Bible Devotions for Living

How do you react when confronted with your sin?

Confronted with sin

¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil … ⁶ Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it … ¹¹ Then He asked, “… Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” ¹² Then the man replied, “The woman You gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.” ¹³ So the Lord God asked the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “It was the serpent. He deceived me, and I ate.” (Gen 2:16-17, 3:6, 11-13)

Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit and later God calls them out on it and asks: “Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” (Gen 3:11)

Why do you think God ask the obvious question?

He was giving them a chance to admit their sin and apologize but that is not how they reacted when confronted. Instead they played the ‘blame game’. Adam blamed Eve (and subtly, even blamed God who gave her to him): “The woman You gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.” (Gen 3:12) and Eve blamed the serpent: “It was the serpent. He deceived me, and I ate.” (Gen 3:13)

They were convicted, but instead of taking responsibility and apologizing for their sin, they pointed fingers.

The Right Way to Address it When You Sin

You will sin and as a believer, God will convict you with His Holy Spirit. The question is how you handle it when confronted about sin. His conviction in you serves the same purpose as God’s question in the Garden: it highlights your sin and gives you an opportunity to deal with it properly.

The proper way to react when confronted about your sin is to acknowledge it and ask forgiveness from God and anybody you sinned against.

The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy. (Pv 28:13)

When you acknowledge your sin and confess, God is faithful to forgive:

Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You took away the guilt of my sin. (Ps 32:5)

Acknowledging sin means taking full responsibility, as David did in Psalm 51:

² Wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. ³ For I am conscious of my rebellion,
and my sin is always before me. ⁴ Against You—You alone—I have sinned and done this evil in Your sight. (Ps 51:2-4)

Think About It

How do you react when confronted with your sin by others or the Holy Spirit?

• Do you ignore it?
• Do you minimize your sin?
• Make excuses for what you did?
• Blame something or somebody else?
• Do you get offended? Mad?
• Defensive?

What does your reaction tell you about yourself? About your relationship with God?

What is the proper way to react when confronted/convicted about your sin?

¹⁰ For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. (2 Cor 7:10)

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. (Pv 28:13)