First part of a message on what the New Testament teaches about confession. Many believers think we must confess our sins to God in order to "be reconciled" to Him. While there is nothing wrong with wanting to do that, it is not necessary according to the New Testament and actually can serve to perpetuate a "sin focus" for the believer wanting to "stay right" with God. While we need to confess our sin and thereby our need for a savior to receive salvation (1 Jn 1:9) and confess our transgressions to one another in order to be restored relationally to each other (James 5:16), God has already dealt with ALL of our sin from His perspective and simply needs us to believe in what Jesus did on the Cross on our behalf!
Confession and the Bible
"Am I in right standing with (acceptable to) the Father right now? If so, on what basis?" All believersneed to have solid answers to these two questions, as ouranswers to these questions form the bedrock of our faith. It is hard as humans to understand how we would not need to "get right again" with the Father when we sin.God's eternal perspective is how He was able to offer ONE SACRIFICE for sins for ALL TIME. (Hebrews 10:12) Because your most recent or "new sin" is NOT new to God, there is no need for Him to deal with it again.So, when you are surprised by your sin, know that God is not. Remind yourself that God saw that sin before He punished Jesus for all sin for all time - and that He did not leave out the punishment for this sin either. Jesus bore it all! So, simply thank God for taking care of this sin as well. Fall on your face and worship Him for paying this debt off too! Honor the work of Christ on the cross by thanking God for what He already accomplished and confessing the righteousness (right standing with God) that He gave you as a gift!
Scripture References on God's perspective concerning time: Ps 139:16; Isa 57:15; Jer 1:5; Acts 15:18; Ps 90:2,4; 2 Pet 3:8.
Scripture References on our right standing with God through Christ: Heb 9:12; Heb 9:26; Heb 10:10; Heb 10:12; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; Jn 1:29; Rom 5:1; Rom 5:9; Rom 5:10; Rom 5:11.
Part 2
8/17/14
- Brad Ettore Second part of a message on what the New Testament teaches about confession. When we sin, our sin comes as new news to us, but not to God. Remember that God saw it all and paid for it all in His Son. Thank God for what He has given you as a gift - right standing with Him (righteousness)! (Romans 5:17)