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Confessing Sin

Many of Jesus’ words are preserved in the gospels. Sometimes key sayings appear more than once. Three out of the four gospels record this statement, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” [Matthew 9:13 Mark 2:17 Luke 5:32]

Jesus physical presence had a polarizing effect on people. Some instantly recognized their own sinfulness. Peter went so far on one occasion as to beg the Lord to leave, saying, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” [Luke 5:8] At the same time, as people turned away from their sin, they rejoiced in His presence knowing that they were forgiven, clean, made whole and that their lives would never be the same again.

At the other extreme, some looked at Jesus and felt smugly self-righteous. Jesus was unconventional in His cultural context. He kept the law as God intended it to be kept, but that was often in conflict with the way the religious leaders of the day enforced the law. Consequently, on several occasions we find the Pharisees challenging Jesus, secure in their delusion that they were righteous and He was a sinner. Their charges went as far as blasphemy and demon-possession.

When Jesus said, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,” He was letting everyone know that salvation was for those who recognized that they were hopeless. They knew that their attitudes and behaviour condemned them. They could never approach God because they knew that they would be consumed by His holiness. At the same time these people longed for God, they were trapped by sin.

These are the people Jesus was looking for. These are the ones He came to save. He knew that the self-righteous were already satisfied with themselves. Secure in their ability to justify themselves, they distained the justification that Jesus offered. As a result, Jesus didn’t waste much time on them. He warned them. He answered many of their questions. But they remained unconvinced. So, Jesus turned his attention to those who knew they were sinners.

This challenges me as I’m aware that those who are already Christians can fall into the trap of self-righteousness, thinking that holding to specific doctrines, following specific ways of doing things, and separating from those who are different commends them to God. I remind myself frequently that my only hope before God is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. I will not point to my record, but to His sacrifice for me. The prayer “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner” is never far from my lips.

When it comes to confessing sin, there’s a world of difference between the self-righteous and the self-conscious.

Ron Hughes
© June 2008