| Confession | | Print | |
 “The Kingdom of God is all about relationships that are based on love and forgiveness.”If you were a member of my church you would hear that assertion quoted at least once a month. It’s a favorite of one of our elders and is often repeated by people in the church. The first time I heard it I, of course, had to disassemble it to see if I could subscribe. I’ve been on this walk with Christ long enough to recognize the truth of the first half of the claim. Life in the Kingdom is most certainly “all about relationships.” The beginning of a transformational relationship with Jesus is what brings one into the Kingdom of God. And a relationship with his people, the church, cannot be separated from a relationship with him, since they are called “his body.” The second half of the statement starts out well, too. Who can dispute that love is not at the foundation of these relationships? The epistle of First John hammers that one home. But why is this word “forgiveness” tagged on the end – almost as if it’s just as important as love? It’s because of sin. The present form of the Kingdom of God still exists in a fallen world and is composed of imperfect saints. That’s the present reality. And because of that fact we often offend one another and God. Those offenses cause obstacles in the path of our relationships. Without a constant flow from the well of forgiveness, there would quickly be no relationships of love in the Kingdom. If we immediately broke ties with anyone who offended us, we would soon be quite alone. And where would we be if God did that? But God doesn’t do that. God sets the standards for behavior in the Kingdom and he says that he is always ready to restore a relationship damaged by sin whenever we are willing to recognize our offense and name it for what it is – sin. He doesn’t then demand us to pay for that sin. He’s already done that. He forgives us and restores the relationship even in ways we could not know. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful {that is, can be depended upon} and just {that is, has earned the right} and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness {that is, even the stuff we didn’t know about}.” 1 John 1:9 And that is the standard we follow in the Kingdom. We confess. We forgive with added grace. We walk in restored relationships. This doesn’t happen by accident. Confession is done intentionally and regularly. It’s a discipline. |
