How Many Sins Did You Confess?
John Weaver | SermonAudio
| Lecture Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Speaker | John Weaver |
| Source | SermonAudio |
| Media ID | 25241447576416 |
| Subject | New Testament Studies |
| Course | Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness: Sola Fide And Justification |
| Genre | Sermon |
| Date | 2024-02-04 |
| Dictation Name | |
| Book | