Confession is the first step toward defeating sin.

认罪是战胜罪的第一步。

It is often true that the hardest part of dealing with a problem is admitting that you have one. Beginning with Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:11-13), people have denied responsibility for their sins, and our generation is no exception. To acknowledge that one is a sinner, guilty of breaking God’s holy law, is not popular. People call sin by a myriad of other names, futilely hoping to define it out of existence. They do so, motivated by their innate awareness that there is a moral law and that there are consequences for violating it (Rom. 1:32).

处理一个问题最艰难的部分，常常是承认自己有一个问题。自亚当夏娃开始（创3：11-13），人们就为一直自己的罪推卸责任，我们的世代也不例外。要承认人是罪人，触犯了神圣洁的律法，这并不受人欢迎。人们用无数其他名称来称呼罪，徒劳地希望能定义它的存在。他们这样做，是受自己与生俱来的意识驱使，人生来知道有一个道德律，并且触犯它会有相应后果（罗1：32）。

But God’s people have always recognized the necessity of confession. After committing the terrible sins of adultery and murder, David acknowledged to Nathan the prophet, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:13). Later he cried out to God, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned, and done what is evil in Thy sight” (Ps. 51:3-4). Faced with a vision of the awesome majesty and holiness of God, Isaiah declared, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips” (Isa. 6:5). Daniel was a man of unparalleled integrity, yet part of his prayer life involved confessing his sin (Dan. 9:20). Peter, the acknowledged leader of the apostles, said to Jesus, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Luke 5:8). The apostle Paul, the godliest man who ever lived (except for Jesus Christ), wrote this about himself: “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all” (1 Tim. 1:15).

但神的百姓总能意识到认罪的必要性。犯下可怕的通奸罪和谋杀罪后，大卫对先知拿单承认说：“我得罪耶和华了”（撒下12：13）。随后他向神大声呼喊：“因为，我知道我的过犯；我的罪常在我面前。我向你犯罪，唯独得罪了你；在你眼前行了这恶”（诗51：3-4）。在异象中面对神令人敬畏的庄严和圣洁，以赛亚宣告：“祸哉！我灭亡了！因为我是嘴唇不洁的人，又住在嘴唇不洁的民中”（赛6：5）。但以理是个无与伦比的正直人，然而他的祷告生活部分包含了承认自己的罪（但9：20）。彼得，公认的使徒领袖，对耶稣说：“主啊，离开我，我是个罪人！”（路5：8）。使徒保罗，史上最敬虔的人（除耶稣基督之外），关于他自己写到此事时说：“耶稣基督降世，为要拯救罪人，这话是可信的，是十分可佩服的。在罪人中我是个罪魁”（提前1：15）。

The examples of those godly men illustrate a fundamental biblical truth: constant confession of sin characterizes true Christians (1 John 1:9). Those who claim to be believers but refuse to confess their sins deceive themselves (1 John 1:8) and make God a liar (1 John 1:10).

这些敬虔人的示例说明了一个基本的圣经真理：常常认罪是真基督徒的特征（约一1：9）。那些声称是信徒却拒绝承认自己罪的人，是在欺骗他们自己（约一1：8），并将神当作说谎者（约一1：10）。

Confess and forsake your sins today, and experience the blessedness of God’s forgiveness (Prov. 28:13).

今天就承认并离弃自己的罪，经历神赦罪的莫大祝福（箴28：13）。

Read and meditate on Nehemiah’s masterful prayer of confession in Nehemiah 1.

阅读并默想尼希米记1章中尼希米大师风范的认罪祷告。