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by Phil A. Newton (Author)
Dealing with my sin as a young Christian rarely crossed my mind. Sure, I'd confess something I deemed big but gave little thought to the pile of sins accumulating and clogging the arteries of my spiritual heart. Then someone taught me what the Bible addressed concerning confession of sin-that act by which we own up to our sins, agree with God's assessment of them, and rely upon the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ to remove the guilt. Confession felt like Independence Day in my soul, as I consciously admitted my sin and trusted in the effective work of Jesus on the cross for forgiveness. That was my first major step in learning to walk with Jesus. For if Jesus came to take away sin, as John wrote, then confessing, repenting, and dying to sin had to become part of my daily spiritual journey.
Confessing sins came as a shock to my soul, but a good shock. I didn't realize how casually I took my spiritual life and how spiritually cold I had become by tolerating sin instead of turning from it. Nor did I grasp the beauty of walking in the provision of Jesus' cross-work, as he keeps on cleansing us as we walk with him. Over the fifty-plus years since first learning about the Bible's teaching on confession, I've continued to study the subject. In Unburdening the Soul, I offer guidance in how to make confession of sin a personal and corporate discipline in walking with Jesus.
Unburdening the Soul is divided into two parts. Part 1, as one friend put it, provides a catechism on confession of sin, answering: What is confession? Why is it important? How do we confess our sins? Part 2 gives a biblical approach to confession of sin. This section has fifty-two models of what it looks like in personal and corporate Scripture reading to recognize our sins, and how to confess them as we read and listen to God's Word. Each confession ends with a biblical assurance of pardon, so that we might rejoice in God's provision of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Part 2 can be used for personal devotions or in corporate worship. The goal of the book is to help Christians grow in walking with Christ.
