Admit or Confess
We have all sinned No one is perfect. The question is, what do you do when you know you have sinned? Do you cover it up and hope no one finds out? Do you admit only when you get caught? Or do you take responsibility for your actions and confess your sin(s) to God and others without being caught? The difference between confessing your sin and admitting your sin is huge in the life of a Christian, because it reveals something about our hearts…
Christianity, at its core, is about the heart. When you receive the grace and mercy of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit of God invades your HEART, your life is changed and will continue to change for the rest of your life as you strive to be more like Jesus. When the Gospel becomes real to you, you begin to live differently. Your desires change. Your motives change. Your words and actions change. And, your attitude toward sin changes.
Sin is the very thing that kept us out of a loving relationship with God and it is also the thing that causes people to go to hell if it is not dealt with and forgiven by Jesus. As Christians, we should hate our sin and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it to us and to help us kill, whatever it may be. Sin breaks the heart of God, and it should break our hearts as well.
So… what do you do when you know you have sinned? Does it bother you? Does it break your heart?
There is a huge difference in admitting a sin when you have been caught (by other people) and confessing your sin.
Admitting sin only when you have been caught reveals:
- a lack of obedience to the Scripture – See 1John 1:9 and James 5:16
- a desire to simply not get in any more trouble by lying about the sin
- a comfort level with sin as long as it is unknown by others
- a desire to appear holy on the outside
Confession of sin without being caught reveals:
- a heart that truly hates sin and loves Jesus
- a desire to kill the sin(s) in your life
- a true working of the Holy Spirit in someone
- a desire for holiness and Christ-likeness
As Christians, we should desire to be like Christ SO MUCH and hate sin SO MUCH that we don’t have to wait to get caught in order to confess and repent. We should confess sin out of obedience to Scripture and a desire for God to change our hearts and make us more like Christ.
One last thought: If you have been living a life where you only admit sin when you are caught, change it today. There is grace for you and you can start RIGHT NOW by confessing your sin(s) to God and knowing that He loves and forgives you because of Jesus.
– See more at: https://calvarykaty.org/admit-confess/#sthash.4T9dEGEG.dpuf