In your commentary on Psalm 121 you discussed the benefit of confession. With the many ways human religion has clouded this issue, would you clarify the Biblical view of confession? Exactly what is required to restore my fellowship with the Lord? What about the sins of thought that we might forget about? Do we have to remember each sin in order to ask forgiveness? Or is asking to be forgiven from all sins sufficient? Thank you for your help in this matter!
King David has agreed to handle this answer for me. He wrote it 3000 years ago.
Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. (Psalm 19:12-13)
“Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.” Sin is so natural to me, forgive me for the ones I don’t even know I’ve committed.
“Keep your servant also from willful sins.” Forgive me for my conscious sins, too. In fact don’t let me commit one.
“Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.” Once you’ve forgiven me, it’ll be as though I never sinned.
God’s not looking for loopholes He can use to avoid forgiving us. He actually went to extremes in the other direction. And He knows the intent of our hearts. So we don’t have to worry about leaving a sin out of our confession
But I’ve found that Psalm 19 is a good way to protect myself, just the same.