LEARNING DAILY

 

Proverbs 28:13, He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

 

Proverbs 11:19, As righteousness leads to life, so he who pursues evil, pursues it to his own death.

 

The Bible is clear, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “If we say that we have no sin, deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). When John wrote these words, there were people who taught that when a person became a follower of Jesus Christ, their sin nature was erased and that person could live a perfect life, one without sinning. This may or may not be taught today; but I do believe people falsely believe that once they begin to follow Jesus Christ, they can live any way they please. If that were true, there would be no need for a Savior. I wish what I am about to say was not true: Even after we accept Jesus Christ as Savior, begin walking on the narrow way, we continue to sin.

 

I do not want to continue to sin! Do you? When I sin, I know that I disappoint the Lord and I do not feel good about my actions, words spoken, or the thoughts that come through my head. Sometimes something I see sparks a reaction and if I dwell upon it, I sin. Anyone with me this morning? The question then is what do I do when I sin? The next verse in 1 John gives the answer. It is an answer I have referred to many times in previous blogs. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse from all unrighteousness. If we say we that we have no sin, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us” (1 John 1:9-10). Everyone sins! “Those who say they have no sin reveal their ignorance or pride, demonstrating they do not belong to Christ. Acknowledging the truth of the gospel is not enough – people must also confess their sin and walk in the light” (David Jeremiah Study Bible).

 

We can fool others and act like we live a sinless life; it is foolishness to believe that God does not know when we sin. We confess our sin to Him. It does not weaken our walk on the narrow way nor our fellowship with God. Not confessing our sin will cause our walk with Him to become distant. He knows all we do, say, and think. The DJSB notes tell us the cure for sinfulness is not denying our sin but relying on the faithfulness of God to forgive us on the basis of Christ’s death on the cross. To confess our sin and remain in fellowship with God is the way to maintain the joy of our salvation.

 

One of the greatest mistakes we make is thinking we can hide our sins from God or that he will be angry to find out we have sinned. You just cannot conceal it from God. Pretending to be blameless will only cause you to be judged. I can tell you as a principal, I told students who needed to come into my office it was best they told me about the wrong that I already knew they had committed. Leniency always came when the student told me what had been done instead of trying to cover it up or blame another. Consequences might still occur but more often than not, they were less severe.

 

Solomon is telling us that God rewards those who pursue truth, goodness, mercy, and righteous living – walking on the narrow way according to the desires and standards established by God in His Word. That does not mean righteous people will never experience tragedy or will never sin. Nor does it mean that evil people will never prosper. It does mean that living as best we can, confessing when we sin will result in God being faithful to forgive and cleanse those who do and the promise of eternal life with Him in His kingdom.

 

The DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.