The Believer’s Response to Sin

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1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Augustine said, “The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.”

The confession of sin is the most significant statement recorded in Scripture because it is here where a person is faced with his sin as well as with the issue of either confessing or hiding his sin.

Listen to the common theme we find in Scripture regarding the confession of sin.

Genesis 41:9 says, “Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, ‘I would make mention today of my own offenses.’”

Genesis 44:16 says, “So Judah said, ‘What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been found.’”

Exodus 9:27 says, “And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, ‘I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked.’”

Exodus 10:16 says, “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, ‘I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.’”

First Samuel 15:24 says, “Then Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.’”

Second Samuel 12:13 says, “So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.’”

Second Samuel 24:10 says, “And David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, ‘I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.’”

Psalm 32:5 says, “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.”

Psalm 38:1–4 says, “O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! For Your arrows pierce me deeply, and Your hand presses me down. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.”

Psalm 40:12 says, “For innumerable evils have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head; therefore my heart fails me.”

Psalm 41:4 says, “I said, ‘LORD, be merciful to me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.’”

Psalm 51:1–4 says, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight; that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.”

Isaiah 6:5 says, “So I said: ‘Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.’”

Daniel 9:20 says, “Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God.”

All of those statements are significant because they are acknowledgments of sin. Today it is not popular to admit you are a sinner or that you have sinned. Men avoid the issue or deny it altogether, as 1 John 1:6, 8, and 10 indicate. But John does not deny it. According to verse 9, he says in the midst of those who were denying their sin that believers confess sin.

They do not seek to hide it because they know that it is not a disease they have, but “missing the mark” in God’s holiness, as Romans 3:23 teaches. They know that it is against God, as Psalm 51:4 says.

This morning we are going to talk about the reasons, the requirements, and the results of confessing sin.

The first reason for confessing sin is to glorify God. Joshua 7:19 says, “Now Joshua said to Achan, ‘My son, I beg you, give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.’”

We glorify God when we confess our sin. Keil and Delitzsch comment on this verse by saying that the statement, “Give glory to the Lord,” “is a solemn formula of adjuration, by which a person was summoned to confess the truth before the face of God.” They add that the phrase “make confession” is better understood as “give praise,” as Ezra 10:11 clearly shows. Through a confession of the truth, Achan was to render to God, as the Omniscient One, the praise and honor that were due Him.

True confession is telling the truth about what you have done. That is what God wanted from Adam and Eve, but instead they passed the blame. When David was confronted by Nathan, he admitted his sin and told the truth, as recorded in 2 Samuel 12:1–13.

Achan acknowledged his sin in Joshua 7:20–21: “And Achan answered Joshua and said, ‘Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.’”

Confessing our sin does not necessarily remove its consequences. Galatians 6:7–8 says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” It did not remove the consequences for Achan, as Joshua 7:22–26 records. It did not remove all the consequences for David either. Second Samuel 12:14 says, “However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.”

Another reason to confess sin is to demonstrate who we are. John MacArthur writes, “How we understand the truths of the Gospel will ultimately determine how we live our lives.” According to Scripture, we are spiritually alive to God. Ephesians 2:1 says, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” We are dead to sin. Colossians 3:3 says, “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” We are righteous. Philippians 3:9 says, “And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.”

We are heavenly citizens. Philippians 3:20 says, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” We are servants of God. Romans 6:22 says, “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.”

Since this is who we are in Jesus Christ, we are to live in accordance with who we are. Our position in Jesus Christ should dictate how we live our lives, as Ephesians 4:1 teaches.

We also confess because we are forgiven. As children of God, we are forgiven of all our sin, and this is solely because of Christ. Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” Colossians 1:14 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

The Apostle John notes that our forgiveness is because of an event in the past. First John 2:12 says, “I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.” The word translated “forgiven” is the Greek word aphiēmi, meaning “to send away” or “to send forth.” Kenneth Wuest says, “The verb is in the perfect tense, which speaks of a past completed action having present results. Our sins were put away at the Cross, with the result that they are never more remembered against us.”

Psalm 103:1–5 says, “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits; who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:11–12 says, “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Thomas Watson said, “God blots out not only the cloud but the thick cloud, enormities as well as infirmities.” John Gill wrote that believers “had been sinners by nature and practice, and were not now without sin, but they shared in the blessing of the forgiveness of it; which arises from the abundant mercy and rich grace of God, and proceeds on the blood and sacrifice of Christ; and therefore is said to be ‘for his name’s sake’; not for the sake of any merits in men, any services or works of theirs, but for the sake of Christ, his blood, sacrifice and satisfaction; and it reaches to all sins, original and actual, secret and open, past, present, and to come.”

On the cross, all of our sins were future.

We confess sin to prevent the chastisement of God. God chastens us for sin. Hebrews 12:5–11 teaches this, as does 1 Corinthians 11:27–34. John Trapp said, “It is in mercy and in measure that God chastiseth His children.”

