Unconfessed sins
Sin creates a barrier; it erects a wall between God and us. Failure to confess it widens the gap further and cuts off the fellowship with God. Since God is so pure, He cannot look at sin. We know this because Jesus lamented on the cross as He bore the sins of the world: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me." (Matthew 27:46) God could not look at His Son at that particular moment in time, because he became sin for us, He who knew no sin. "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21) God understands our weaknesses, our failures and our shortcomings. He is ready to overlook them in order to give us a second chance.
He forgives and remembers our sins no more. "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." (Hebrews 10:17) To obtain pardon however we must confess our sins. "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from
The Word of God encourages us, as Christians, to confess our sins. Unconfessed sin is still unforgiven and unpardoned sin.
"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." (Proverbs 28:13)
We sin against God
The act of disobedience we commit each time we sin is solely against God. It is He who had laid down the ground rules governing the behaviour of humankind. As our Creator, He best knows where we are likely to fail. After David committed adultery with Uriah's wife - Bathsheba and planned his death, he felt awful when to his dismay Nathan, the prophet, revealed to him his treacherous act. He immediately admitted it was against God that he had committed this evil deed. "Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight." (Psalm 51:4)
Joseph, the 'well-built and handsome' Hebrew young man in captivity in Egypt when he was seduced by Potiphar's wife refused to commit adultery because if he had done so it would have been against God. "My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife.
How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:9) Joseph restrained himself and would not give in even at the expense of job. (Genesis 39:20)
In the parable of the prodigal son that had squandered his inheritance with riotous living similar sentiments preoccupy him. When he became conscious of his sin, he admitted to himself; "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you." (Luke 15:18)
The consequence of sin is death, and there is no other alternative, no other route. "For the wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23) Humanity cannot escape death that it brought upon itself.
Death is an obligatory passageway out of this life, except for the few who ascended into heaven, Enoch and the prophet Elijah respectively. The Bible teaches "That all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory." No one is exempt but our Lord Jesus "who committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth." (1 Peter 2:22)
Each of us would have to die for his/her our own sins. (Deuteronomy 24:16) The Bible states categorically that the one who sins must die. Death is a penalty, the price we must pay for our disobedience. "The soul who sins is the one who will die." (Ezekiel 18:4)
Slave to sin?
Should living in a world ruled by the devil or inheriting sin as part of our nature make us slaves to sin? This is the question that Paul put to the Romans. Must we take delight or refuge in our weaknesses and not put up a fight? James addresses the issue when he admonishes; "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7) We cannot always be willing victims, living a life of defeat; we must take up our amour and put up a fight.
We cannot give up ourselves as slaves to sin. Paul makes the remark that we are slaves to what we serve. When we live in sin we are slaves to sin. Instead we must die to sin and nail our old self to the cross with Christ. A corpse is insensitive to the pleasures of the world; his senses are dead. In like manner when we die to sin it can no longer have power over us. "For we know that our old self was crucified with Him (Jesus) so that the body of sin might be done away with." (Romans 6:6)
