“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1st John 1:9)
Take a close look at that word “confess” and realize what it means, it means that He who is the judge of all the world already knows about that sin. There is no “allegedly sinned,” no possibility of “might have” sinned, you have sinned, and He knows it, all the Almighty is waiting for is for you to confess what both of you already know as an indisputable truth.
So then, what of Ezekiel 18:4?
“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
Has it been replaced with Romans 3:26?
“To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
Not at all. Consider the sin of David and Bathsheba, the penalty for such an action was being stoned to death, yet both of them escaped that punishment. In fact, many knew what had happened, from the servant who went to get her after David saw her from the rooftop, to those they may have passed by as she entered into and then left the King’s presence, to Joab who received the commandment to send Uriah to a place in the battle to die. All this can be verified in part by 2nd Samuel 12:14.
“Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.”
A lot of people knew what had happened.
And recall this as well, David’s great prayer of asking forgiveness in Psalm 51 did not happen until after his sin had been openly revealed.
I have no idea what those nine months were like in David’s life, but I do know this, he had no intention of confessing what the Most High already knew, until God took action.
“And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” (2nd Sam. 12:6)
The child died, four of David’s sons died, one of his sons attempted to take the kingdom from him, but worst of all, the name of the Living God was dishonored, blasphemed because David would not immediately confess his sin.
My friends, if you believe you are going to get away with it, think again, because you will not. And if indeed you have been born-again, you can guarantee this verse will become a reality in your life if you do not confess that sin.
“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numb. 32:23)
The Almighty has always been just within Himself by forgiving us, if Adam would have been open and honest, our history would have been completely different. We will sin, as long as our old nature resides within us, we will sin.
God does not need to know why we sinned, He knows that as much as He knows when and where the sin occurred, He simply asks the most basic thing from us, an action of love, confess that sin to Him. You do not have to hope that He will forgive you, He is faithful to, just like the verse says. You don’t need to hope all will be forgiven after you confess that sin, that you will be cleansed from all unrighteousness eventually over time, but at that very moment you are once again white as snow, every blemish removed, welcomed with loving arms back into His fellowship.
But there will be consequences for your actions if indeed that sin was open to public viewing.
“Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.” (Psalm 19:12)
That verse is one of the rare occurrences where we can actually say “That’s between God and me.” Sins of the mind or imagination that hound us that are never acted upon in public, in the view of others. Still sin, still in need of repentance, but only known to you and your Father in heaven.
Those also He can cleanse you of.
Confess every sin, do not wait. Trust in His promises to transform you into the image of one worthy to bear the name “Christian.”
