The Joy of Confession: Some Thoughts on Psalm 32

Said the Puritan, Ralph Venning, the truly sinful thing about sin is its utter, unquenchable, and relentless desire to be opposed to God.  What God calls good, sin calls evil.  What God calls wrong, sin calls right.  What God says “do,” sin says “ignore.”  What makes it sin is its intention to allow no harmony, peace, or concord with God.  If it could, says Venning, sin “would ungod God.”

David speaks of the true experience of liberation that comes when we hand our sins over to God in confession.  Like the little child caught in a cycle of lies, every fiber of our being resists the call to come to our heavenly Father and confess our sins openly and honestly.  Yet, such is the nature of sin.  As long as we abide by sin’s wishes and share its inclinations, we stand in opposition to God.  He says, “confess,” and we refuse.  He says, “repent,” and we explain why repentance is an antiquated notion.

We must confess our sins, because we have sins to confess; and, when we do confess, says Scripture, we will find a God who is not only just in His ferocious opposition to sin, but faithful to His promise to save sinners and make us new.  God will take our confession, and He will hand us His forgiveness.  God will take our sins, and He will hand us His crucified and risen Son, pierced for our transgressions and raised for our justification.

Believer, find a church where you can confess your sins weekly; not so that you might wallow in the sorrow of your sinfulness, but so that you would hear God’s gracious response: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow” (Isa. 1:18).

O Holy and Gracious God, great is my sin, but greater still is Your love and mercy, through Jesus Christ, the Savior of sinners like me. Amen.