Unlocking the gate

When a man or woman commits any sin . . . against the Lord . . . then he shall confess the sin which he has committed. — Numbers 5:6-7

Researchers at the University of Toronto reported in 2006 that people who are suffering from a guilty conscience experience “a powerful urge to wash themselves.” To study this effect, the researchers asked volunteers to recall past sins. They were then given an opportunity to wash their hands as a symbol of cleansing their conscience. Those who had recalled their sins washed their hands at “twice the rate of study subjects who had not imagined past transgressions.”

The Bible proposes the only effective way of dealing with sin — confession. In the Old Testament, one of the ways the Israelites were supposed to cleanse themselves and maintain purity before God and in their community was by confessing their sins (Num. 5:5-8). To confess means “to speak the same; to agree with; to admit the truth.” When the people confessed to God, they were not telling Him anything He did not already know. But their confession was a demonstration of a change of heart. Refusing to confess their sins allowed sin to take deeper root within their lives and community.

Admitting our sin unlocks the gate so that we can have forgiveness, joy, and peace. If we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive (1 John 1:9). — Marvin Williams

If we would know God’s power to heal

And cleanse us from within,

We must acknowledge when we’re wrong —

Confessing it as sin.               — Fasick

READ: Numbers 5:5-8

Confession is agreeing with God about our sin.

The Bible in one year:

• Exodus 22-24

• Proverbs 12:15-28