CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness. Forgiveness is given to those who have believed in Jesus. "Everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins." Acts 10:43. When we believed in Jesus we were freed from the penalty of sin ... but sin is still present in our lives, 1 John 1:8. That sin clouds our relationship with God. Our sins need be confessed to God.

Confession. Confession is more than just asking for forgiveness. It is agreeing with God that your sin is sin. It is admitting to Him that you have committed specific sins. It is more than admitting that you are a sinner ... it is concurring that your particular actions and attitudes are sins. Such confession is a condition for the forgiveness and cleansing mentioned in 1 John 1:9 ... "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The blessings of forgiveness. "How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!" Psalm 32:1. Forgiven sins are taken away. "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12. "You have cast all my sins behind Your back." Isaiah 38:17. "I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins." Isaiah 43:25.

The consequences of unconfessed sin. God knows everything about us, Hebrews 4:13. Confession is agreeing with that which God already knows ... that our sins are sins. It is futile to try to hide our sins from God. "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion." Proverbs 28:13. God is compassionate to us when we confess. However, if we do not confess we can be filled with anxiety, Psalm 38:18. If we are silent about our sin then our health can suffer ... we can feel God's heavy hand upon us ... our vitality can be drained ... and guilt can overwhelm us, Psalm 32:3-5. God's indignation and our guilt can be a great a burden. Unconfessed sin can cause illness and exhaustion, Psalm 38:4.

Forgiving others. We must not be an army that shoots its wounded. Tend to the wounds of others ... forgive and restore them, Galatians 6:1-2. God has forgiven you ... therefore forgive others, Ephesians 4:32. Do not withhold forgiveness from someone who repents, Luke 17:3-4. Peter asked, "'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'" Matthew 18:21-22. God's forgiveness of you is tied to your forgiveness of others, Matthew 6:14-15. We pray in the Lord's Prayer, “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." Matthew 6:12.

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IN THE WAR 15    PAGES: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15    
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Disciplemaking 1, copyright 2003, is available free from www.MyDisciplemaker.org where you can study online or print free copies. You may copy this course, any any part of it, for free or at-cost distribution ... without change to the content ... and with this copyright policy attached. Published by www.ActsOneEight.org. Bible Quotations are from the NASB unless noted.