Confessing sins. It’s something most Christians are obsessed with. Everyday or every night we look back on our day and try to remember all the things we’ve done wrong and tell God we are sorry. Studying and reading this week I have come to realize a few things I feel like writing down. I am perfect. Sorry for those of you that really know me but it’s true….I am perfect. At least in Gods eyes. I have a hard time grasping this idea myself as I’m sure you do too. Hebrews 10:10 states we have been made holy. Not that we are going to be made holy but that we are. Verse 14 says we are forever perfect and that we are being made holy. When does forever start? Now or in some distant time? Verse 17, their sins I will remember no more. In the OT the yearly sacrifice of the goat by the high priest was a shadow of things to come through the blood sacrifice but the priest also set a goat free and drove in into the wilderness to represent that those sins would no more be remembered. I have always been a fan of Romans 7 but I have neglected 8:1...NO condemnation. As far as confession, the meaning we have is different than the NT. I feel like most Christians believe it means to apologize to God or to say I’m sorry when it actually means “to be made known“. If God does not acknowledge our sin and we have been forgiven and of course God knows everything ,why are we making known wrong doings He already knows about but doesn’t condemn us for? In the NT confess has two different meanings but the confess meaning “to make known” is only used twice. James 5:16 says to confess our sins to each other and pray for each other and we will be healed. John 1:9 says if we confess our sins He will forgive us but it doesn’t really say to whom we are to confess. In a Christian world of perfect people and fake righteousness, what if we made known our sins to each other? I have seen supposedly happily married couples out of the blue suddenly file for divorce. What if this couple had someone to confess to, to share their struggles with? I recently heard of a couple in this position with no hope of saving their marriage but upon sharing this with other Christians now see hope, not a sure thing but there are people praying for them and there is hope. Not with a pastor or a seminary trained leader but with “each other”. What if we all shared our weaknesses and struggles? Imagine the help it would be to other Christians. As in the NT we are all Priest now, right?
I am fortunate to have a priest in my journey with which to share my sins. I hope you can find one also because it is part of the freedom of being forgiven and being perfect in God’s eyes. By not seeing our perfection in our spirit are we not acknowledging or denying Christ sacrifice? Not that we are free to sin but are free to be human. Are we not, as Paul also did, have a thorn that God will not remove so that we live by grace?
I am tired of trying to be perfect and am ready to live in the freedom that God sees me perfect already. I am praying that the Holy Spirit will in my spirit make this a known fact and not a feeling. Maybe that’s just me…..
