What are the three hardest words to say and really mean?
“When you become aware of your guilt in any of these ways, you must confess your sin.”
Leviticus 5:5 (NLT)
We are living in a “no-fault” state. I don’t mean that we have “no-fault” auto insurance. I mean that people don’t admit when they are at fault. I grew up watching Star Trek, and I can still hear Captain Kirk give the order, “Raise the deflector shields, Scotty!” We have become good at raising our deflector shields whenever we are accused of wrongdoing. “It’s not my fault.” “You don’t understand.” “It was the woman you gave me.” We have a whole host of excuses.
But Benjamin Franklin said:
“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”
And King Solomon said:
“People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.”
Proverbs 28:13 (NLT)
The word “confess” means to “agree with”. We stop pointing a finger at someone else and take total ownership for our sins. It has been said that the three hardest words in the English language are, “I was wrong.” Fortunately, we live under the New Covenant. We no longer have to slit the throat of our bull or goat to be forgiven. The Lamb of God was already slain for our sins. But we must confess them if we want to be forgiven.
The trespass offering was for the following faults:
- Failing to speak up when called to testify about something you’ve seen.
- Touching an unclean dead carcass.
- Promising to do something and failing to do it.
After confessing your sin, you would then offer a sacrifice on the altar, and you would be purified, justified, and forgiven. The trespass offering also involved making restitution. If you failed to give God His portion, then you were required to add 20% to it.
I think most of us would like to prosper. But in God’s economy prosperity does not come by “passing the buck” but by admitting our faults and trusting in Christ’s redemptive work on the cross to atone for them.
“Heavenly Father, please search my heart and reveal any offenses I’ve done against you or against others for which I need to put things right. Help me agree with you in these things and then guide me in taking the next step. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
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