Confessing of sins

Terry

You murder somebody.

The police nab you.

Should you confess or deny it?

What you have to gain and what you might lose DEPENDS ON WHAT THE POLICE CAN PROVE.

If the Police cannot prove the murder was your fault, then, denial could lead to freedom.

What about CONFESSION to God?

It is in NO WAY SIMILAR.

Why?

God already knows. No PROOF is needed.

What good is confession, then?

From the standpoint of HE WHO KNOWS (God) what is gained if you DO or do NOT confess?

It does a guilty party no good to try and pretend anything with God. You can't bargain.

Admitting guilt when you are CAUGHT dead bang is meaningless if denial is a non-starter.

What would you get away with?

"Sure, I'm holding the gun. Smoke is coming out of the barrel. You have me on high def video doing the murder. So,

I confess!"

CONFESSING YOUR SINS must accomplish something or it would not be required.

In Ancient Israel confessing sins, offering sacrifice and being forgiven were a package deal. It was "automatic."

The priests gained lots of meat for supper. The penitent gained a cleansed conscience. God gained...um...a restful odor.

But, seriously folks....Confessing of sins.....can it be merely a psychological tool?

If you are without that inner guiding voice of conscience you aren't going to feel cleansed by confessing. Why? Conscience is required for a feeling of guilt in the first place!

What about gaining forgiveness to ESCAPE PUNISHMENT? Even a person without conscience wants to escape actual punishment, right?

You don't have to FEEL sorry to say you are sorry. You might re-establish good relations with an offended party.

But, God is not one to be mocked by phony contrition for the base motive of avoiding just punishment, surely!

John 9:31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.

In Jesus' time it was widely held to be true that any infirmity a person suffered was the DIRECT RESULT of a sin committed.

The sin might even have come from something your parents had done!!

If you were sick and confessed whatever sin you could think of that might have CAUSED the illness, then, whatever righteous person heard

your confession could step in and pray for your healing on your behalf.

James 5:16
Therefore, make it your habit to confess your sins to one another and to pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

But, practically speaking, other than telling an offended party you "didn't mean to do it" (whether true or untrue) just to maintain peace---WHAT GOOD is confession from the standpoint of an offended DEITY?

Chariklo

Why and how, in the scenario you describe, is the deity offended?

Why would a deity punish? What could be the motive?

In fact, other than the remedial, what function does punishment serve?

Just for the sake of argument, you understand....

Terry

Why and how, in the scenario you describe, is the deity offended?

Why would a deity punish? What could be the motive?

In fact, other than the remedial, what function does punishment serve?

Just for the sake of argument, you understand....

Punishment makes god the perpetual Policeman and not a Supreme Being.

God as civil servant is a demotion.

Presumably, a non-sinning Adam and Eve would be self-regulating. No need for sky police.

But, attributing perfection to humans in the garden and seeing the consequence of "perfect" thinking (sin) renders that scenario moot.

Perfect IS as perfect DOES.

Sin is not accuracy. Sin is INaccuracy of intention.

The classic view of sin is wrongful action caused by imperfection: missing the bulls eye.

But, if SIN otherwise is the direct result of IMperfection the "intention" of the human is irrelevent.

How so?

The human is AIMING TO DO something and MISSES.

For sin to be "missing the mark" implies the human commiting the sin was trying to be perfect and missed!

However, if a person deliberately selects forbidden behavior it is their INTENTION to do bad behavior. It can't be MISSING THE MARK.

Noun, Strong's 266, hamartia, is, lit., "a missing of the mark," but this etymological meaning is largely lost sight of in the NT. http://ldolphin.org/OTsin.html

sd-7

Terry, you would do well as a Vulcan. Logic is your way of life.

--sd-7

Terry

Terry, you would do well as a Vulcan. Logic is your way of life.

H.Ross Perot was a Vulcan. In a Presidential debate he said: "I can't believe my ears."

But seriously......

I think we sometimes lose sight of the things we automatically have accepted. It pays to think about those foundational

ideas and treat them as though they were Martian heiroglyphs.

Jesus seems to have gone a step beyond considering "sin" as behavior of a deviant nature when he spoke about "already commiting" adultry just

by----THINKING ABOUT IT!!

This would clearly identify "sin" as MOTIVE even WITHOUT follow up action by acting it out!

