Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

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Tag: Confess our sins

Confession – Coming out Clean

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On August 1, 2016

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 29:11-14 records the account of Jacob meeting Rachel and her father, Laban when he came into the land of his mother’s people. When Rachel ran and told her father of her encounter with Jacob at the well, Laban ran to meet him, embraced him and kissed him and brought him into his home, as a gesture of hospitality and kinship. And the Bible records, that Jacob told Laban all these things. In order words, Jacob came out clean, no longer deceiving as he did his brother, but instead confessing. We are not told what “all these things” are but from what is record of Jacob’s life till that time, we can assume that it was possibly:
– how he had deceived his father and his brother Esau of his birthright and his blessings,
– how his brother intended to kill him,
– how his mother did not want to lose him and sent him to Laban her brother to find a wife,
– how he had encounter the Lord God on his journey, and of God’s promises of God’s presence, provisions and protection, and
– how he had providentially met Rachel at the well.
And Laban exclaimed, you are surely my bone and my flesh and let him stay with him for a month.

Points to ponder:
Jacob’s confession was not warranted but yet he confessed and was accepted as family into the home of his kin. When we confess all our sins and come out clean, no longer deceiving ourselves (James 1:22), the Lord God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), adopting us into his family (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5). Have you confessed Jesus as Lord? Have you come out clean?

Genesis 29:11-14 (KJV)
11 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.
12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s brother, and that he was Rebekah’s son: and she ran and told her father.
13 And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.
14 And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month.

Not to con but to confess

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On June 26, 2013

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

The two questions that God asked Adam, after God had asked him where he was (after Adam had sinned) are: “Who told you that you were naked?” and “Have you eaten of the tree that I commanded you that you should not eat?”.

The first question goes unanswered and in the article entitled ‘The Naked Question“, an exposition of the first question from God was given. The second question gets answered even though the question itself may seem quite absurd and rhetorical to an omniscient God. The question was “Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou should not eat?” and Adam answered, after attempting some frivolous excuses and playing the “blame game”, “I did eat.”

The significance of God’s questioning and Adam’s response lies in the fact that God is showing us his character. Though he knew of Adam’s sin, he asked Adam instead of accusing him. God wanted Adam to confess for those who confess shall find mercy (Proverbs 28:13).

Adam eventually fessed up saying “I did eat” (Genesis 3:12). Imagine for a moment, what Adam’s consequence would have been, if he had try to con God, or denied his sin. If Adam had refused to accept him sinfulness, implying that he was without sin, he would have made God a liar (1 John 1:10). The Bible teaches us that God is not a man that he should lie nor the son of man that he should repent (change his mind) (Numbers 23:19). It is man, that needs to repent, when he/she sins, with a change and renewing of the mind, so that it does not conform to the patterns of this world (Romans 12:2). The Bible states that if we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) and whoever covers sins will not prosper, but he that confesses (his sins) and forsakes (his sinful life) shall find mercy (Proverbs 28:13).

The wages of sin is death, but instead of punishing Adam and Eve with death, which they deserved, God was merciful in letting them live, but since God is a Holy God, and no unholiness can dwell in his presence, sinful man and woman had to be removed from the garden of God, where God came to commune with man. Though God is a Holy God, he does not accuse man of their sins and is a merciful and forgiving God.

Points to ponder:
Let us not make God a liar but let us find mercy and forgiveness from God. This comes by us,  acknowledging our unrepented sinfulness and confessing our sins, so that he, who is faithful, will have mercy upon us and forgive us, because of his faithfulness. God wants us not to con him, but to confess to him. Have I fessed up? Have you fessed up?

Genesis 3:11-12 (KJV)
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Proverbs 28:13 (KJV)
13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

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