"'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.' Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, 'See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.'"
Isaiah 6:5-7
Isaiah the prophet had been taken away in the Spirit to God's throne room. There he saw wonderful things, experiencing the glory of the Lord. He saw angels, he heard the heavenly worship music, he saw the King of kings. All this was overwhelming to him. In fact, he realized his own humanity and sin while he was there. He knew he had absolutely no right to be in the presence of God because of his sinful state. So he cried out in desperation, confessing his own sin and the sin of all mankind before God. This exchange is written in the scripture above. Isaiah had a life-changing experience with God.
Many times, I have reminded us of the fact that God is a completely forgiving Father. We cannot live under the ideas that God is looking for our sin and wants to punish us for it. In fact, he is far more desirous of intimate relationship with us than we are with him. He doesn't want anything to get in the way of our relationships with him. But at the same time, God cannot look on sin. It is his nature, part of the covenant he has with us. Sin cannot exist in the presence of a holy God. So if we desire a closer relationship with God, we must, like Isaiah, confess our sin and the sins of our fathers and nations. Isaiah did and God heard him.
The most amazing thing about this exchange with God is his faithfulness to forgive. It is an absolute guarantee. All he asks is that we confess our sin before him and ask him for forgiveness. When we do that, he forgives us completely. In fact, he forgives so completely that even the guilt we bear is forgiven. Many people don't even recognize the sin in their lives. Many others don't even care. They do not acknowledge God or desire relationship with him. But for those who do, the process of confession and forgiveness is critical. God will forgive anyone who comes before him confessing their sin. It doesn't matter how deep or terrible the sin is. To God, there are not different levels of sin, all are the same. I can assure you that when we come to God through the work that Jesus did on the cross, we are completely forgiven. But we need to know that if we continue in sin or stay entangled in it, there is separation from God. Will we still go to heaven? Absolutely! I am not concerned about my eternal security. But I want everything God has for me now. I know sin keeps me from having all God wants to give me. It is a barrier. Therefore, I will confess sin daily to make sure there is nothing between God and me, no elephants in the room.
I encourage you to take seriously the practice of confessing sin. It is vitally important. I also want you to know something that is vital to your spiritual life: You must know that when God forgives your sin (and he will), be assured that you do not have to live with any kind of guilt! God does not give guilt, he is not the author of it. Guilt is a tool of the enemy. If you resign yourself to it, you will never fully enter into the great things God has for you. It will steal your joy, your confidence, and your faith. I think it's a good idea to confess guilt before God as well. Then, take dominion over it. Just as Isaiah was told, "Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for," so is our guilt taken away. So live a life of confession before God. Then receive the full forgiveness of your sin and your guilt. It only takes one touch from God!
No comments:
Post a Comment