Tag Archives: confession

Christian, Inspirational

Sin and Accountability

This morning on WayFM, Wally said God forgives you the moment you ask.

There is no direct verse that says this, so what does the Bible say concerning sin:

1 John 1:9 KJV
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

You can certainly ask God for forgiveness, but can you truly confess to God, who already knows everything? I think confession is to another person, whether priest, spouse, friend, or acquaintance. In addiction programs they call this an accountability partner. If you’re embarrassed to confess your sins to another, maybe that embarrassment will keep you from being a habitual sinner. It may even save your soul.

The Bible also says charity covers a multitude of sins. In 1 Peter 4:8 KJV,
And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

My own personal definition of charity is love in action.

The Bible also says in James 5:20 KJV.
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

This is high incentive to preach the Gospel and tell others about Christ the Messiah, who died on the cross for our sins.

Why does all this matter?  Hebrews 10:26 KJV says, For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins… .

If we want forgiveness we need to apply all these things in our lives and strive against continuing in sin.

See Proverbs 28:13 KJV.
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

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Christian

Enter In

Jesus made a promise in 1 John 1:9 KJV.


If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Yet some try to confuse this clear promise.

A few days ago on television I heard a preacher say it doesn’t mean take out a piece of paper and write down all your sins, it means to acknowledge you’re a sinner and ask God for forgiveness. What’s wrong with writing down your sins and passing the paper around your church? This more closely meets the requirement – confess.

Another way to confuse the issue is to make some kind of difference between public and private sins. The Church of Christ denomination says you only need to confess your public sins. There is no such distinction in the Holy Bible. I tell you, if you do not confess all, you may die in your sins.

This is a modern day example of Matthew 23:13 KJV.

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

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Christian, Inspirational

Open Letter to Israel and the Diaspora

Accept Jesus as Messiah.

Repent and be baptized by another, by immersion in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost or in the name of Jesus Christ.

Do not call anyone Rabbi or Master. We have one Rabbi and one Master, Jesus Christ.

Do not believe you can be saved by approaching Jehovah directly. We all need Jesus for remission of sins in the act of baptism and for forgiveness by confession.

Don’t believe that being a descendant of Abraham will save you or that you are entitled to approach God the Father directly because of your ancestry.

Pray to the Father in Jesus name. Jesus is the only intermediary between us and God. Men, do not cover your head when you pray and bring shame upon yourself.

Don’t believe Jesus’ body was stolen away by his disciples. He is our resurrected Lord.

Isaiah 12:2 KJV
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

John 3:16 KJV
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

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Christian

My Sin

The Lord has helped me to quit looking at porn. He has also helped me to quit smoking. However, I have not been keeping the Sabbath as I should. If you happen to be reading this, your prayers to do better are appreciated.

Exodus 20:8-11 KJV
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. [9] Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: [10] But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: [11] For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Isaiah 58:13-14 KJV
If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: [14] Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord ; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

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Christian

Pickers

Nothing inspires me to write more than hearing bad doctrine. I’ve heard it before and you may have as well, but following are some corrections to errant COC doctrines and beliefs.

The Church of Christ is a denomination, though they claim direct heritage from Christ’s day.  What makes them a denomination? They were created out of the Protestant Revolution, just like any non- Catholic church around today. They have unique doctrine, man picked from the word of God. Additionally, they have schools of preaching where new preachers are indoctrinated with their bad theology.

Singing a capella. They (the Church of Christ denomination) congratulate themselves on a regular basis for not using musical instruments. They site that there are no examples of musical instruments in the New Testament. To me it just shows lack of discernment. Play on Bertha.

There are only 9 Commandments. What? Many denominations including the Church of Christ proclaim we do not need to keep the Sabbath. I would like to respond with; ask the world over, how many Commandments are there? I think most would answer 10, not 9.

Confess your sins, just not to me. They don’t want to hear your specific sin. Just confess you’re a sinner and we’ll pray for you. The Church of Christ denomination even makes a distinction between public and private sin. There is no such distinction in the Holy Bible.

Trust in 1 John 1:9, and don’t let any preacher dissuade you from actually confessing. If you’ve sinned against someone, confess it to them, confess it to your spouse, confess it to the police, confess it on the internet.

