WHY FORGIVEN SAINTS SHOULD CONFESS AND JUDGE THEIR SINS

Pastor Art Watkins of Coden Bible Church (Coden, Alabama)

February 23, 2019

Forgiveness of sin means you are saved from the eternal condemnation of sin in hell and the lake of fire. But it does not save you from the defilement of sin, for in 2 Cor. 7:1-2 it says: Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

The filthiness of the flesh and spirit are the sins committed by the flesh and spirit that defile the flesh and spirit.

Forgiveness of sin saves us from the eternal punishment of sin, but it does not save us from the temporal punishment of sin for 1 Cor. 11:29-32 says about the Corinthians who perverted the Lord’s Supper: For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

This was written to saints who were forgiven but yet they suffered chastisement for their sins in the form of weakness, sickness and even death. But they and anyone today can escape chastisement by two ways. Don’t commit the sins that bring chastisement into your life. Or judge and confess them and you will not be judged with chastisement for if we judge ourselves we should not be judged.

Back to 2 Corinthians 7:1-2 which says: let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. How do we cleanse ourselves from the defilement and pollution of the sins of the flesh and sins of the spirit? John tells us how in 1 John 1:8-10: If we (saved people) say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we (saved People) confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we (saved people) say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

These words in 1 John 1:8-10 were written to people who were already forgiven for he said to these same people in 1 John 2:12: I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. They are just like the Corinthians who were already forgiven. The Corinthians were told to judge their sins and you can’t judge them without confessing them to escape chastisement. These saints were told to confess their sins to be forgiven of its defilement and to cleansed from the pollution and filthiness of the sins of the flesh and spirit. (2 Cor. 7:1-2)

Don’t let anyone deceive you about confessing your sins.

It’s a trick of the devil and if you fall for it you will find yourself out of fellowship with God, out of the will of God and in danger of chastisement.