Keeping short accounts with God…

 

A few weeks ago, a Christian friend said she didn’t need to confess sin as that had been done when she was saved. God had already forgiven all her sin, past, present, and future. She was startled at the teaching of keeping short accounts with God as the NT says:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:7–10)

This passage is not in past tense. God knows that if I sin, the guilt of it can cripple me as it puts my focus on failure and defeats future efforts. That is not the only reason for short accounts. Sin spoils fellowship with God and often with one another. When I am being selfish, no one wants to talk to me, and God does not use me until I clear it up with Him in confession and repentance.

That said, today’s reading speaks of a failure to grasp the “much more” of Scripture that tells me God wants to do things in my life that are above and beyond my imagination. The remedy given is to have more faith, to abandon forever our “much less” of unbelief, to accept as true God’s declaration of “much more,” and to claim at once the promised victory. It adds, “According to our faith it must and will be to us.”

But what can ruin faith more than sin and unconfessed sin? Sin comes when I put myself in the driver’s seat and run my own life according to my own ideas. They might seem good or be very selfish, but either way, I’m turning from the will of God and stopped trusting Him. Is God going to fill me with His Spirit and bless me with a fruitful life while I am like that? Of course not. It is only the promise of 1 John 1:9 that gives me forgiveness and a clean heart, and with that, He will fill me with His Spirit and direct my thoughts and actions according to His will. Otherwise, I’ve come up against a wall, a roadblock, and cannot advance. Sin separates. It cannot be ignored.

For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17)

The free gift of Christ’s righteousness is not going to show up in my life when I’ve turned from it to run my own life. Just as Jesus said that I cannot serve both God and money, I also cannot serve both God and myself. My work, attitudes, even worship, is something He pours in. In myself, I can do nothing and if sin blocks His blessings, I cannot deny it and carry on as if I’m okay.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. (John 15:4)

Abiding is about continuing or staying in harmony with the Lord. Sin messes with that and renders me useless in serving Him. I cannot serve Him and at the same time serve myself. Such sin, even the attitude of ‘me, myself, and I’ must be confessed, forgiven, and cleansed to get me back into abiding and living for Him.

PRAY: Lord, You are continually making me more sensitive to Your rebuke and correction. When I  neglect continual confession and become more and more self-centered, I know that I’ve lost touch with You and that Your focus for me changes. Instead of hearing my prayers for others who have needs, You concentrate on convicting and changing my attitude — my dire need. Thank You for loving me so much that You do not ignore any of my sinfulness, and will do whatever it takes to help me acknowledge it and bring it to the foot of the cross. You want me to be bold and guilt-free, knowing Your love and relying on You for all things.