If We Confess Our Sins. Part [5] 09/28/2024 (Morning thought)

1st John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

Men who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior should take private sins of the mind to Christ alone. In this way, he will be greatly helped by Jesus, who understands the severe struggle we face with latent tendencies, which strive for the mastery, and at the same time he could preserve both his, and his wife’s sanity. Furthermore, it might not be expedient to expose your faults to other persons, who may not help you with overcoming.

Especially is this the case with the confessional, where unwitting persons are known to spill the beans to some members of the clergy, who themselves may have their own skeletons hiding in some closet. As a general rule of thumb, if the sin in question is private, meaning that it was a transgression in the mind alone, the confession should in most cases, be to God alone. We are not commanded anywhere in the Scriptures to confess sins of the mind to other erring mortals.

Another passage in the Scriptures pertaining to the issue of confession, is that of acknowledging our sin, or calling it by its right name. As was stated before, there are times when, if one is in the public square, it might be best to be vague in confessing your sins, if the sins in question were not committed against another, or a number of people. The tenor of the Bible is to keep the sins of saints as quiet as possible, hidden from public view wherever possible.

Matthew 18: 15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!

If We Confess Our Sins. Part [4] 09/28/2024 (Evening thought)

Proverbs 6:32 But whoso commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding: he that doeth it destroys his own soul. 33 A wound and dishonor shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.

If you were to put yourself in the wife’s shoes, you could become weary of hearing that confession over and over again, and in some instances, it could lead the wife to question the husband’s Christianity, and his sincerity. The question in the wife’s mind would obviously be “How long are you going to confess that sin or when are you going to gain the victory?” Some Christians believe that after a number of years have elapsed, a person who is in Christ should not be struggling with certain sins.

Now, while it is true that we all are to strive for the mastery by God’s grace the fact of the matter is that there are some sins that are more easily uprooted in some persons, than in others. In some cases, it can require a Herculean effort in striving against certain sins, and gaining the victory permanently.

The poor husband might be trying by God’s grace to tow the line, and like many Christians who might be struggling with this or that issue, he may have some good days and some bad days, but in his innermost soul, he may really be trying to do right. We would not know, but one thing is certain; rather than have the wife all upset, and fretting while the prayer is being made it may be best for the husband to take his struggles to God, in the private audience chamber of the Most- High.

Proverbs 24:16 For a just man falls seven times, and rises up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. 17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falls, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbles: 18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!