Confession, Repentance & Prayer
-Introduction
-In some former lessons, we addressed the fact that there is no shame in the act of repentance.
-Shame is in sin – not in repenting of sin.
-Luke 15:10
-Jeremiah urged the people to repent of their rebellion and return to God.
-Their failure to do so is recorded to their perpetual shame – Jer 23:40.
-So, once again, repenting from sin and turning to God is not shameful. Refusing to do so and
failing to do so is shameful.
-Misunderstandings &/or Questions
-Perhaps there have been or still are questions about the process of repenting.
-1 John 1:7-9
-confess – The Greek word translated here has to do with two things: speaking & agreement.
-So, in confessing, we speak out in agreement. Agreement with what or who?
-We speak out in agreement, therefore acknowledgment, of our wrongdoing.
-We must agree that we’ve been in the wrong and must be willing to say so.
-How do we go about it?
-Is it to be handled privately – between the person and God?
-Is it to be handled personally – between one person and another?
-Is it to be handled publicly – acknowledged before the church?
-I’m afraid that because some have had questions similar to these or some misunderstandings
regarding the subject, they have not properly sought the forgiveness they need.
-Prayer and Confession
-1 John 5:13-18
-John talks about the confidence that we can have as Christians. As a part of that confidence,
we can know that God listens to our prayers and answers them according to His will.
-It is through this avenue of prayer that we can continue to seek God’s forgiveness.
-vs 18- John is not speaking of a one time act of sin but an ongoing conduct of sin. If one continues
on that course, it leads to spiritual death.
-ESV - “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning...”
-“sin unto death”
-Don’t confuse this with the sin against the Holy Spirit (Matt 12). Those guilty of such wouldn’t
respond to Christ. Not only did they not believe in Him, they contributed His miraculous abilities
to the power of Satan. They wouldn’t repent; therefore, they wouldn’t be forgiven.
-The sin against the Holy Spirit would be a “sin unto death” but that’s not the context of 1 John 5.
-Rom 6:23, Luke 13:3,5
If a person refuses to acknowledge sinfulness, repent of it and pray for forgiveness, it is “sin
unto death.” Prayers for forgiveness offered by others - for a person unwilling to confess,
repent and pray - are in vain.
-Jer 14:10-12
-“sin not unto death”
-John was writing to Christians about Christian confidence. Yet, Christians still sin.
-So, let’s follow the reasoning in John’s writing.
-Consider what he had already written in 1 John 1:8-9.
-Clearly, Christians are not to live in sin but are still guilty of sin at times. However, Christians
still have the confidence and hope of eternal life if we confess our sins and properly seek
God’s forgiveness.
-So, a “sin not unto death” is a sin that is confessed, repented of and for which forgiveness is
sought through prayer.
-John tells us that others can petition God for forgiveness on behalf of the one confessing sin. (5:16)
-see also James 5:16, Acts 8:22-24
-Therefore, to avoid spiritual death, we must: 1. confess; 2. repent; and 3. pray.
-Privately, Personally or Publicly?
-With these things being said, we still haven’t answered the question regarding whether one’s
confession can be / should be private, personal or public.
-The manner in which confession is made and forgiveness pursued depends on the knowledge of
the sin. It only makes sense that those how have a knowledge of the sin should have a knowledge
of the confession.
-To illustrate this consider the following examples:
-If a person sins in a private manner, he/she can confess & seek forgiveness privately. If a
person, in anguish and despair, lashes out to God (similar to what Job did) either in his/her
mind or while alone, there is no need to publicize the situation. That person and God are the
only ones aware of it. The person should confess to God and pray for His forgiveness.
-If I do something to transgress against another person and nobody but me and that other person
are aware of it, then there is no need to broadcast it. I should confess my wrong to the person
that I transgressed against and to God and should pray for forgiveness or ask the other person
to pray on my behalf. (See Matt 18)
-A generic statement made to the congregation in such a case would not suffice. The
matter should be addressed specifically to the person who was wronged.
-If I failed to attend worship services for a while, I would need to publicly acknowledge my
wrong and request prayers for forgiveness. After all, the sin is open and known by the
congregation. Therefore, the confession of wrong should be made before the congregation.
-Again, there should be a correlation between the knowledge of the sin and the confession of it.
-Summary and Invitation
-There is no shame in confessing our wrongs, repenting of them and seeking God’s forgiveness.
Through such a process we obtain forgiveness and are cleansed and cleared of the matter,
therefore we continue in our hope of eternal life.
-To not do so when needed is shameful and leads to spiritual death.
-Why would we ever avoid confessing and repenting when needed?
-Perhaps you need to do so tonight.
-If you’ve never obeyed the Gospel – Believe (John 3:16, 8:24), Confess (Matt 10:32, Rom
10:9-10), Repent (Luke 13:3,5; Acts 17:30), Be Baptized (Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38)
-Maybe you haven’t walked in newness of life (Rom 6:4). Maybe you’ve allowed sin back
into your life. Maybe you’ve turned away from God. Maybe you’ve wrong somebody else…
-If you have been guilty of a private sin – seek God’s forgiveness privately.
-If you’ve wronged another, acknowledge that with the person and seek forgiveness.
-If you’ve sinned in a public fashion, confess that to the congregation and seek forgiveness.
-When you have a need for forgiveness, don’t delay.
Date: February 12, 2006