Wiping the Slate Clean by
Jessica Makdsi (Jun. ’02)
It was late Saturday afternoon, and Mom just left for the grocery store. Just before leaving, she yelled, “Don’t eat any more sweets before dinner!” “OK, Mom,” I replied. I went and finished cleaning up the kitchen. It was a mess because we had just spent the entire morning baking cakes for our church bake sale. While looking at all the sweets, I thought to myself, “Hmm, that chocolate cake tasted so good earlier. Would it really hurt if I had just another little piece? She’ll never know.” Well, I ended up just eating one little piece and it was delicious. Needless to say, Mom came home and asked me if I ate any cake. Of course, I said no; not realizing that there was a little smudge of icing on the corner of my mouth. Mom didn’t say anything or accuse me of lying; she just let it go.
You are probably wondering, “Where is she going with this?” Well, this is a perfect example of how we sin and think no one will ever find out (at least we hope so). But NO SIN is ever done in secret! God sees all of our sins. He might not say or do anything, like my Mom did in the story, but He does know. Sin can seem delicious, exactly how the cake tasted.
In Romans 3:23 it says, “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Sin is like dirt covering our heart, and we need to be cleansed, purified. The only way for us to be made clean is through confession/ repentance, which the Scriptures urge us to do. “Repent and turn from all your transgressions (sins)...and get yourself a new heart and a new spirit” (Ezekiel 18:30-31).
We must be willing to acknowledge that we have done something wrong. By examining ourselves, we must put aside “self-love” and must sincerely attempt to admit our faults. “Many sick people will not admit that there is anything seriously the matter with them, and sinners often do the same.” (Abramtsov 97)
In the Orthodox Church, Confession is one of the Sacraments in which the sins committed after Baptism are forgiven by God through the priest. Repentance is a permanent part of a Christian’s life; we all need to confess our sins regularly. The Webster dictionary defines repentance as, “to turn from sin and resolve to reform one’s life.” To confess is to renounce sin and earnestly avoid anything that may lead us to sin or remind us of sin. I love the way Fr. David Abramtsov said, “Those who wish to do better but will not avoid the occasion of sin are like those who sweep away the cobweb but do not kill the spider; thus a fresh web is soon spun.”
We must come to God when we feel burdened by sin and guilt. Jesus tells us in Luke 15:7, “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) I love this verse. It is telling us that God is going to forgive and forget our sins if we confess them and repent of them, no matter how terrible they may be, He will make us “whiter than snow.”
Works Cited:
Abramtsov, David Rev., The Orthodox Companion. New Jersey: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, 1994.
My Orthodox Prayer Book. Religious Education Department of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.