[180 words]
As John Dewey exclaimed, “A problem well-put is half solved.”
For us to fix something we have to know what is wrong and what is causing the problem. Too many times we face an issue and are unable—or maybe better said unwilling—to examine ourselves to see what is wrong.
That is what makes 1 John 1:8-9 so poignant: “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
It’s not that God isn’t willing and able to forgive. It’s not that he is demanding a penance by making us grovel. He’s wanting us to see the problem and see our role in it. If we don’t look at what is going on we will never truly be fixed.
Confession is good for the soul, but it is also needed for the mind. Until we see our sin, we will never find the way to fix it.
Barry Haynes
Hope church of Christ
Hope, AR