Jesus is faithful to forgive, but only if we confess.

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Christian

Desire Change

I really believe that confession as requested of us in 1 John 1:9 for the forgiveness of sins is best made to another human being.

I just wonder, how can you confess to God who already knows. Yet if confession to God is all you have in you, I suggest you try. Lord forgive my sins … .

Don’t let me dissuade you or cause you to give up. If your confession is sincerely seeking forgiveness from God it includes the desire and intent to change and no longer walk in sin.

In Matthew 9:12-13 KJV Jesus said … They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. [13] … I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Change and repentance walk hand in hand.

Proverbs 28:13 KJV says, He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

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Christian, Inspirational

Past, Present, and Future

I’ve heard a lot of evangelists proclaim that Jesus died for all our sins, past, present, and future. This is true, but those evangelists often neglect to explain God’s full plan for forgiveness and tell you the whole truth.

Our past sins are forgiven at baptism. It’s more than just a figurative ritual. With belief you truly are washed in Jesus’ blood at baptism. With belief and repentance you are washed and become a new member of God’s family.

After baptism the idea is to walk in the light and quit sinning. Future sins should they happen are only forgiven by the act of confession. 1 John 1:9

Proverbs 28:13 KJV says, He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

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Christian, Inspirational

Courageous Women

Fear is a killer. Both men and women fall prey to it. People don’t confess their sins according to 1 John 1:9 for various reasons, one of them is fear of what others may think.

Don’t die in your sins. Read 1 John 1:9 and James 5:16 and follow them.

Courageous women overcome peer pressure and the fear of what others may think, everyday, but can they do it in Church. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 tells us unequivocally that women should remain silent in Church.

Simply attending church exposes some problems that women may encounter. They need to be courageous in order to keep God’s law. As soon as you walk in the door someone is saying hello to you. You need to ignore them or maybe arrive right at the start of the service. Perhaps wave, but if you keep God’s word on this matter you surely will be talked about. It’s even possible that ignorant preachers will bid you to talk to them or to the people seated next to you. Again you need to be separate and remain silent. Men can’t alter the law of God which is why when a preacher asks women to speak in church I have dubbed it a call to shame.

Women can truly be courageous, but it helps if they know the law. Hosea 4:6 KJV says, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge … .

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Christian, Inspirational

A Future

Do I have a future in Heaven?

This question is rightfully followed by am I forgiven?

The answer is yes, you can be forgiven and have a sure hope. Read 1 John 1:9. Today, I heard a television preacher say this doesn’t really mean you have to confess. Of course it does. You cannot confess to God – he already knows. You can ask God for forgiveness, but to fulfill the requirements for forgiveness under 1 John 1:9 you need to confess.

It can be scary, but once you get past the worst ones(sins) you may find it gets easier. Here’s the thing – confession is made to another. The person you confess to may be the person you wronged, it may be to your best friend or spouse, if you committed a crime it may even be to the police. In my opinion it could even be to a stranger, but then perhaps you lose a factor of accountability.

What’s the point. If you do your part and confess, Jesus has promised to forgive. Confession is the only way to be forgiven after baptism.

And yes, that scary factor of confession is designed to cause you to sin less.

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Christian, Inspirational

Even Demons Dare to Dream

Have you ever wondered, can I make it to Heaven? Even fallen angels wonder the same thing.

The truth is only three beings have their final judgment now. They are going to be damned to Hell forever. One is the Devil. The other two may not know their final judgment yet, they may not even be alive. They are two individuals found in the book of Revelation, the Anti-Christ and the false prophet. Revelation 20:10

Because of God’s great mercy even demons might make it back to Heaven. 2 Peter 2:4 tells us that demons haven’t received their final judgment yet.

A continuing hope in Christ is key for both them and us. If they have opportunity then like us they should be baptized (Mark 16:16) and confess their sins (1 John 1:9). It might be easy to lose hope in chains and darkness, but to both demons and men I say remember. Remember only three in the Holy Bible have already been judged, therefore to the rest of us – hope remains.

Mercy triumphs over judgment.

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