Imagine a legal system in which "just thinking about" doing something was punishable!

This would be MIND CRIME!

It would be impractical to say the least.

The closest we come to this in contemporary juris prudence is establishing "intent" in the ACTUAL COMMISSION of a crime.

Terry

designs

Brilliant.

Like Jesus, Hugh Hefner was asked about the sin/lust issue with women, he, in a very practical manner said without lust the human race would die off for lack of breeding.

Terry

Is there anything more peculiar than the urge to merge?

Kids think it is yucky and rightly so.

Then, hormones interact with the brain and good sense goes right out the window.

What was "yucky" becomes the single most important thing in the universe!

Is that SIN or just chemical pollution of the brain by hormones?

AGuest

CONFESSING YOUR SINS must accomplish something or it would not be required.

The purpose of confessing, dear Terry (peace to you!), was not to appease God... but to encourage Israel to "come clean," as it were. Hide nothing that shouldn't be hidden. For good of the greater number (you know, less murderers, pedophiles, etc., that way). And, given that the purpose of the Law was a mirror and not a window, there shouldn't have been any fear in confessing. As my Lord said, "Let him WITHOUT sin cast the first stone." All of Israel had sinned in some manner or another and so no one was really "righteous" in casting a stone.

Unfortunately, because what we are... flesh with its blood... what we DO... is often hidden from others. For Israel, many ran around acting as if they had no sin, while pointing fingers at others. That isn't what was supposed to occur. What was SUPPOSED to occur is that, for example, you confessed... and offered up your sin offering... and I forgave you. Didn't judge you or take notice of your offering (the kind it was). Or I confess... and you forgive me, etc. Readily and freely. Even if you had "transgressed" in some "bad" way. Because (1) that is what I would want YOU to do for ME, and (2) it is what I would want God to do for me. So, I was OBLIGATED to do the same as to you. Unfortunately, Israel never quite got that, as a nation.

That is why, under the New Covenant, which is written on the heart and not on stone... we are admonished to confess our sins "to one another." So that we (1) are not hiding things we shouldn't from one another, (2) so that we are reminded of our OWN sins, so as (3) not judge one another, but (4) freely forgive one another.

Some will say, "What, you need God to tell you this?" What such ones don't quite understand is that not ALL may have needed such... ummmm... guidance... but Israel apparently did. As Christ said, the nations greeted their own and loved their own. But the nations were not the chosen race, the people for a special possession at the time. It is BECAUSE the nations showed themselves to be "Israel" BY their treatment of others, their love, however, that they were eventually taken into the NEW Covenant.

As for confessing to God, it really isn't confession in the sense that He doesn't already know. You are right, there. It is confession in the sense of not trying to "hide" and act like you didn't do anything... when you did... and He already knows you did. Like Adam... like Cain... like others of ancient Israel. It's not only deceit, but it's virtually a slap in the face. For example, I don't know if you have children, but imagine (if you do have them) that you are fully aware of some "wrong" your child did... against you or another... yet, that child treats you like you have no clue. As if you don't know him/her, when you do. Maybe even better than he/she knows himself/herself. As if you're stupid. All the while smiling in your face.

The Most Holy One of Israel does not expect us to go sit in some little box and confess our sins to someone we may not even know... or who may not know us. All He is asking is that (1) you don't hide from/lie to HIM (because He already knows), and (2) that you don't hide from/lie to others. Especially if you have sinned (which you have, in some way or another) and you're all about pointing the finger.

Because it is deceit... and hypocrisy. Spirit beings can't hide What they are... inside... is manifest because they vessels they occupy aren't of matter and physical substance. Because of the vessels WE reside in, however, what WE are... on the inside... IS hidden from others. Thus, it's up to us to be transparent, to acknowledge our flaws/sins/errors... as well as to forgive others their's.

Even Christ, who was without sin... confessed his sins.

I hope this helps and, again, I bid you peace!

A slave of Christ,

SA

RADHESYAM

I believe confession of sins is a major psychological tool.

Its done so that you can stock of your actions and behavioral pattersn and then try to maske positive changes.

When you're hiding or in denial you dont change.

The best example of this in action, which we are all familiar with is AA (12 steps)

"Hi my name is ____ and I'm an alcoholic"

Confessing of sins

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