God chastens us to confess sin. Psalm 32:3–4 says, “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me.” Psalm 51:8 says, “Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which You have broken may rejoice.”

John MacArthur explains David’s language by referring to what shepherds did with wayward sheep: “A shepherd took such a sheep and broke one of its legs. Then he would set the leg and carry the animal until it got better. During that time, the sheep would grow to love the shepherd. When the sheep was well enough to walk on its own again, it no longer ran off. Instead it followed the shepherd everywhere. So David was saying, ‘Lord, I’ve had my legs broken. I’m ready to follow You.’” Psalm 118:18 says, “The Lord has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death.”

We also confess sin in order to have an effective prayer life. Sin, in general, causes our prayers to be hindered. Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” Charles Spurgeon said, “Nothing hinders prayer like iniquity harbored in the breast; as with Cain, so with us—sin lieth at the door, and blocks the passage. If thou listen to the devil, God will not listen to thee. If thou refuseth to hear God’s commands, He will surely refuse to hear thy prayers. An imperfect petition God will hear for Christ’s sake, but not one which is willfully miswritten by a traitor’s hand. For God to accept our devotions while we are delighting in sin would be to make Himself the God of hypocrites, which is a fitter name for Satan than for the Holy One of Israel.”

Isaiah 1:10–16 says, “Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah: ‘To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?’ says the Lord. ‘I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil.’”

Sin in the marital relationship also causes prayers to be hindered. First Peter 3:7 says, “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.” First Corinthians 7:5 says, “Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

John MacArthur, commenting on 1 Corinthians 7:1–5, says that some Corinthian believers held an erroneous belief in the spiritual superiority of total sexual abstinence and practiced it even within marriage. He explains that married believers are not to sexually deprive their spouses, whether believing or unbelieving. Sexual relations within marriage are God-ordained and commanded. The only exception is mutual and temporary, by agreement for a time, in order to devote yourselves to prayer. Both a specific period and a specific purpose for prayer are implied.

There are also requirements for confessing sin. The first is agreement with God. The word “confess,” homologeō, is a present active subjunctive and means “to say the same thing” or “to say the same thing as another, and, therefore, to admit the truth of an accusation.”

Kenneth Wuest says, “Confession of sin on the part of the saint means therefore to say the same thing that God does about that sin, to agree with God as to all the implication of that sin as it relates to the Christian who commits it and to a holy God against whom it is committed. That includes the saint’s hatred of that sin, his sense of guilt because of it, his contrition because of it, the determination to put it out of his life and never to do that thing again. This is what confession of sin means here.”

He also says, “The verb is present subjunctive, speaking of continuous action. This teaches that the constant attitude of the saint toward sin should be one of a contrite heart, ever eager to have any sin in the life discovered for him by the Holy Spirit, and ever eager to confess it and put it out of the life by the power of that same Holy Spirit. David wrote concerning that kind of heart when he penned the words: ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise’ (Psalm 51:17).”

First John 1:9 could be translated, “If we keep on confessing,” as A. T. Robertson notes. This is also seen in verse 10.

David defined what it meant to confess his sin in Psalm 51:3–4: “For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight.” Confession of sin includes accepting responsibility for it. Psalm 51:4 says, “That You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.” In other words, I am not blaming God for my sin. I accept full responsibility for it, as well as the consequences.

The second requirement is repentance from sin. The Greek word metanoia, repentance, does not mean simply being sorry for what we have done. It signifies a genuine change of mind, change of heart, and change of direction. John MacArthur writes, “No person, no matter how sincere and determined, can truly repent and change his own sinful thoughts and ideas and correct his own sinful life. Only God can work that miracle in the heart. God works repentance in the willing heart of one who truly desires holiness.”

True repentance is confessing and forsaking sin. Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” It is a change of mind that results in a change of heart. Acts 19:18–19 records that many Ephesian believers “came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.”

Repentance is a complete turning from sin to God. First Thessalonians 1:9–10 says, “For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” J. C. Ryle said, “A holy man will endeavor to shun every known sin, and to keep every known commandment.”

The results of confessing sin are precious. First, there is restored joy. Psalm 51:8 says, “Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice.” Psalm 51:12 says, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.”

There is also freedom from guilt. Psalm 32:3–5 says, “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.”

Finally, there is a renewed hatred toward sin. Colossians 3:5 says, “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Romans 8:13 says, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Why are we to confess our sin? We confess to glorify God, to demonstrate who we are, because we are forgiven, to prevent the chastisement of God, and to have an effective prayer life. How are we to confess our sin? We are to acknowledge it by saying the same thing God says about it, and we are to turn completely from it. When we do these things, there is restored joy, freedom from guilt, and a renewed hatred toward sin.