At my church, our senior pastor related twelve gospel statements in a sermon. One of the statements is “You are given grace and peace.” As we gladly accept this good news, we might wonder “Why have I been given grace and peace?”
God’s Word states that our nature is sinful. As much as we want to think of ourselves as a good person, with few moral failures, the Bible is clear. In John 3:23, we read “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” The Bible also highlights that “surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” in Psalm 51:5.
Sin continues to dominate our lives. No matter how hard we try to avoid sin. No matter that we know of godly men and women who serve as examples for us. In Hebrews 12:1 we read “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” Sin is both unavoidable and inescapable. Worst of all, sin entangles us in a life of more sin.
In the New Testament, thirteen books were written by Paul. Paul’s life was transformed from a person seeking to kill believers in Christ to a man who died proclaiming Christ. Paul met Christ in an extraordinary encounter on a journey to find and prosecute believers in Christ, and in that moment he realized God’s incredible gift of salvation in Christ. As an apostle and missionary for Christ, he traveled the region extensively, later giving guidance and encouragement to the many churches he helped to found. In these letters, found now in the Bible, Paul offered the phrase “Grace and peace to you…” in every letter. We see this phrase in Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon. Every letter ascribed to Paul. As an introductory phrase to all thirteen letters, we know that Paul’s gospel — his good news — was best summarized by these words: Grace and peace to you…
Imagine reading one of Paul’s letters, in a church like this. Today, it would be like watching a sermon from a pastor somewhere far away on a big screen in our church. We would sit quietly in the auditorium, the band would leave the stage, and the lights would dim. The face of a pastor would smile from that screen, and the first words we would hear are “Grace and peace to you.” Being in church, believing in Christ, we wonder why every message begins with the same words. Aren’t we OK with God?
Believing in Christ, who died on our behalf, we might think all is well. But, the battle against personal sin never ends. In the ancient church traditions, continued by many traditional Christian denominations today, the church service includes a time of corporate confession, followed by moments of silence for personal confession. Afterwards, the church pastor turns to the congregants and offers a reminder of God’s forgiveness and absolution. We rarely see this in our typical church services today.
Why should we confess sins in prayer? And how? The Bible reminds us of four elements of an ongoing relationship with God:
Contrition
Micah 7:9
Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the Lord’s wrath, until he pleads my case and upholds my cause. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness.
The Bible reminds us that we remain sinners. In that sin, we bear the Lord’s wrath, until He Himself acts as our attorney before the judge. Our sin is personal, and takes us into darkness. The Lord’s actions alone move us from darkness into light. Can we gain a deeper and deeper awareness of personal sin, and how it grieves the Lord and merits wrath? Our ability to see His righteousness is magnified as we are saddened by our personal sin.
Confession
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Confession of sins brings to mind scenes from many movies, where a person speaks with a priest in a small dark box. We don’t have to do that! Confession of specific sins simply means we are to pray to God about the specific sins we recognize. We pray to place them on the altar before the Lord. In so doing, we are given a great weapon to avoid such sin in the future, as He again takes action and purifies us from our unrighteousness.
Cleansing
Jeremiah 33:8
I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.
It is not always easy to recognize that sins are actually rebellion from God. Such rebellion separates us. God cannot have a living relationship with us in our rebellion! What is amazing is that God wants a continuing relationship with us, and He alone chooses to and has power to cleanse us.
Celebration
Romans 7:24-25
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
The battle with sin, which never seems to end, brings us to a recognition that we are truly wretched. Even though we are well-dressed, greet one another with a smile, and share pleasantries with friends, we are actually living as if we were on death row. Our garments are ragged, dirty, and mark us as condemned with stripes that show our guilt. We are trapped in a dark cell, surviving on moldy bread and dank water rather than filet mignon and merlot wine. The singular sacrificial act of Christ leads us to exclaim “hallelujah!” in thanksgiving for our rescue.
So today, what would your prayer of confession be? Can you confess your sins, recognizing that God alone chooses to act to save us? Can you share with God your sorrow over your sin, your recognition that it separates you from Him, your desire to return to fellowship with Him, and your gratitude for Christ’s sacrifice? Can you ask God to purify you?
If we do, we will live in a continuing state of celebration, in which we recognize the gospel of grace and peace in our lives. Because of our sin, we need grace. With God’s grace, we live in peace with Him.
Seeking To Understand 