The Warmth of the Sonfeatured

Confession is an essential (and often uncomfortable) part of our Christian walk. 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” I often include phrases like “forgive me for my sins” in my prayers, but is this true confession? Dietrich Bonhoffer in “Life Together” suggests that “…confession should deal with concrete sins. People usually are satisfied when they make a general confession.” Ouch! That hits a bit too close to home.

We are all afflicted with sin. Sin is harmful to our relationships.  Sin separates us from each other and more importantly, separates us from God.  Despite that, I often prefer not to look deeply into my sin. I prefer the light touch approach – a general confession. I avoid the process dealing in with my sin in painful detail. I suspect I am not the only one with this problem!

David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22) but he still had problems with sin and was well acquainted with confession.  Perhaps we can learn something from him.

• “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm139:23-24).
• “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).

Sincere confession begins with asking God to help us examine our hearts for sin. We need the light of the Holy Spirit to search deeply into all the dark nooks and crannies of our hearts.  My own light is too weak and flickering and barely gets beyond the surface. Often my  response is to minimize (or deny) the sin and my generalized prayer of confession is more like a “Oops, I did it again.”

Confession begins to move into repentance when we admit our sinful thoughts or actions. We acknowledge the magnitude of that specific sin – because of it, Jesus had to die an excruciating death on the cross.  True repentance involves commitment. It occurs when we “…turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life.”¹ Before God and with his help, we commit to turning our back on that sin.

First John 1:9 tells us God is faithful to forgive us when we confess and repent of our sins. Our relationship to him is revitalized and strengthened. The light of Jesus shines more strongly into our lives. The light of his forgiveness warms us with his love, peace, and joy. With his light to guide our path, we can begin to avoid the potholes of sin that we encounter every day. We are more readily able to identify and confess not only the sins we have committed but also those sins of omission – the opportunities to obey and serve him that we ignored.

Jesus wants us to share the light and warmth of his forgiveness with others. When we forgive others as we have been forgiven, we share that light. Jesus told us “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15). As if that wasn’t hard enough, when Peter asked Jesus if forgiving people seven times was enough, Jesus replied, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22).

We can only accomplish this level of forgiveness if we are in a continual process of confession and repentance with our Savior. We experience “The Warmth of the Son” (title of this painting) as he forgives us and then sparks within us the desire and strength to share his warmth by freely forgiving others. We just have to ask.  May we all experience and share the warmth of the Son this week!

¹ Merriam Webster.com search for definition of “repent,” www.merriam-webster.com