This is absolutely certain: if Christ has washed you in his precious blood, you never need to confess your sin like a criminal standing before a judge. Never! Christ has forever taken away all your sins in the legal sense. You no longer stand condemned. You are accepted in the Beloved, once and for all.

But wait. You are now a child. And when children sin against their father, shouldn't they come and confess? Nature itself teaches us that when children do wrong, they should go to their earthly father and admit it. And the grace of God in our hearts teaches the same lesson: we owe this to our heavenly Father.

We sin daily. And we should not rest without daily pardon. Think about it: what happens if I don't immediately take my sins against my Father to him? What happens if I don't let the cleansing power of Jesus wash them away?

I'll tell you what happens. I will feel the distance growing between us. I will begin to doubt his love. I will start to tremble when I think of him. Prayer will become terrifying. I will become like the prodigal son who, though still a son, lived far from his father.

But what if I come with a child's broken heart? What if I come grieving that I have hurt such a gracious and loving Parent? What if I tell him everything and refuse to move until I know I am forgiven? Then! Then I will feel that holy love for my Father. Then I will walk through my days not just as someone who is saved, but as someone who lives in present peace with God through Jesus Christ.

Listen carefully: there is a massive difference between confessing sin as a criminal and confessing sin as a child. The Father's arms are the place for repentant confessions. Yes, we have been cleansed once for all. But our feet? They still get dirty from walking through this world. And they still need washing.