True Forgiveness and Confessions of Sins... John MacArthur does it again!

I have long been a listener and fan of John MacArthur's Bible teaching. I listen to him on Bott Radio Network several times a week.

Last week I caught part of a sermon on forgiveness and confession of sins. Like many other believers, I have lived with unconfessed sin for years. I thought all along that I could make up my mind to do better, ask God for His forgiveness, and then go on about my life without any real consequences. But real Guilt (the kind we "Earn") has a way of sticking to us. I carried mine everywhere with me; home, work, worship services...

I knew God still loved me, and I knew my sins had been paid for on the cross. I had even privately confessed my sins to God in fervent prayers on multiple occasions...I still felt awful a lot of the time.

I did some research, I tried to be "used" by God by volunteering with different ministries at church. I worked at being a forgiving son, husband, father, friend. But I couldn't shake it. I thought perhaps the guilt I was feeling was just one part of the consequences of my sins...I thought maybe I could learn to compensate for the dim view I held of myself.

I have learned that sins separate us from communion with God. The sacrifice of God's Son purchased our freedom from that slavery...but as long as we live in this fallen world we will battle temptation and our own ongoing sin. I thought by confessing sin to God that I had met my obligation for forgiveness. After all, in Psalm 51 David says that he had sinned against God alone...there was no real way to apologize to Uriah, and there is no record of David confessing to Bathsheba...as if she was not aware of the sin. Yet, something was definitely still missing.

As I write this I am not well in spirit, and I will likely remain a broken man due to my sin for the rest of my days on this Earth. However, I think my inner struggle with confession of sin is over.

Why is confessing our sin to God easier than confessing to one another?

Is confession to a wounded brother or sister required for healing in all circumstances?

When is confession of sins to others required?

I have heard a lot of folks tell me that confessing something to a mate or a friend might hurt the relationship and cause undue pain...after all, your motivation is just to relieve your own guilt. Is that right?

Perhaps this is why so many of my relationships have been so superficial.

Visit the link below to download John's sermon on Forgiveness and Confession...it is probably the best advice I have ever heard on the subject to date.

Grace to You! Sermon 68-2

God bless you as you seek the Truth.
I don't ever want to be who I was.