When you realize you have done the wrong thing, when you hurt someone you love, lie, steal, or abuse someone with your words, does your heart sinks?
Are you happy because you now have an opportunity to humble yourself?
DOCTRINE #39: CONFESS
Confession is the admission by the individual of what he/she did that was wrong. It ought to have three parts: "I know WHAT (specifically stated) I did that was wrong", "I know WHY I did it", "I don't WANT to do it again". Confession is a SAY. Apologies are only an admission of how the individual feels. There are no apologies in the Bible.
Question: Do you believe apology and confession are the same thing?
Next Doctrine: Doctrine #40
Table of Contents
If you need it, here is the support from the Word of God...
SCRIPTURE
"4 Or if any one swear rashly with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall utter rashly with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these things.
5 And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that wherein he hath sinned:
6 and he shall bring his trespass-offering unto Jehovah for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin." (Leviticus 5:4-6)
(The Jews were instructed by God in the Law to confess the sin when one knows the cause. The sin-offering was proof one didn't want to do it again. The confession was tied with bringing a value! Do you see the value in your confession?)
"40 And they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, in their trespass which they trespassed against me, and also that, because they walked contrary unto me,
41 I also walked contrary unto them, and brought them into the land of their enemies: if then their uncircumcised heart be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity;
42 then will I remember my covenant with Jacob; and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land." (Leviticus 26:40-42)
(Being willing to accept the punishment of sin was proof the individual fully confessed.)
"24 Teach me, and I will hold my peace; And cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
25 How forcible are words of uprightness! But your reproof, what doth it reprove?
26 Do ye think to reprove words, Seeing that the speeches of one that is desperate are as wind?" (Job 6:24-26)
(Job wanted to confess, but he didn't know what he did that was specifically wrong, and his friends' words were desperate as the wind. Job understood the importance of words.)
"20 Only do not two things unto me; Then will I not hide myself from thy face:
21 Withdraw thy hand far from me; And let not thy terror make me afraid.
22 Then call thou, and I will answer; Or let me speak, and answer thou me.
23 How many are mine iniquities and sins? Make me to know my transgression and my sin." (Job 13:20-23)
(Job got so frustrated, he ignored his friends and spoke to God. He asked for two things: not to have fear and to know the quantity and quality of his sins so he could confess. Job couldn't just say "I'm sorry" and not specify what he was confessing.)
"8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (1 John 1:8-10)
(Confession leads to forgiveness and cleansing from sin. The difference between deception and truth is in the HOW/WHY. If we believe we have no sin, then we are in no need of God's Righteousness; we actually deny that He is Right, and call Him a liar.)
"8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach:
9 because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved:
10 for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:8-10)
(Confession in a positive fashion can lead to salvation. Confession is made with the mouth, and it is a SAY. The ultimate SAY is saying Jesus died on the cross to save us from eternal separation from Him, however we cannot stop at saying.)
"9 Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name;
10 that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)
(Everyone will confess Jesus is Lord, but it won't result in salvation because it will be belief when we all see Him. Seeing Jesus will be based on experience, and it will be a fact. Remember, the devil and the demons believe in Jesus because they see Him, and their response is to shudder.)
"1 But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons,
2 through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron;
3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by them that believe and know the truth." (1 Timothy 4:1-3)
(These people can't feel guilt because their conscience is branded over. Once their conscience is seared they can't go to heaven. Remember in Doctrine #38: Sin, we learned that it is not always a sin to eat meat sacrificed to idols, but these hypocrites will command people to abstain from meats and forbidding others to marry. The hypocrites focus on the outside, the WHAT, and not the inside, the causes, the heart, the HOW/WHY.)
"5 For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, of his God, of Jehovah of hosts; though their land is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel.
6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and save every man his life; be not cut off in her iniquity: for it is the time of Jehovah's vengeance; he will render unto her a recompense.
7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in Jehovah's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunk of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.
8 Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: wail for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.
9 We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country; for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies." (Jeremiah 51:5-9)
(Sin leads to guilt, guilt leads to pain, pain leads to fear. In this passage, Israel and Judah were not forsaken (they had hope) because their consciences had not been seared over: they still felt guilt.)
"20 The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, Even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
21 A sound of terrors is in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
22 He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, And he is waited for of the sword.
23 He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
24 Distress and anguish make him afraid; They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle." (Job 15:20-24)
(The sinful have pain that leads to fear. The wicked man is sinful and he will carry pain all his days. A sound of terrors is in his ears, and distress and anguish make him afraid: FEAR.)
"17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged: Oh bring thou me out of my distresses.
18 Consider mine affliction and my travail; And forgive all my sins." (Psalm 25:17-18)
(David felt pain over the troubles of his heart. He asked God to consider (to see or look) at his affliction and pain. This caused him to ask for forgiveness.)
"7 Therefore shall all hands be feeble, and every heart of man shall melt:
8 and they shall be dismayed; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman in travail: they shall look in amazement one at another; their faces shall be faces of flame.
9 Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it." (Isaiah 13:7-9)
(God is willing to be cruel, wrathful, angry, and even destroy in the SHORT TERM in order to CREATE in the long term. God has given us pain so that we can turn away from it and realize the severity of our actions. If we do not choose to respond to the pain we feel, God will start to bring us towards fear of loss. God desires that we grow, and He will continue to break us in the short term, in order that we choose Him in the long term.)
"11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of thy substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country; and there he wasted his substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that country; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight:
19 I am no more worthy to be called your son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son." (Luke 15:11-21)
(The prodigal felt pain. Then, even after the father took him back, the prodigal stated he had sinned and accepted his punishment. The son even rehearsed what he would say to the father. Do you rehearse your confessions to God? The father could tell the son meant the confession by seeing him afar off; the way he was walking moved the father with compassion.)
We have learned that confession is a SAY. A SAY is a Right WHAT. What is the definition of deception? What is the definition of truth? What is the definition of hypocrisy?
So, is confession truth?
We will put it together in the next Doctrine...
