The Freedom of Confession: How to Find God’s Mercy (Proverbs 28:13)
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Proverbs 28:13
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
What a verse and what great truth it speaks to us! Since Adam and Eve, it has become human instinct for us to cover and hide our sins. Our conscience makes us ashamed of our sin, and we don’t want others to see it. Oftentimes too, we think we can hide our sin from God.
And yet, Proverbs 28:13 clearly shows us this natural instinct to cover sin doesn’t benefit us. It doesn’t benefit us AT ALL. In actuality, it prevents us from being real about our condition before God, receiving His grace and mercy, and being healed.
It’s like when a kid covers their eyes and thinks they’re invisible.
Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s gone.
And we aren’t the first generation to struggle with this. Charles Spurgeon preached a sermon on this verse a long time ago, and in it, he gave many examples of how we attempt to cover our sin—all of them in vain, of course. He said we try:
Excuses and justifications.
Secrecy.
Lies.
Schemes to evade responsibility.
Time (I’ll forget, others will too, and maybe so will God).
Tears.
Ceremonies or sacraments.
But all of these attempts to cover our sin are, like I said, in vain. We tell ourselves, “If I just hide this long enough, I’ll be fine.” But Proverbs is clear: that’s a lie.
‘Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper…’ That is a lie from the enemy that we are so tempted to believe. But unconfessed sin hurts us. It keeps us from God, and it damages our communion with Him. Our spiritual lives will not prosper.
This isn’t just about avoiding consequences. It’s about your relationship with God—how close, how personal, how real it is.
Christian, nothing can take away your union with God. Not even sin. But sin can damage your relationship with Him. It can hurt your communion with Him. Think of a friend you avoid because you wronged them but never apologized. The relationship isn’t broken, but it’s… weird. That’s what unconfessed sin does to your closeness with God.
In fact, the unwillingness to confess sin is a sign of your relationship with God. Why? Because Christ has set you free from the penalty of sin. Being free from sin doesn’t mean you’ll never sin again, but it does mean you no longer have to hide from it. Rather, you can confess and forsake those sins and find mercy. So if you’re hiding, have you really come to know Jesus?
And this goes for the non-believer too. You can confess and forsake your sins at any time and find mercy. The contrast in this verse is not between sins great and small, but between sins covered and sins confessed and forsaken. No sin too great cannot be forgiven, and no sin too small unconfessed cannot impact your relationship with God. Whoever covers the smallest sin shall not prosper. And whoever confesses and forsakes the greatest shall find mercy.
Jesus Christ has fully satisfied the demands of justice. He carried the full weight of sin so that we wouldn’t have to. But His work and His divinity must be acknowledged in the humble acceptance of the benefit.
God’s mercy is already waiting and ready—it’s just a matter of asking.
So I ask you today,
What’s one sin you’ve been avoiding bringing to God? Why?
Do you believe deep down that God’s mercy is truly for you?
What would change in your life if you fully embraced God’s mercy instead of hiding?
If you’re holding onto sin today in any way—if you’ve been carrying guilt instead of bringing it to Jesus—don’t wait. Mercy is already waiting for you.
Let’s pray together with this verse.
