Repentance requires us to move from self-justification to admitting that God is right about our sin.

King David perfectly exemplified what it means to be on God’s side when it comes to sin.

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. 2  Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. 3  For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. 4  Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. Psalm 51:1-4 (NLT)  

Opposed to this, after choosing to eat the fruit God had forbidden them on the pain of death, Adam and Eve chose to play the blame game instead of honesty acknowledging their sin.

Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10  He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” 11  “Who told you that you were naked?” the LORD God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?” 12  The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” 13  Then the LORD God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.” Genesis 3:9-13 (NLT)  

The only proper way to repent is to be straightforward about our sin and to side with God.

The minute we try to evade the truth, deny our responsibility, shift blame, minimize what we did, or otherwise be less than candid, we fail when it comes to repentance.

Paul said it very well in his Letter to the Romans.

...Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him, “You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win your case in court.” Romans 3:4 (NLT) 

Since God knows all about us, even down to the hidden motivations of the heart, isn’t it reasonable and advisable to be absolutely honest about our sin?

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. 13  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. Hebrews 4:12-13 (NLT) 

When we chose to repent, the Bible says that we come “into the light.” The act of exposing our sin to the light is part of what is necessary for us to experience God’s freeing forgiveness.

But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. 8  If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9  But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10  If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. 1 John 1:7-10 (NLT)  

It is shocking to consider that refusing to admit the truth about our sinfulness is the same as calling God a liar, but that is what it says! The natural propensity of our human nature is to do just that, however. Jesus said it this way.

And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20  All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21  But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” John 3:19-21 (NLT) 

Our refusal to be honest about our sins is based on fear.

We are afraid to admit how evil we are because it is so disconcerting to us. We usually imagine that we are far better than we really are. It is also based on the fear that God will reject us because of our sin, but that cannot be true. God chose us in Christ before he created the world. (Ephesians 1:4) He chose us in advance, knowing full well all our faults, weaknesses, and future sins. When Jesus died on the cross, the forgiveness he provided extended back through time to include those who died in faith before his resurrection and forward in time to include all future children of God.

Knowing that God chose us despite everything should give us great confidence to be honest with him. Do we believe he loves us or not?

Being honest about our sins and taking God’s side are marks of genuine repentance and a gateway into freedom. (John 8:31-32)

Prayer

Lord, I am tired of hiding from you and refusing to be honest about my sin. I choose now to admit that I am guilty of (state your particular sins). Thank you loving me and forgiving me. Help me to live “in the light.” Let me experience freedom in this area of my life. Amen.