Admitting Sin

Romans 3:23  “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

When was the last time that you broke something that wasn’t yours? Or when was the last time that you got a parking or speeding ticket? How did you act afterwards? Did you own up to it, and confess your mistake, or did you try to hide the fact of what happened, or even deny it altogether?

The admission of guilt is not always easy or pleasant, but it is the right thing to do. To admit that you were wrong is something that is hard for many people to do, but it is through this act that forgiveness can happen. Through confession.

The word confess means to admit the truth, particularly in the context of sins or crimes committed. And “to confess” means to unburden oneself of sins to God or a priest, in order to receive absolution. When referring to sin, confession is the acknowledgement of guilt or shortcomings.

What is the very first step that needs to be taken to receive forgiveness? The ability to say, “I was wrong.” “I have sinned.” When a person is able to admit this the doors of forgiveness are opened to them.

1 John 1:6-10  “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

If someone hit you in the face and they showed no remorse or sorrow towards you for what they had done, then they really aren’t in a place to receive forgiveness, are they? In order for forgiveness to happen there first needs to be the admission of guilt, and a feeling of pain or sorrow for sins or offenses. That sort of a feeling is called penitence.

Penitence is a very important quality that every Christian needs to possess because it is the ability to admit fault. It is the ability to say I was wrong. And when a person finally comes to that point is when the gift of forgiveness can happen.

The prodigal son, for example, in Luke 15 realized his errors and it filled him with regret inside. It caused him to go back home to his dad and confess his sins. And it was simply the act of seeing his son returning back home that the dad knew that his son was truly sorrowful of how he had lived. His sorrow wasn’t that of meaningless words, but it was a deep, contrite, sincere feeling inside.

2 Corinthians 7:10  “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

Forgiveness is something that we all need to enter into Heaven, but not everyone will get it because they refuse to admit their sins. Why is that? What causes a person to refuse to say the words, I’m sorry? Five letters. P.R.I.D.E. It is pride that hardens a person’s heart and refuses to apologize. It is pride in the life of a person that brings down God’s wrath and keeps a soul out of Heaven.

Romans 2:5  “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;”

If we sin against God or others we need to be ready to confess our faults. We need to be filled with Godly sorrow and a penitent heart, and admit our sins before Him.

In Christ,

Andrew