<p>Steps to Christ covers the topics of repentance, confession, faith, acceptance, growing into Christ, and prayer.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Myers Media

Nancy Hamilton

Steps to Christ in Living Sound

Chapter 01: God’s Love for Man

Chapter 02: The Sinner’s Need of Christ

Chapter 03: Repentance

Chapter 04: Confession

Chapter 05: Consecration

Chapter. 06: Faith and Acceptance

Chapter 07: The Test of Discipleship

Chapter 08: Growing Up Into Christ

Chapter 09: The Work and the Life

Chapter 10: A Knowledge of God

Chapter 11: The Privilege of Prayer

Chapter 12: What to With Doubt

Chapter 13: Rejoicing in the Lord

Steps to Christ. Chapter four, confession Hear the cover of his sins shall not prosper, but who so confessor and forsake of them shall have mercy. The conditions of obtaining mercy from God are simple and just and reasonable. The Lord does not require us to do some grievous thing in order that we may have the forgiveness of sin. We need not make long and worrisome pilgrimages or perform painful penances to commend our souls to the God of heaven or to expediate our transgression, but either confesses and forsake of his sin shall have mercy. The apostle says, confess your faults one to another and pray for one another that you may be healed. Confess your sins to God who only can forgive them and your faults to one another. If you have given offense to your friend or neighbor, you are to acknowledge you are wrong and it is his duty freely to forgive you, then you are to seek the forgiveness of God because the brother you have wounded is the property of God. And in injuring him, you sinned against his creator and redeemer. The case is brought before the only true mediator. Our great high priest who was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin and who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities and is able to cleanse from every stain of iniquity. Those who have not humbled their souls before God in acknowledging their guilt have not yet fulfilled the first condition of acceptance. If we have not experienced that repentance, which is not to be repented of and have not with true humiliation of soul and brokenness of spirit confessed our sins, abhorring our inequity, we have never truly sought for the forgiveness of sin. And if we have never sought, we have never found the peace of God. The only reason why we do not have remission of sins that are passed is that we are not willing to humble our hearts and comply with the conditions of the word of truth. Explicit instruction is given concerning this matter, confession of sin, whether public or private should be heartfelt and freely expressed. It is not to be urged from the sinner. It is not to be made in a flippant and careless way or forced from those who have no realizing sense of the abhorrent character of sin. The confession that is the outpouring of the innermost soul finds its way to the God of infinite pian. The said the Lord is nine unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth, such as be of a contract spirit. True confession is always of a specific character and acknowledges particular sins. They may be of such a nature as to be brought before God only. They may be wrongs that should be confessed to individuals who have suffered injury through them, or they may be of a public character and should then be as publicly confessed. But all confession should be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty. In the days of Samuel, the Israelites wandered from God. They were suffering the consequences of sin, for they had lost their faith in God lost their discernment of his power and wisdom to rule. The nation lost their confidence in his ability to defend and vindicate his cause. They turned from the great ruler of the universe and desired to be governed as were the nations around them. Before they found peace, they made this definite confession. We have added unto all our sins, this evil to ask us a king. The very sin of which they were convicted had to be confessed their in gratitude, oppressed their souls and severed them from God. Confession will not be acceptable to God without sincere repentance and reformation. There must be decided changes in the life. Everything offensive to God must be put away. This will be the result of genuine sorrow for sin. The work that we have to do on our part is plainly set before us wash you, make you clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes cease to do evil. Learn to do well. Seek judgment. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless plead for the widow. If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed walk in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live. He shall not die. Paul says, speaking of the work of repentance, ye, after a godly sort, what carefulness it rotten you? Yay. What clearing of yourselves. Yay. What indignation. Yay. What fear. Yay. What vehement desire. Yay. What? Zeal. Yay. What revenge In all things you have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. When sin has deadened the moral perceptions, the wrongdoer does not discern the defects of his character, nor realize the enormity of the evil he has committed. And unless he yields to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, he remains in I partial blindness to his sin. His confessions are not sincere and in earnest to every acknowledgement of his guilt, he adds an apology in excuse of his course declaring that if it had not been for certain circumstances, he would not have done this or that for which he is reproved. After Adam and Eve had eaten of the forbidden fruit, they were filled with a sense of shame and terror. At first, their only thought was how to excuse their sin and escape the dreaded sentence of death. When the Lord inquired concerning their sin, Adam replied, laying the guilt partially upon God and partially upon his companion, the woman whom thou gave us to me to be with me. She gave me of the tree and I did eat. The woman put the blame upon the serpent saying The serpent beguiled me and I did eat. Why did you make the serpent? Why did you suffer him to come into Eden? These were the questions implied in her excuse for her sin, thus charging God with the responsibility of their fall. The spirit of self justification originated in the father of lies and has been exhibited by all the sons and daughters of Adam. Confessions of this order are not inspired by the divine spirit and will not be acceptable to God. True repentance will lead a man to bear his guilt himself and acknowledge it without deception or hypocrisy like the poor public not lifting up so much as his eyes under heaven. He will cry, God be merciful to me as sinner. And those who do acknowledge their guilt will be justified. For Jesus will plead his blood in behalf of the repentance soul. The examples in God's word of genuine repentance and humiliation reveal a spirit of confession in which there is no excuse for sin or attempt at self justification. Paul did not seek to shield himself. He paints his sin in its darkest you not attempting to lessen his guilt. He says, many of the saints did. I shut up in prison having received authority from the chief priests and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them and I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme and being exceedingly mad against them. I persecuted them even under strange cities. He does not hesitate to declare that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. The humble and broken heart subdued by genuine repentance will appreciate something of the love of God and the cost of Calvary. And as a son confesses to a loving father, so will the truly penitent bring all his sins before God as it is written. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Ellen G. White

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Steps to Christ in Living Sound

Chapter 04: Confession

Read by Nancy Hamilton

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Other Teachings in Series

Chapter 01: God’s Love for Man

Chapter 02: The Sinner’s Need of Christ

Chapter 03: Repentance

Chapter 04: Confession

Chapter 05: Consecration

Chapter. 06: Faith and Acceptance

Chapter 07: The Test of Discipleship

Chapter 08: Growing Up Into Christ

Chapter 09: The Work and the Life

Chapter 10: A Knowledge of God

Chapter 11: The Privilege of Prayer

Chapter 12: What to With Doubt

Chapter 13: Rejoicing in the Lord

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