Confession is good for the soul
20 May 2020
Reading: 1 John 1:5-10
Key verse: 1 John 1:9 ‘If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness’.
We have here a message from the Lord, that He is the pure and perfect light in this dark world and that nothing can be hidden from him. To walk in darkness (sin), is to live and act in rebellion to His holiness. There can be no fellowship between God and unholy souls, there is no truth within us and we deceive ourselves to think otherwise. The eternal life promised is only available because God sent His only Son Jesus Christ, He became flesh for us, walked as we walk and was totally sinless. He knew that His being here was to suffer abuse and death on the cross and in so doing defeated death, providing a means of total forgiveness, dying to wash us from our sins in His own blood. Our sin is forgiven, forgotten, the slate wiped clean, that does not mean that we will never sin again whilst living this mortal life. No, He provides for us the holy means by which sin is to be subdued more and more until it is totally done away with. The necessity of a holy walk is called upon all who follow God in Christ and in doing so daily; the fruits of the Spirit will grow in us as our knowledge of God increases. All who take that walk with God, in holiness and righteousness are sensible to say that even their best days are mixed with sin.
There is a story of some men in Scotland, who had spent the day fishing. That evening they were having tea in a little inn. One of them, in a characteristic gesture to describe the one that got away, flung out his hands just as a waitress was getting ready to set the cup of tea at his place. The hand and the teacup collided, dashing the tea against the whitewashed walls. Immediately an ugly brown stain began to spread over the wall. The man very embarrassed, apologized profusely, but one of the other men jumped up and said, “Never mind.” Pulling out his paint box, he began to work around the ugly brown stain. Soon there emerged a picture of a magnificent royal stag with his antlers spread. That man was the artist Sir Edwin Landseer, England’s foremost painter of animals (I got this information from a few Faith websites).
God has given testimony of the sinfulness of the world, and has provided the perfect sacrifice for sin. This story illustrates that the fact that if we confess not only our sins, but our mistakes to God (that stain in our life), He can make out of them something for our good and for His glory. Somehow, it’s harder to commit our mistakes and stupidities to God than it is our sins. Mistakes and stupidities seem so dumb, whereas sin, well that is important. But God wants our all; the good, the bad and the ugly. Romans 8:28 tells us, He can make all our circumstances work “for good with those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”
I love to make bread and sometimes bake a cake, for the cake you put in raw flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, bitter chocolate, etc., none of which taste very good by themselves, but which once mixed and baked work together to make a delicious cake. So it is with our sins and our mistakes—although they are not good by themselves, if we confess them in honest, simple faith to the Lord, He will work with us in His own way and in His own time make something of them for our good and His glory.