POPULAR CULTURE SAYS to view the problems in our lives as the result of the actions of others. We are supposedly the victims of our parents' choices and actions, not our own. Our legal system proclaims we're innocent until proven guilty yet urges the alleged murderer to declare he is not guilty even when he knows he is. While I would never seek to diminish or make light of true victims of abuse, I would suggest that we've been convinced that nothing is our fault. Scripture paints a different picture. The Bible says we've all sinned and gone astray. That's not popular, but it is true.
The Israelites in Nehemiah's day present a concrete example that is applicable today. After hearing the book of the law and understanding it clearly, they took action. When they examined their lives in the light of God's Word, they confessed their own sin and remembered that of their parents. They weren't trying to escape blame but embraced confession in order to know the mercy of God.
We all need the truth of the Word through the Holy Spirit to convince us to take responsibility for our sins. This is not what we hear whenever we listen to secular counselors, read self-help literature, or observe the current legal process. But 1 John 1:9 is clearforgiveness and cleansing </:9>unconditionally follow the good confession.
Noelle Carle
Ask God to reveal sin, but always trust in His forgiveness and grace.
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