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Let’s understand the power of confession. . .
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9, ESV).
When Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished,” He meant that sin and death were defeated. Now, through confession, we can receive forgiveness through His grace.
Richard Foster, in his classic book entitled Spiritual Disciplines, writes. . .
Without the cross the Discipline of confession would be only psychologically therapeutic.
Yes, without the blood of a perfect sacrifice in Jesus, confession is just another self-help technique. The cross is brutal, real, and necessary for our forgiveness. A holy God cannot accept imperfection in His presence. God loves us but can’t associate with us without justice meted for our sins.
The cross allows a loving God to forgive through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus.
Our Lord paid the penalty for our sin. Our confession of Jesus releases this forgiveness into our spirit, soul, and body. As the Apostle John writes. . .
And the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7b).
The profession of belief isn’t a static “feel good” moment but a supernatural restoration of the lost now found. Since all have sinned, the natural world can’t provide the sacrifice. Only a supernatural — God in the flesh — can suffice!
Amen!
Understanding the cross and the release of power through our confession, many think, “That’s crazy.” The Apostle Paul concludes, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
Ideas from the flesh in thinking that we are good, believing we can save ourselves, and the disbelief in a single sacrifice of one for many, seem strange to those without sight to see. But the Bible teaches. . .
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise (1 Corinthians 3:18).
In my life, the cross and confession became a reality when I received Jesus as my Savior and received immediate freedom from drug-induced paranoia. The blood of Jesus saves us entirely – our physical ailments, our emotional turmoil, and our disconnection from God.
The word “save” in the New Testament implies “total and complete” or “all” parts of our redemption. We need this supernatural help found on the cross!
During my morning devotions, I practice a discipline that I call “confession and cross.” I review my known sins and what others have said about me, and then I cast them on the cross. In that moment, I find the presence and peace of God.
Through our faith, we receive salvation, and through confession, His grace abounds to heal our continued sinfulness. . .
All because of the cross.