It is good to acknowledge our guilt before God. “For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive” (Psalm 86:5). The Bible also says that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The confession must be from the heart, because we cannot fool God with a formula of words. To say “I have sinned” and yet continue in a sinful way will not do. We read in Proverbs 28:13, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whosoever confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” God delights to show mercy, but remember, He also knows “the hearts of all the children of men” (1 Kings 8:39).
Today is the day of salvation and sinners ought to seek God’s forgiveness before it is too late. Did you know that there were people in the Bible (like Judas) who said “I have sinned” but who were not forgiven? For them it was too late, or they didn’t mean what they said.
In the following questions, you will notice that they all said the same thing, but God did not forgive some, because it was not a real confession.
1. What did Judas say, to which the chief priests and elders replied, “What is that to us?” Matthew 27:___
2. After the father fell on his son’s neck and kissed him, what did the son say?
Luke 15:___
3. After the plague of locusts, no green thing remained through all the land of Egypt. When Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, what did he tell them? Exodus 10:___
4. Was David forgiven when he said, “I have sinned against the Lord”?
2 Samuel 12:___
5. Achan tried to cover his sin and didn’t make confession until the lot was cast and he was found out. What did he then tell Joshua? Joshua 7:___