Do Christians sin or do they merely make mistakes? If they sin, should they confess their trespasses to God or should they only ‘declare their righteousness’ with no remorse and contrition?
At our monthly Calvary Chapel Apologetics platform last Wednesday a question about the relevance of the knowledge of the Trinity for a life of repentance arose. We restated the fundamental truth that the believer is united with Christ who is perfect Man and Perfect God, by the Spirit who makes us sons of God.
Since this is so, we noted, the Christian is justified because of his union with Christ. In this union, Christ identified with the believer’s sin, dying for him; and the believer identifies with Christ’s righteousness that is credited to his account. Justification is once and for all. Here, God the just Judge declares the sinner justified because of his union with Christ the Righteous sin-bearer, this union made possible by the Spirit.
Man is justified, not because he is righteous in himself, but because he is joined to the One who is perfect in Himself. The justified ones shall never be condemned, seeing that their sins are not counted on them by God the Judge.
But God’s goal for us is not to be merely declared ‘righteous’ but to be ‘conformed to the image of His Son’ (Rom 8:29). Sanctification (αγιασμός) is a process in which those who are joined to Christ are made as holy as He is by the Spirit of holiness.
Glorification is when we finally will be as holy as He is (1 John 3:2; 1 Cor 13:12; 15:53).
On Repentance
In the first three of his 95 Theses, Martin Luther remarked that:
When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said “Repent,” He called for the entire life of believers to be one of penitence. The word cannot be properly understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, i.e., confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy. Yet its meaning is not restricted to penitence in one’s heart; for such penitence is null unless it produces outward signs in various mortifications of the flesh
‘The entire life of believers’ says Luther, ‘is one of repentance.’ The Greek word for repentance (μετάνοια) is more than mental assent. It carries with it the idea of remorsefulness and conversion (BDAG). It has a ‘focus on the need for change in view of responsibility to deity.’
Repentance in scripture is the beginning of a new self-conscious relationship with God (Acts 2:37-38). From the text above, one can see that repentance involves contriteness and brokenness over one’s wicked works and a turning to God for cleansing and forgiveness.
Often ‘hyper-grace’ teachers detach the Greek word μετάνοια from its cultural and historical context and thus teach that repentance is merely about changing one’s mind.
This is partially true and yet misleading when not viewed in context. In Greek thought, what distinguishes man from animals is rationality. Man is a rational animal. The Greeks thought of the Mind as the king, the Will as the military, and the Emotions as subjects.
They believed that when the king (mind) is enlightened, he will rightly control the military (will) and rule well over the subjects (emotions). That is why they endeavored to educate their kings more than anyone else.
Thus, repentance, in the Greek framework would entail the renewing of the mind, thus conforming the will and actions to righteousness. It is a wholesome process, and not compartmental. We continually renew our minds, repent of our past sinfulness, leading to a change of our actions.
The goal of repentance and confession is not just the change of mind, but the transformation of a life. Thus Luther insisted that the lifetime of a believer is one of repentance, and also that such penitence is ‘null unless it produces outward signs in various mortifications of the flesh.’
Confessing our Sin
Someone may contend that we do not need to confess our sin or repent. They teach that when we sin, we should only declare our righteousness. In fact, some believe that we do not sin. We ‘make mistakes.’ They claim that those who confess their sins are sin-conscious.
But John says differently (1 John 1:5-10). He claims that no one is sinless, apart from Christ. And thus he calls for the confession, not of our righteousness, but of our sins. John says that if we do not do so, there is no light in us. He essentially says that if you do not confess your sin, chances are that you are not a Christian and His word is not in you!
Paul intensely agrees, calling for mourning rather than celebration (1 Cor 5). He is enraged at those who trifle with wickedness thinking of it as merely a mistake. Notice that both passages deal with Christians, not non-believers!
As we saw, justification does not make you inwardly holy or righteous. It only credits Christ’s righteousness to your account.
Sanctification is the process by which the Holy Spirit conforms you to Christlikeness. It is a process of purification and refining. It is a removal of inward impurities. To Confess your sin is to expose it, to shed light on darkness or to ‘walk in the light’ (1 John 1).
If you claim that you have not sinned, John says, you are a liar. But you also make God a liar since He gave His Spirit for your sanctification. But you do not think you need to be sanctified since you claim to be sinless.
The more you behold Christ, the more you realize the sin that remains in you, and the more you love the sanctifying work of the Spirit in you.
Your union with Christ should cause a righteous hatred for sin. He who covers his sin is not in the light. We only shelter what we do not want to be eradicated. Confessing your sin is a sure sign that you are forgiven, that you love the light and hate darkness. It is a sign that you are indeed God’s son, made so by your union with Christ.
Remember that as a Christian, you do not confess your sin to be justified. You already are. You do so for your cleansing and forgiveness, not from the Judge but our Father. If you hide your sin, you grieve the Spirit of God (Eph 4:30) and possibly indicate that you are not a believer.
I would like to hear your thoughts. Feel free to leave me an email at byamukama104@gmail.com for any inquiries or message.