CONCEAL OR CONFESS

Proverbs 28:13 “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

The Apostle John proclaims an undeniable truth, in 1 John 1:8, 10, when he says, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us…If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

It is true that we Christians will sin. No matter how diligently we devote ourselves to practicing righteousness and striving to perfect holiness in our lives, we are - from time to time - going to miss the mark and sin. From time to time, we are going to disobey God’s commandments and sin. Anyone who should deny this, says John, is just deceiving themselves and they make God a liar.

The Word of God basically tells us that we have two options in responding to sin in our lives. We find those two options in our scripture. Wise old Solomon says that our two options are ‘concealing’ and ‘confessing’. The concealing option is when we choose not to acknowledge our transgression or sin to God and we go about our life as if nothing happened. The confessing option is when we choose to acknowledge our transgression or sin to God, ask for forgiveness and seek the grace needed to change. Solomon says that those who choose the concealment option “will not prosper.” Those who choose the confession option “will find compassion.”

We need to understand that the concealment option is pure folly. The truth is that we can never conceal or hide our sin from God. In Jeremiah 2:22, we read "Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your iniquity is before me, declares the Lord God.” There simply isn’t any manner in which we can truly conceal our sin. The great consequence of concealing our transgressions or sin is that it creates a barrier between us and God. The separation that is created is not based upon God being angry as much as it is based upon the fact that a Holy God cannot casually fellowship with sin. If we sin and casually go about our lives, with an attitude of indifference, our relationship with God is damaged or broken. The sin that we have attempted to conceal produces a wall between us and God. We are not showing a true desire for closeness. Whereas, we may not show much of a desire for closeness, God does desire that bond. He built us in such a fashion that concealed sin would vex us. He gave us a conscience that can be burdened by guilt.

Whereas concealment brings a barrier between God and us, confessing and forsaking our transgressions maintains our fellowship with God. Whereas concealment brings guilt, confession brings the blessing of forgiveness or pardon.

Christians will sin or transgress God’s law from time to time. When we do, we are faced with two very different options. God wants us to maintain a healthy fellowship with him. He wants us to experience his peace and joy. Let us confess and forsake our transgressions. This is the path of growth and maturity which brings blessings now and an assurance for tomorrow.