Repentance and confession

In being saved, we repent of our past sins. We do not merely acknowledge that our actions violate God’s statutes. We “change our minds” about those actions. Instead of seeing them as pleasurable and desirable we understand them to be harmful to us and abhorrent to God. But what about sins which we commit after we are saved? They are dealt with through confession — a process which is similar to repentance. Repentance brings us to our spiritual salvation – we have been saved (Ephesians 2:8-10). Confession is central to and involved in the process of sanctification (giving purpose and meaning to) our present lives – we are being saved (Philippians 2:13, 18).

1 John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” In Greek, the word “confess” means “to voice the same conclusion.” In repentance we “changed our minds” about our past sins. We came around to God’s way of viewing those activities. In confession we again are not merely acknowledging our sins as violations of God’s commandments. Instead we conclude that God’s view of the action is the correct one, ours was wrong and we are sorrowful. We profess that we are in agreement with Him, that we have aligned our thoughts and attitudes with His and endorse His statutes.

God has called us to be “conformed to the image of Christ” (Romans 8:29). “Changing our minds” and coming to “the same conclusion” about sin that God has is how we are conformed to His image. We were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) but sin distorted that image. Salvation and sanctification is how that image is restored.

Paul calls on believers to “let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). Indeed because we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us we “have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). That mind helps us to not be as prone to sinning as we are conformed to the image of Christ, “One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). This is a life-long struggle but one which God works in and through us (Philippians 2:13). Paul encouraged the believers that, “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

In the new covenant that God promised to the Old Testament believers, He promised “I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33). But He goes further and promises, “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27). The promise of the Holy Spirit will allow us to be obedient to Proverbs 2:1-4 where we are told to keep God’s words, commandments and teachings and to “Write them on the tablet of your heart.” This is sanctification.