by Howard Moore

A recent visit to a Hindu temple with a group from our church challenged my thinking on the issues of confession and forgiveness. Just before leaving for the visit, our pastor explained various aspects of the Hindu mindset. One comment he made struck me: “Hinduism has no place for confession.” The temple guide reiterated this belief by his response to our questions on the subject. To him, sin does not exist. Any positive or negative action that we take either contributes to our future lot in life or is the result of our past “karma.” I must admit that this concept feels strange to me. Later, Caron and I pondered this question: What would our lives really be like if there were no such thing as sin and thus no need for confession or forgiveness?

Initially, we would feel euphoric. "Wow! We are now free to do as we want. Nothing can hold us back." But then in a more reflective moment, a sense of despair would hit us. Life would be chaotic without the awareness of sin. Egotism would reign in us. Luther once wrote, "As long as sins are unknown, there is no room for a cure and no hope of one; for sinners who think they are healthy and need no physician will not endure the healer’s hand."

We all know that sin exists. We also know that God longs for us to confess our sin, because the knowledge of sin and our inability to deal with it makes us aware of our need for Him and His grace and mercy. Once we acknowledge our sin and seek His forgiveness, He credits the righteousness of His Son to us. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22).

Even though we as believers are convinced of these truths, we find ourselves so often living as though confession and forgiveness are non-existent or irrelevant. We go on for days and days refusing to acknowledge sin and wrong doing.

Praise God that confession and forgiveness are possible because without them, we would be hopelessly doomed. Give thanks to Him that Christ’s sacrifice of his own life has made it possible for us to be forgiven (Hebrews 9:22).

Week 5: Reflections

1. Do you see the ways in which you take control of your life as sin?
2. Are you practicing the gift of confessing sin on a regular basis? Are you experiencing God’s mercy and forgiveness?
3. Do you forgive yourself after you have asked God’s forgiveness?
4. Are you willing to forgive as God has forgiven you?

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