Dear Br. Bob:
Jamuary 1,1998
I don’t think just how privilaged you are to be the recipient of the first letter I wrote in 1998. (But then you may not regard it as a privilege, so I say with with tongue in cheek.) Its been snowing for several days here in the mountains but the accumulation isn’s great. Just enough snow to remind us of Michigan, then it melts and goes away, just the way I like it.
Only one other time has a society lived in such a morally degenerate
condition as now and that was during the time of Christ. Sin and
immorality abound on all sides and sickness of the mind and soul
prevail everywhere. Guilt always follows the commission of a sin,
wether known or unknown. Guilt is a warning from the Holy Spirit
that we have violated God’s law of ten commandments. We may
silence the conviction of the Spirit by turning from His pleading
voice, but if we head His warning and entreaties and repent of
our sins, when they first come to our notice, Christ is ready
and willing to freely forgive us and offer pardon with its accompanying
peace, joy, and happiness.
The conviction of sin ought to be a welcome experience. Harden
not your heart, the Lord admonishes, against the convicting power
of His Spirit, for it is only through the mediation of the Holy
Spirit that we have access to the throne of grace and the forgiveness
that Christ purchased for us on the cross. If we feel deep remorse
for some sin or failure on our part to attain to the high standard
of Christ, do not despair, do not doubt the Lord’s willingness
to forgive. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit thorough unbelief. Trust
Him, take your sins to the foot of the cross and LEAVE THEM THERE.
It is our privilege, when heart felt confession is made, to walk
free of our sins and live as if we have never sinned. While we
may suffer temporal consequences, our conscience may be clear
of guilt and we may bask in the sunshine of the Lord’s peace.
Condemnation or recrimination of a sinner never effects healing
or restoration of the wounded or broken heart. Sin separates us
from Christ, but we are never so far from Him that He will not
hear our prayers for forgiveness. We should never condemn the
sinner but lead their thoughts upward to the self-sacrifice of
Christ on their behalf and encourage them to pour out their confession
with a sincere and genuine conviction of guilt.
But confession should never be forced or urged against the will
of the sinner. Repentance must be voluntary and sincere, from
the very depths of the heart to be acceptable with the Lord. No
flippant or causal repentance can be effectual. Confession must
be specific, never general in nature. The specific sins must be
confessed and repentance, that is a turning away from the sin,
must be evidenced as a manifestation of true conversion. Beware
of confession and repentance made under the influence of so called
“revivals,” that rely for their effect upon arousing
the emotions to a fever pitch. Such revivals never effect genuine
and lasting repentance, for, once the emotions vanish, the penitent
sinner no longer FEELS the same sense of guilt experienced at
the revival and the repentance may be repented of.
For confession and repentance to be genuine, it must spring from
a full awareness of the price Christ paid for our redemption.
Only the cross provides sufficient motivation for genuine and
lasting repentance and true freedom from guilt.
Christ’s love brings not only spiritual healing of the sin
sick soul, but physical restoration as well. Many cases of mental
illness, including Alzheimer’s, are a direct result of some
unconfessed sin or a harbored doubt of Christ’s willingness
to forgive. Some people are so overwhelmed by their sins, and
the specter of an eternally burning hell, for which there is no
scriptural basis, that they literally imagine themselves lost,
and such a state of mind destroys health of body and mind, and
they end their lives either prematurely, through suicide, or are
committed to mental hospitals as lunatics. Christ would have us
live happy, prosperous lives on condition of true repentance.
Just some thoughts on guilt I wanted to share with you. Do not
make the mistake of assuming I am pointing out some fault of yours
to make confession for I often speak to men in generalities that
we may all learn of Christ’s gracious offer of forgiveness
and restoration.
May the peace of His forgiveenss fill you with rejoicing, your
brother in Christ.
Allen A. Benson