General News
8 July, 2024
Pastor's viewpoint
The burden of sin and the importance of confession and forgiveness.
By St Ambrose Memorial Church
The relief of a clean slate! It is such a load to carry around guilt and blame, knowing we have wronged, offended or hurt someone. Also, in our conscience, we are aware that we have let ourselves down and need to make things right. This is what God’s word refers to as carrying the burden of sin.
When we sin, we cause grief and hurt to ourselves, God and usually someone else – creating a fracture in relationship which becomes an overwhelming burden that weighs us down! The only way to deal with the guilt of a wrong is through confession and forgiveness.
Our wrongs, or sin, must be confessed to God because the awful thing about sin is that it not only breaks God’s law, but it breaks his heart! God desires us to tell him we are sorry, naming the sin, so we are clear about what we are confessing. Have no fear in approaching God with confession – access to God has been made easy through Jesus.
Our loving God promises forgiveness when we confess our sin and, as we expose our heart to his heart, you will experience not only relief but release from the burden of unresolved guilt and sin. To achieve this clean slate, this fresh start - requires us to admit our fault to the person we have wronged if there is a human hurt involved. The relief and joy in repairing a fractured relationship is truly liberating!
1 John 1: 9 says: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Jesus paid the price on the cross for all our sin, but we must confess them and receive God’s perfect forgiveness to enjoy complete freedom and a clear conscience – only then can we experience maximum fellowship and joy in relationship with God.
So many of God’s relationship principles apply to our personal relationships. We encourage you to live free of guilt and shame by confessing your wrongdoings and accepting God’s promise of complete forgiveness through Jesus Christ. To be free from the weight of sin is an amazing gift from our Almighty, Loving God!
With love from the St Ambrose family
