阅读经文 

有人说，“忏悔对灵魂有好处”。这句话不在《圣经》中，但神的话语表明，我们若真正认罪悔改，神就会以祂的怜悯宽恕待我们，我们便从神那里得着平安。我们将从罪咎感中被释放，在主不止息的爱中找到安慰。

诗篇三十二篇很好地描述了这个过程。诗篇以这些话开篇：“得赦免其过，遮盖其罪的，这人是有福的。”而在结尾处，它说:“惟独倚靠耶和华的，必有慈爱四面环绕他。”

诗人承认，试图将他的罪或秘密隐藏起来，对他来说是很沉重的。罪咎感成了一个巨大的负担，耗尽了他的精力。在内心深处，他知道自己无法向神隐瞒自己的罪，所以他放弃了这样做。他承认了自己的罪，并得到了赦免。这是多么令人欣慰的事啊！所有的罪恶感都得到了释放。

认罪悔改要求我们接受圣灵的光穿透我们的心；找出不敬虔的思想、言语和行为，并把它们交给神。神是赦罪的那一位主，因着耶稣的缘故——祂的确对我们如此行了。

It has been said that "confession is good for the soul." This statement is not in the Bible, but God's Word indicates that when we confess our sins in true repentance, God forgives us in his mercy, and we find peace with God. We are released from the guilt of our sin, and we find comfort in the Lord's unfailing love.

Psalm 32 describes this process beautifully. It opens with these words: "Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered." And near the end it says that "the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him."

The psalmist admits that trying to keep his sin hidden, or secret, weighed heavily on him. The guilt of sin became such a great burden that it sapped his strength. Deep down, he knew he could not hide his sin from God, so he gave up trying. He confessed his sin, and he received forgiveness. What a relief! The weight of all that guilt was lifted.

Confession requires that we allow the light of the Spirit of God to penetrate our heart; identify ungodly thoughts, words, and actions; and turn them over to God. God is the one able to forgive, for Jesus' sake—and he does.