“If we claim to be without sin…” Any sin can be rationalized into a virtue. After all we are entitled to our feelings. We have a right to be upset. My shortcomings and failures cannot be as bad as those other people. Far from being wrong, sin argues, it is actually right and proper not only to feel this way but also to act this way. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in.” Ouch! Some of the questions you answered earlier likely raised an “ouch!” When we look into the mirror of God’s will for our lives, our sin begins to stand out. Certainly it is natural to want to hide, blame, or explain away our angry habits, but that doesn’t change their reality. Actually God seeks us out when we sin, he ignores our explanations, and he gets upset when we point at the sins of others. All God wants from us is our confession (Gen 3:8-13).
What does it mean to “confess” our sins? To confess literally means to come into agreement with. When we confess our sins, God brings us into agreement with his judgment on our sin. When we confess our sins, we take ownership and responsibility for where we have come up short of God’s requirements for our lives. When we confess our sins, we don’t tack on any disclaimers such as if, but, or maybe to explain or justify our sin. When we confess our sins, we simply say, “This is my sin. I take responsibility for it. I am so sorry for offending you, my holy God.”
What happens when we confess our sins? “(God) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins.” The wall that sin has established between us and heaven is torn down by forgiveness. We can trust God to forgive because of what his only Son has done for us. When he died on the cross, he took God’s judgment on his own shoulders that was rightfully ours because of the anger that broods in our hearts and lashes out at God and others. God wrote our debt “paid in full” when he raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 4:25). That forgiveness was costly to God but is now free to us. That forgiveness is ours whenever we confess our sins.
God doesn’t stop there. He goes on to promise that he will also “purify us from all unrighteousness.” To be made righteous is to be restored to the order the Creator intended. For instance, if your car breaks down, in a sense it becomes unrighteous because it is no longer operating according to the designers’ specifications. In our unrighteousness we are like that broken car. Because of our sin we are not operating the way God designed us at creation. What forgiveness does is give us the righteousness of Christ so we can be what God designed us to be (Rom 3:22-24). Our righteousness will only find its completeness when we are forever in heaven with Christ where we will no longer have sins to confess. In the meantime because we daily sin much, we flee to God in confess to receive his forgiveness and be purified from all unrighteousness. It is in that process that God grows and matures us as his people.
Here is a form of confession for you to use based on 1 John 1:8-9. (If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us) Father, I admit that I have acted out my anger in ways hurtful to you and others. (If we confess our sins) I take full responsibility for my angry deeds and agree with your judgment upon them. (God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins) I believe that Jesus Christ took your judgment upon my sin to the cross with him. My debt is now paid. (and will purify us from all unrighteousness) In your mercy set me on a new path that releases me from the power of my anger. Give me courage to not only confess my sin to you but also those whom I have hurt with my anger. I ask it all in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Hear now God’s words to you based on your confession. I am compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. I will not always accuse, nor will I harbor my anger forever; I do not treat you as your sins deserve or repay you according to what justice requires. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is my love for those who fear me; as far as the east is from the west, so far have I removed your transgressions from you. As a father has compassion on his children, so I have compassion on those who fear me (Psalm 103:8-13 paraphrased).
Part of that righteousness Christ gives us is the strength and freedom to go to those whom you have offended and hurt. This can be the hardest part of dealing with our sin of anger. Ambassadors of Reconciliation[1] have the best help I have seen with the Seven A’s of Confession.
Address everyone involved (All those whom you have affected)
Avoid if, but, and maybe (Do not try to excuse your wrongs)
Admit specifically (Both attitudes and actions)
Acknowledge the hurt (Express sorrow for hurting someone)
Accept the consequences (Such as making restitution)
Alter your behavior (Change your attitudes and actions)
Ask for forgiveness
Using these steps can go a long way in promoting healing and reconciliation.
[1] For more information contact Ambassadors of Reconciliation at PO Box 81130, Billings, MT 59108, (406)256-1583, or visit their website at www.HisPeace.org.
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