Effectively Dealing With Sin
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin Articles
The Bible proposes the only effective way of dealing with sin — confession (cf. Psalm 51:1-3; 2 Samuel 24:10-17). In the Old Testament, one of the ways the Israelites were supposed to cleanse themselves and maintain purity before God and in their community was by confessing their sins (Numbers 5:5-8; cf. Leviticus 5:1-5; Leviticus 26:40-42).
To confess means “to speak the same thing; to agree with; to admit the truth” (see article). When the people confessed to God, they were not telling Him anything He did not already know, but their confession was a demonstration of a change of mindset. Refusing to confess their sins, allowed sin to take deeper root within their lives.
Admitting our sins unlocks the prison gate that once confined our influence for Christ, so that we may experience forgiveness, joy, and peace. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us of those sins (1 John 1:9).