SINS OF CONFESSION

the Definition of Sin: an offence against God; against His law and ways;  an action that is highly reprehensible; estrangement from God, Who is holy; 

We define sin by what it is and what it is not.  We read in the Scriptures, God's commands, 'Thou shalt not'.  Many focus on these but not on the other part, 'Thou shalt'.  Rightouesness is being right with God and doing right by God.  If we sin or are sinning, then we are not right with God.  Holiness is purity, wihtout sin.  If we sin or are sinning, then we are not holy.  sin and holiness cannot exist in the same plain. 

Fruits of the Flesh:  found in Galatians 5:19 - 21, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Audltery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, v. 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, v. 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:  of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
There are 17 sins  defined here as that which proceeds from our flesh.  an open choice of doing these things. 
Matthew 15:18 - 20, 'But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. v. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: v. 20 these are the things which defile a man:"
Mark 7:20 - 23, 'that which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. v. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, v. 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: v. 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man."
There are notable differences for us to note here in these two passages of Scripture.  Christ is the ONe speaking in both, both verses come from Christ.  In Matthew 15, there are 7 sins listed.  but in Mark 7, there are 13 mentioned, almost twice as many listed. 
Comparison:  Both list: Evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, blasphemies; the only one not mentioned in of the 7 in Matthew 15 is False Witness, or lying.  Although deceit is closely tied to lying. 

What does this mean for us?  Many of these sins are sins of our past.  We came out of this darkness, to enter into Christ Light.  We did not know then, but we definitely do now, how offensive these sins are to Him.  We realize how much it costs our Lord in dying for our sins, each one of our sins.  We confess these sins before Him that we are guilty.  We look to Jesus and His nail scars and know that His death was for the shedding of His blood for the removal of our sins.  'What can wash away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.' 

Yet, we see much of these same sins of the flesh still in the church.  Where is the separation?  Where is the deliverance?  These sins are destroying our families.  they are destroying our nation and communities.  We know that sin provokes God to anger, to justice.  We ask of Him to pardon, to deliver, to cleanse our land.  We ask of Him 'in wrath to remember mercy.'  When praying for lost souls, you must see that these sins are what holds them, what keeps them from Christ.  SAtan uses these things to hold them captive in sin and  reject God's invitation. 

The flesh is weak, the flesh is sinful.  The battle is over the heart that chooses to either sin or flee from it.  Salvation is not just confessing the sin of having done these things, but also, repentance to be done with these things.  Only the power of God can such a thing.  The will power, or the 'mind made up', or a resolve is not suffecient for salvation.  ONly by abiding in Christ, dying daily on the cross sets the soul free and keeps them free. 

Since the church is still practicing these evils. It is still a part of their lives, then we must conclude that the flesh has not died, but still very much alive.  There will be no victory, till death of the flesh, and resurrected in His resurrection power to set the captives free.  The Lord alone is able to break the chains that Satan has placed on the life to hold them in their sin of habit, routine, ignorance, fleshly desire

Self - Sins:  a part of this understanding about sin is found in our flesh;  Paul said, 'There is no good thing in my flesh';  David said, 'In my mothers womb I was conceived in sin'.  Our ability to life a life of self is in direct conflict with God.  The message of our salvation is found in dying to self, in order to allow God to live in us.  No death to self, no life in Christ. 
Sins of self to recognize and confess are the following:  Ravenhill, 'self-seeking, self-glory, self-interest, self-pity, self-righteousness, self-importance, self-promotion, self-satisfaction'. 

Here again in the 'self-sins' we see the battle over souls.  It is self vs. Christ.  We must understand the base knowledge of this truth that Satan would keep us from it.  We see people confess their selfish sins today, but they do not announce that Christ is Lord of their life.  They want a Savior but not a Lord.  In such cases, if they confess their selfish sins, but do not relinquish Lordship to Him, then self is still lord of their life.  They will never be delivered nor set free.  'The truth shall set you free'.  This truth is what is missing from many an evangelistic encounter.  No death to self, then self still rules;  self must die and Christ must be placed as Lord of our life or no life at all. 

You answer this question to resolve this issue:  Who rules my life?  Who rules my decisions, habits, chocies?  Do you seek the Lord for direction, answers, help?  Or do you look to your own self (a self made man, as our world loves to call it), or to other people for deliverance and help?  The answer to these questions tells you, who or Who is lord or Lord of your life.

