Unconfessed sin
The Open Bible Institute of Canada
Devotional January 5, 2021
Scripture: Isaiah 59:12-19
“For our transgressions are multiplied before you and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us and we know our iniquities.”
The land was filled with injustice during Isaiah’s day. Though the people appeared to be very religious, their actions showed a shocking disregard for the needy around them. Instead of mercy and compassion, the land was filled with exploitation and hypocrisy. To this point, the people were unwilling to confess their sin to God, repent and turn toward obedience.
This unconfessed sin might have seemed like a trivial matter; after all, the people might have argued it was a private matter between themselves and God. Even worse, they might have been living in a web of self-deception, refusing to see the truth of their sin; even when Isaiah confronted them. But unconfessed sin festers inside a person. It destroys one from the inside out.
Similarly, when believers are confronted by the Word of God which calls their sin exactly what it is. They have the choice about whether to agree with God or to continue in their obstinate pride. When they agree with God, they are acknowledging that God knowns them better than they know themselves; indeed, that God will tell them the truth, even when they are intentionally or unintentionally blind to it themselves. In this light, confession of sin is really simply agreeing with God who is – lest believers fool themselves into thinking they are hiding anything – well aware of all sin.
Ultimately, the people’s refusal to agree with God when he told the truth resulted in His judgement. He raised up the Babylonians to destroy Judah and Jerusalem as a lasting reminder that God is right in His pronouncements. God’s judgement on His people stands as a reminder today that in the future every nation will be judged by the same God who raised up the Babylonians. Knowing judgement is coming, the proper response is to agree with God and His Word.
Believers agree with God when they confess their sin. They agree with Him when they repent of that sin. They agree with God when they look to the cross of Christ alone, as the atoning sacrifice for their sin.
Christians follow this pattern of agreement, repentance and forgiveness time and time again as they look forward to the day when sin will be a thing of the past.
Be blessed,
Pastor Ron Shortiness. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.