the sin behind. But we haven't really confessed our sin in a way that will allow us to receive the blessings of forgiveness, until we are ready and willing to forsake it. This doesn't mean that we'll never commit this particular sin again -- wouldn't that be nice, if it were that easy? But it means that it's our sincere desire to forsake it, that we are seeking to leave it behind and making actionable efforts to cast it away.

Being honest and accepting responsibility for our sins also may mean confessing to others we have wronged. True accountability is more than just a buzzword for us humans, it is also biblical instruction on sin. We cannot ignore this. David doesn't include it here in this psalm, but it's a part of the process of confession and forgiveness. If we have sinned against someone else, we must first confess it to God, but then when it is practicable, we should confess to that person and seek their forgiveness.

Whoa, pardner, not so fast! Rein in that horse and let's look at something. God will forgive us regardless of whether or not we talk with the other people involved. There are times when confessing our sins to those we've sinned against can be helpful; there are times when it can be hurtful. Will confessing the sin to this person help them in some way? Will it reconcile a relationship? Or is the confession solely for our benefit? 

The Bible seems to indicate that confession will be a necessary part of believers' lives. In Matthew 18, Peter asked the Lord Jesus how many times he must forgive a person who sinned against him. Paul tells the Ephesians:

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

Our guiding principle in these matters could be this: "love thy neighbor as thyself." If we confess our sin to our brother or sister in Christ, will it cause them more pain? If the sin was committed in our heart, and the person would be truly hurt and disheartened by knowing about it, then it may not be necessary to tell them. In that case, it would seem that the whole point in telling would be to make ourselves feel better, without regard to the effect on our fellow believer. To conclude this portion of our study, I feel that we need not confess every sin to those involved: there are times when it will harm the other person far more than help either one of us. However, if in our prayers (and consultation with a trusted, godly friend) we have peace that it will be helpful to both the sinner and the person wronged, then yes . . . reconciliation is needed. Confession to those involved in that case will offer a picture of handling sin in a godly manner. Of course, if our sin has deprived another person in some way, we may need to make restitution. I think that Paul added another layer to the "should I go and confess to that person?" question, when he told us:

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people. (Romans 12:18, NASB)

This is a thorny subject, and many people have opinions on it, so I hope we have clarified our responsibility to confess and forsake our sins. The blessings of forgiveness and the wonderful freedom from guilt that Christ offers to us can change our lives! 

We can be free from guilt before God today. There is no greater blessing than that of having our transgressions forgiven, our sins covered by His blood. That blessing is available to all of us if we will confess our sins and agree with God, and then be intentional about forsaking them!