Articles
Confronting The Past
Our country has a history that many would like to forget, and others persist in denying altogether. The Lord's church in this country also has a history some would like to forget, and others would deny ever really happened. You and I and every disciple might also have a history we would rather forget and might even deny, too.
But the problems were [and in some cases, are] real, and willful forgetfulness and denial does not become us. Such denial in the face of reality reminds me of the good old Iraqi Information Minister Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf, who denied on worldwide television that foreign troops were in the city, even as the city was being bombed in the background and even as other news reports clearly showed otherwise. We are foolish, at best, when we deny reality; worse, we may very well be putting our souls in danger.
Those who work in the business of conflict resolution know that many people would rather avoid problems because they fear confrontation, but would also admit the problem will never be solved. One group states on its website, "Many people will typically select one of two ways of describing their experiences and thoughts about confronting: they’ll avoid it, which means issues don’t get resolved, or they do confront but the risk is high in terms of creating the outcomes they don’t want—hurt feelings, anger, damaged relationships, loss of performance, or low morale." [Influencing Options.com] The answer, though, is proper confrontation; avoiding problems [including denial] does not eliminate or solve the problem, and confronting the problem incorrectly will often add to the problem.
It is a commonly-held belief that if we just live "good" lives, we will go to heaven. A good number of individuals believe [and some religions teach] that "good" people who do enough "good" deeds will merit eternity in heaven. The fact is, though, everyone outside of Christ has a history best forgotten, and often denied as being what it was and is; as Paul put it to those who left the worldly life behind: “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others” (Eph. 2:1-3).
The reality of one who once lived outside of Christ is that his former life is not something he wants brought to the attention of our Lord when he stands before Him in the final Judgment. Those who still live in the world [i.e., those who have never submitted to Christ] would like to forget that their lives will be judged by Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:10), and others will vehemently deny they will be held accountable, but that does not solve the "problem" of sin. No, the only solution to the "problem" of sin is confronting it head-on and eliminating it.
To eliminate the "problem" of sin, though, takes humility in, first, admitting I have sin in my life and, second, admitting I cannot solve the "problem" of sin on my own; I must admit I have failed and I need God's help. I must confront my past sins and I must be willing to acknowledge the reality that the only means of removing that sin is by the precious blood of the only Savior, Jesus Christ. It is “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Eph. 1:7); Peter plainly tells us, “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12); and even Jesus has said plainly, “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
If you have never submitted to the will of Jesus Christ in obedience to His commands, and if you have never taken the time to consider God's word, please know that it is time now to confront your past, and to see your true spiritual state. Outside of Christ, you are “without Christ,…having no hope” (Eph. 1:12). That is the state of all outside of Christ, and we must confront this reality before anything can change. All must admit the guilt of sin, and all must accept the words and commands of our Creator that reveal His plan for our salvation — the only "answer" to the "problem" of sin.
But disciples must confront their past, too.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must admit that we had many faults and were guilty of many sins before we obeyed the gospel, but we also must admit we do not live perfect, sinless lives even after we become God's children; we still sin, and if we deny that fact, “we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). While we would all like to claim we do not sin, as disciples, the truth is that we do fail, and we do make poor choices. But what do we do when we fall short? What must we do when, as Christians, we sin?
Well, the answer is no different: We must confront our sins and act accordingly; John warned against claiming we do not sin, and then said, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9). Acting like we have done nothing wrong, pleading ignorance of wrongdoing, or outright denial of wrongdoing will do us no good. Sin is sin and must be confronted, addressed, and corrected.
Consider a couple of contrasting reactions to sin being discovered in one's life: King Saul was commanded by God to “go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have” (1 Sam. 15:3), but he and the people “spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them” (1 Sam. 15:9). When Samuel confronted Saul with his sin, Saul did not acknowledge his failure, but said, “the people spared” Agag and the best animals, and, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord…But the people took of the plunder” (1 Sam. 15:20, 21). Only when Samuel informed Saul that his kingdom would be taken from him did King Saul admit he had sinned (1 Sam. 15:22-24).
Contrast Saul's response to the revelation of his sin with that of King David, who replaced him. When David had committed the sin with Bathsheba and made it so her husband would be in the fiercest battle and be killed, Nathan came to him and told a story that angered David, to whom Nathan then pointedly said was guilty of sin (2 Sam. 12:1-12). David's response was quite different than Saul's; David did not make excuses, but simply said, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:13). At this point, David did not ignore his sin any longer, did not deny it, and did not pretend it was "no big deal." He confronted it and repented. A reading of Psalm 51 gives us a view of David's response to personal sin, and his desire to once again be right in the sight of the Lord.
Will it ever be easy to confront our personal sins? No. Is it necessary that we do confront our sins? Yes. Since the wages of sin is death (cf. Rom. 6:23), and since we have all sinned (Rom. 3:23), we must not ignore our sins, we must make no excuses for them, and we must not deny we are guilty. Confront the past, own up to it, and make the necessary corrections.
Confronting the past is seldom an easy task, but it must be done if we are to learn from our mistakes. A willingness to confront the past demonstrates a desire to do better, and to be better. —— Steven Harper
