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There are some major differences between people who are
saved and lost. In this article, we explore two of these
differences.
Everyone Has Sinned
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom.
3:23). We have all sinned in the past. And we'll probably
sin in the future, if God permits us to live. Although we
strive for perfection, we occasionally fall short and sin.
Sin is "missing of the mark" and denotes "an act of disobedience
to Divine law" (Vine's Dictionary). We sin by transgressing,
or failing to accomplish, God's will.
The Saved Don't Deceive Themselves
People who are lost fail to recognize their sin, and deceive
themselves into thinking they're okay with God.
But John says, "If we say that we have no sin, we are
deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us" (1 Jn. 1:8).
As Christians, we humbly remind ourselves that we've sinned
in the past, just as Paul occasionally reminded brethren
of their past sins (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Remembering our past
failures and God's grace to forgive us, helps us remain
humble.
Because of a humble and contrite heart toward God, we
gladly submit ourselves to Him. And because we humbly submit
to God, we avoid the pervasive hypocrisy that destroys so
many human relationships, both in and out of the Lord's
church.
The Saved Confess Their Sin
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"
(1 Jn. 1:9).
Although we openly confess our sins to God when we ask
His forgiveness, we're ashamed of our sins and shortcomings.
We don't like to think about them, much less tell others
about them.
But there are times when we need to tell others that we've
sinned. Perhaps we made a mistake in a public manner that
should come before the church, or we sinned in a private
manner and we need to tell the elders so they can help us.
And certainly, we confess to everyone that we've sinned
and fallen short of God's glory, even when we don't get
into the details of specific sins (Rom. 3:23).
As Christians, we have the courage to confess our sins
to God. And when it's helpful, we courageously confess our
sins to others. On the other hand, people who are lost will
suffer eternal damnation because of pride -- they're too
proud to humble themselves before God and confess their
sins (Jas. 4:6).
Are You Confessing Your Sins?
It takes courageous humility to confess your sins. Test
yourself to see if you're a doer of the word, and not merely
a hearer who deludes himself (Jas. 1:22).
Are you confessing your sins?
- Do you confess your sins to God -- the things you've
done to transgress His will, in addition to the things
you've neglected to do?
- Do you tell others you've sinned in the past -- that
you'd be lost for eternity without God's forgiveness?
- Do you confess your sins to others? Do you confess
them to people you've sinned against, to people who know
about your public sin, and to people who can help you
overcome sin?
What do your answers tell you about yourself?
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