Confession
of Sin
Steven R. Cook
1. The
believer is saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Isa.
64:6; Eph. 2:8-9; Gal. 2:16; Tit.
3:5).
2. The
believer, once saved, is never in danger of forfeiting his salvation (John 10:28; Rom. 8:38-39; 11:29).
3. Though
the believer cannot forfeit his salvation, he can forfeit fellowship with God
the father (1 John 1:1-10).
4. When
fellowship with God is lost through personal sin (1 John 1:8, 10), the Holy
Spirit is said to be grieved (Eph. 4:30), and/or
quenched (I Thess. 5:19).
5. The
believer can produce personal sin (Rom 7:14-26), but
he cannot remove his sin (Mark 2:5-10).
6. God alone
can restore fellowship between Himself and the sinful believer, and this is
accomplished through confession (Lev. 5:5; 16:21; Num. 5:7; Ezra 10:11; Neh. 1:6; Ps. 32:3-5; 38:18; Prov. 28:13; Dan. 9:4-5, 20; Matt.
3:6; Mark 1:5; 1 John 1:9).
7. Once the
believer has confessed his personal sin to God the Father (1 John 1:9), he is
then filled by means of the Holy Spirit until he sins again. The cycle of grieving (Eph. 4:30) and/or quenching (1 Thess. 5:18) the Holy Spirit, and coming
back under the filling (Eph. 5:18) of the
Holy Spirit is often a daily experience for the believer who is growing.
8. Once the
believer is filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18), he can then walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16).
- Confession
is an act of faith (Heb. 11:6), in response to God’s provision (1 John
1:9), which restores fellowship between God and the believer.
- Once
confession is made by the believer who has sinned, forgiveness is
guaranteed by God (1 John 1:9).
- Confession
is simply citing (homologeo) the
specific sin committed, and not wallowing in emotion.
Warren Doud states:
Walking closer to God is, in
reality, an activity in which you are more consistent in your relationship with
the Lord, more consistent in your confession of sin. While confession does not, in itself, cause
one to grow in Christ, there can be no growth in the Spirit as long as one is
out of fellowship because of unconfessed sin.
Therefore, confession sets the stage for progress in the Christian
life. The ministry of the Holy Spirit
depends on uninterrupted fellowship; so Christian growth depends on the
unhindered work of the Holy Spirit.
Confession takes the believer out of the sphere where he is producing
sin, and it puts him back in the sphere of the Holy Spirit's control.
Return to: www.christonly.com