1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Yesterday I said I would find another word to deal with sin, that I would not justify sin.  The word is confess. Now the title of this devotional is Counter Intuitive because confession is not the natural reaction to sin. We see that in the reactions in original sin. Deflection is the first instinct.

When you break the law and are arrested you get a lawyer, an advocate. His job is to get you off with as little penalty as possible. His goal is to set you free. He could care less how you feel about your crime, that isn’t his job. He will tell you to plead not guilty so that he can argue your case.

That’s the law. Sin isn’t subject to the law. Sin still exists where the law says you are good to go. In both cases the law is powerless to change how you feel about sin. The emotional side of sin, conviction of conscience, will still be hounding you unless you can find an advocate that cares about your feelings.

1 John 2:1b And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

The goal of our advocate Jesus Christ is restoration of relationship. Righteous means in right standing. Our advocate has a right standing in the courts of heaven. We confess our sins to Him and He turns to the Father and says, “He’s good to go. I’ve got him covered.”

John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

You can now come away from your confession with restored relationship with the Father. You are now free to deal with the consequences of you sins. Oops, don’t have space to deal with that today. Check back tomorrow.

Psalm 94:19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.

Comfort for Christians is an important issue. We all desire to be right, in right standing, to do good, and that is difficult to accomplish if we constantly have to deal with sin issues. More often than not we look to the word justified to comfort us on the choices we have made that haven’t worked out perfectly.

Justified, just as if it never happened. But it did happen. Justified, it is not accounted to your ledger. Isn’t that just bad book keeping? Your sins are nailed to the cross. Why would I take comfort in seeing my hands driving nails into my Savior’s hands?

I find no comfort in justification by taking a worldly view of it. Justification is a God view and to have a proper understanding, I have to look at it from His point of view. In doing so I was comforted with an understanding that satisfied all my concerns.

I see Jesus in heaven with an old fashion hand pump. He has primed the pump, given to us the Holy Spirit. Now He goes to work, faith in action. What comes out and fills the vessel is JUST what the pump was designed to retrieve.

Matthew 6:20-21 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The pump is drawing from the well of my heart. I take comfort it that is not being drawn from my stinky feet. I will find other words to deal with my sins, I will not justify them.