Sins Confessed and Forgiven
In Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, the old man only brought the skeleton of the large fish that he had caught to shore. In Huang Chunming’s short story, Fish, the boy bought a fish but it was crushed by the cars on the streets. Both novels use fish to denote the vain efforts of human life.
In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, Macbeth uttered repeatedly, “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,” when he learned of his wife’s suicide. These three “tomorrows” echo Lady Macbeth’s repeated washing of her hands. She tried to wash away the invisible blood from her hands. Yet, the repeated washing was unable to remove her sins. In contrast, the Gospel of John in the Bible says that the blood of the Lord Jesus is able to wash away all our sins. First John also says: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1:9). Here, the word sins is plural, referring to “sinful deeds.” Mankind has committed many sins. But the Lord Jesus has already shed His blood for us; He has paid the ransom to fulfil God’s righteous requirements. Thus, He is able to forgive all our sins.
Dear friend, if we confess our sins, God will certainly forgive us. Thank and praise the Lord! This is a conditional promise. As long as we satisfy the condition—confessing our sins—God must fulfill His promise, which is to forgive our sins.
Now, you only need to pray boldly and simply: “O Lord Jesus! I am a sinner. Thank You for shedding Your blood on the cross for me. I am willing to receive You right now as my Savior and my life.” In this way, dear friend, your sins will be forgiven, and you will receive Christ, who is the most precious treasure in the universe and who is the divine and transcendent life. May the Lord bless you and your family. May you enjoy forever a life free from bondages.