To Confess Sin or Not To Confess Sin

Imagine going to a worship service where the purpose was to confess our sin. That is exactly what the Jews did in Nehemiah 9. As we study this chapter we are going to see what happened to cause God's people to confess their sin.

In verses 1-3 the people gathered with fasting, in sackcloth and earth on their heads. These are signs of deep mourning for sin. Then they stood, confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers which led to confession of sin. The verb "confess" in the Hebrew conveys the truth of deep searching of the heart and then confession.

The result of confession was they worshiped which is described in verses 4-5 as standing up, blessing the Lord and exalting His name. The verbs "bless" and "exalted" are strong verbs revealing worship from a sincere heart and not just mouthing words.

The next section of this chapter,6-31, is a review of God's relationship with His people. They begin with God making the covenant with Abraham and proceed to God delivering them from Egypt. Then mention is made of God giving His Word to instruct them in living holy lives before Him. The final part of this section records how the people refused to obey God but He continued to instruct and provide for them.

The final section of this chapter, 32-37, states that "You have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly."

Reflecting on this passage of Scripture would cause a believer to think, "How could the Jews act this way toward God after He had done so much for them?" We could ask ourselves the same question today. How is it some Christians take sin in our lives so lightly! The answer is found in Chapter 8. Once the Jews started studying God's Word they saw how disobedient they had become and how disobedient their fathers had been so they immediately confessed and repented of their sin. They key to confessing sin is to study God's Word for in it our sin is revealed to us.

Jesus' first recorded sermon is very short and to the point, "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17) In 1 John 1:9 we are told to confess sin and God will forgive. The implication is that if we do not confess sin we are not forgiven and therefore we remain spiritually weak and disobedient to our Heavenly Father.

The confession of sin is very important to the believer since it directly relates to the relationship he or she has with the Father. As we gather for worship this Lord's Day we all need to begin with the serious and sincere confession of sin so that we may worship the Lord is spirit and in truth.