17th November, 2005

JIM REIHER

If God loves us so much, and if salvation is all of grace, then why do we have to go on confessing our sins all the time?

We are saved by grace. It is all the plan and gift of God. It is received by faith and it is not because of works (Ephesians 2:8-9). We all know that. It is all about the great mercy and kindness of God towards us sinners: while we were yet sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). He makes it possible for us to be reconciled. He loves us.

HEARTFELT DISAPPOINTMENT: It's one of the emotions that Christians should feel after they sin, according to Reiher, and, along with regret, should lead us to a place of repentence before God. PICTURE: Filip Schneider (www.sxc.hu)   "Do we become perfect once we have become forgiven and saved? Once we are born again? No - not in the practical, day-by-day sort of way."

Now we also know that we are meant to live a life of good works after we are saved (Ephesians 2:10). We know that real faith, if it is genuine, will lead to a life of good works (faith without works is dead, after all, says James in 2:17). So to demonstrate the changed life and appreciation for the free gift of forgiveness and eternal life, we live for God in the here and now. It does not win us his approval. It does not earn us a place in heaven. It is entirely done in response to his grace. It is our way of saying we love you God! It is our way of showing that we are sincere.

Do we become perfect once we have become forgiven and saved? Once we are born again? No - not in the practical, day-by-day sort of way. Upon our salvation we are considered righteous by God as He clothes us in Christ's righteousness. We are declared to be holy - that is, we are set apart for special service and washed clean. We are new creations in Christ and we have begun to live a new way (II Corinthians 5:17). We are deemed to be forgiven and washed clean, by the blood and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. But we are not actually sinless in our lives here and now. We are empowered by the free gift of the Holy Spirit. And this should make us live more successfully for God. But our growth as a Christian is gradual. It is one degree after another. It is progressive (II Corinthians 3:18).

So does that mean we still sin as Christians? Yes. It does. Does that upset God? Yes, of course. So what happens to us concerning those sins we commit after we become a Christian?

Well, a few things should be happening. First, we should regret our sins and failings. We should be disappointed in ourself for allowing it to happen. We should regret our thoughts, words, or deeds that have sinned against God. That sense of regret is the core of repentance. It is the reality that verbalises into a prayer of confession. We confess our ongoing sins and keep the slate up to date and clean with God. He continues to forgive us.

Some wonder what happens if we fail to remember to confess all our sins - especially our post-conversion ones. If we forget to confess a sin, does it mean that it is unforgiven?

Well, let me guarantee you that you will forget to confess some of your sins! It is an absolute certainty! Sin is not just big bad things, like adultery or murder, or yelling irrationally at your spouse, or getting drunk. Sins are not just the bad things we do. Sin also includes the good things we did not do! If we had the opportunity to be kind, or to encourage someone, or to give to a poor person, or to help someone in need, and if we do not do it, then it too is sin. We sin both by doing wrong things, and not doing right things. And there will be plenty of these that we forget to verbally repent of - especially the second category.

But the reality is that God still forgives us. If we are walking with Him and seeking to live for Him, if we are genuinely following Jesus, then there is an ongoing forgiveness from God that is always being poured out, even if we forget to confess some things.

Consider I John 1:8-1:2: "If we claim to be without 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 claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word is not in us. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father - Jesus Christ the Righteous one. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world."

This passage reminds Christians (this letter is written to Christians) that they are not perfect. We still make mistakes. To deny that we still sin, is actually deceiving ourself and making God out to be a liar. But this passage also points out what happens when we make those mistakes: we should confess our sins to God. He is faithful and just. He will, and does, go on forgiving us. But note what else it says. John then writes that He does not want any of us to sin - that should be our high and noble goal! "I write this to you so that you will not sin." It then immediately reminds us that despite that being our high goal and aspiration, the reality is that we still do sin. "But if anyone does sin...". John does not want followers of Jesus to sin. But if we do, then Jesus is there in heaven acting as our advocate before the Father.

The two things happening hand-in-hand here, are: one, we should be confessing sin as we commit it - usually just after we do it; and two, Jesus is constantly advocating on our behalf. In other words, if we forget to confess something, Jesus' work as our advocate covers it anyway.

This might lead to the question at the top of this article. If Jesus is our advocate, and if salvation is all of grace, and if we are forgiven anyway, then why bother confessing any of the time? Why not let the grace and work of Jesus do it all?

The answer is that despite the logic of the doctrine of the grace of God, there is another aspect to a bigger story going on here. God is sovereign and gracious yes. But He is also a loving Father - the perfect parent - who wants to relate to His children in a meaningful way. God wants us to demonstrate our genuineness and love for Him. He does not want us to sit back on our laurels, and just think to ourselves "no need to chat with God, He knows what I am going to say anyway" or "No need to say sorry for my sins - He knows I am sorry anyway."

Imagine if we treated fellow human beings who love us that way! How would that person we love the most feel if we just decided to stop saying "I love you" - on the assumption that they know we love them anyway? How would they feel if we stopped saying "I am sorry" whenever we hurt them - on the assumption that they should know by our lives, that we are sorry anyway. If we ceased the communication, they would be saddened over time. Now any analogy between humans and God will have its limitations, but the scriptures do use the metaphor of God being our loving Father. If scripture uses that picture, it does so for a very real reason.

The fact of the matter is that if we love a person - no, better to say because we love a person - we will continue to tell them that we are sorry, and that we love them. It comes from the desire to have ongoing relationship that is meaningful.

A theological theory might reason that it is not necessary, but a heartfelt relationship demands that it is. Let's never loose that daily walk and relationship with God.   

Jim Reiher (BA (double major in history), BA in Theology, Dip Ed. MA in Theology (Hons)) is a full time lecturer for Tabor College Victoria, lecturing in church history and New Testament; and also has speciality interest areas in women’s ministry, creative ministry, and the New Age movement. His views are not necessarily those of other Tabor faculty members or of Tabor College.

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