The rule of thumb here in listening to people is what pronouns they use about their life.  A lot of 'I's, 'Me's and 'Myself' reveal a selfish intent.  Healthy prnouns are always pointing to God - He, Him, You, O Lord are proper Christian references. 




Dispositional sins - the sins of our emotions;  Too often people today give place to the way they feel as given permission to sin.  'I got up on the wrong side of the bed'; 'I'm having a bad day'; or even, sickness as that allows us to sin in anger, hostility, rage, lusts, or pleasures.  None of these things hold merit by Scripture as to allow sin.  The overall understanding of any of these sins, including dispositional sins is the horribleness of sin.  Oh, how much it has costs us, and how much it will costs us if we play with it or allow it. 
A defining of dispositional sins are : sensitiveness, irritabilty, churlishness, faultfinding, peevishness, temper, resentfulness, cruelty, uncharitable attitudes to name a few (Tozer);

the allowing of circumstances or emotions to dictate our reactions, responses and daily activities is completely anti-Christian.  Christ is our example.  In the midst of His gruel death, He opened not His mouth to rail on them.  He brought no sin into His reaction or attitude.  A mandate of governing ourselves in all ways, in all times must be a continual closenss to the Spirit.  He will guide us and keep us. 

Presumptous Sins:  the very act of presuming that this act is okay, knowing all along that it is high sin in the sight of a holy God;  Psalm 19:13, "Keep back Thy servant from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me:  then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression." 

Generational Sins:  such the high costs of any soul to know that our actions will have a reaction to the next generation;  WE are reaping what the previous generation has already sown.  'He that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption.  Het the soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.'  The question we have ask and answer is, 'What did the former generation sow?  And what am I sowing?'  The first question reveals to me what I am reaping now.  The second answers what my children and grandchildren shall reap. 

This is one of the hardest things I struggle with in Scripture.  The uncertainty of it is found in my human understanding.  It leads us back to the spiritual paradox of God.   We are forgiven, yet sin remains; we are light, yet darkness still comes; God is merciful, yet sin reaps corruption.  I simply understand it in light of Isaiah 55, 'My ways are higher than your ways'.  But let us examine several portions of Scripture to see this and understand it in light of our present condition and the future of our next generation.

1. Exodus 34:7, 'Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.'  Here is the fullness of the paradox mentioned earlier.  God grants mercy and forgiveness to those that seek it; but God sends punishment to those that don't.  And that punishment of the 'guilty' mentined in this verse, is not just for their actions at the point of committing the sin, it is also bearing the weight of future punishment. 

the guilt of the fathers/mothers is not confessed, is not repented of, therefore, it is still remains.  They are guilty in the sight of God.  The sin maintains its corrisve hold and, since the seed was not removed, nor dug up, it is allowed to grow and flourish to the next ones. 

2.  II Kings 23:26, 'Notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of His great wrath, wherewith His anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provcation that Manasseh had provoked Him withal.'  Josiah is king, two generations removed from Manasseh.  HIs father, Amon, had a very short reign, only 2 years.  Here is the grandson of Manasseh, the great grandson of Hezekiah.  We are talking about 4 generations here.  Hezekiah served the Lord, but gave place to a son in his extended 15 years of life.  Perhaps he spoiled him, left him undisciplined or not taught to walk in fear of the Lord, whatever the reason, Manasseh began his kingship and brought great sin to the people.  He provoked the Lord just as the Israel kings did.  And even though, II Chronicles tells us he humbled himself, his son did not learn that lesson and Amon followed after his father's footsteps.  The time Josiah comes to be king, the wrath of the LOrd was so fierce against Judah, that there was no remedy.  For Josiah did everything the law required; he did it with all his heart.  And only by God's mercy, was he allowed to come to his death and not see nor be a part of the evil that God was going to do to Judah.  We see 4 generations, 2 good, at the beginning and at the end; 2 evil ones, 1 only be 2 years, but it was not enough to undo the evil of literally one man for 55 years of sin. 

What am I sowing for my children?  What am I sowing for the future?  Am I sowing sin? or am I sowing rightouesness?

Inbred Sins:  defined by David McIntyre in the 'Hidden Life of Prayer', 'there is native sinfulness, the body of death.. . When we acknowledge the depravity of our nature we should endeavour to speak according to the measure of our experience. . . we are led into a prfounder understanding of the sinfulness of inbred sin until we lament with Ezra, "O, my God, I am sashamed and blush to lift up my fact to Thee, my God" Ezra 9:6'