Together in Christ: 'Time for a Return to the Car Wash?' — Proverbs 28:13

Have you ever looked up and realized you were staring at four lanes of traffic coming head-on directly at you? There is only one solution when you are on a one-way street going in the wrong direction. It's U-turn time! And it would be best if you did it quickly and thoughtfully. The Bible word for this kind of turnaround in our lives is repentance ^[1] — a change of heart and mind that leads to a life change. Repentance isn't only feeling bad for our sins; it's godly sorrow that leads us to our true, full, spiritual U-turn. ^[2] True repentance means a lifestyle change that bears good fruit in our lives and blesses the lives of others. ^[3]

People generally have several possible approaches to the sin problems in their lives:

1. Basket Case Denial — They are a basket case in denial — sometimes humorously called "Baby Moses Syndrome" or a basket case in de-Nile. They deny that their sins matter and proceed on their way toward disaster, pretending nothing is wrong as Satan deceitfully injects his poison into their hearts.
2. Hide and Sneak — They conceal their sins because they think they get to experience more by living in rebellion to God, at least until disaster strikes and sin catches up with them.
3. Purge and Binge — They sin and feel sorry for what they have done (especially if they get caught) but they keep on sinning and never repent and turn their lives around.
4. Return to the Car Wash — They turn heart and life around, accepting God's cleansing mercy. A good car wash cleans the grime, grease, and dirt from a car and rinses it down the drain. The car's clean. We trust that when we are honest about our sin as we confess them, God's grace and mercy restore us and remove any residue of sin.

Jesus made clear that He will reveal everything that has been concealed, and the apostle Paul made the same point ^[4] — except those things that have been through the car wash of God's mercy and grace and totally removed from us as a result of true repentance. Jesus' disciples confess their sins with genuine sorrow, turning their lives around to live for God. Such people gladly accept God's grace and mercy, trusting that God has not only forgiven them but also purified and cleansed them. ^[5] Jesus presents them to the Father with their original shine as they re-enter life as pure as when they first became Christians. ^[6]

God gave us each other to strengthen and encourage each other in our walk with Jesus. Let's not hide our sins. It is an insult to God, a distrust of our friends, and a residue of sin we let remain in us and poison our faith. John, the apostle of love, said it this way:

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to [Jesus], he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. ^[7]

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. ^[8]

We cannot conceal our sins if we confess them to another believer. We must not see confession as a private matter only between God and us. Confession involves other believers who love us and can hold us accountable and support, encourage, and love us in the direction of God and holiness! As followers of Jesus, we need relationships that challenge, lovingly confront, correct, and restore us. ^[9]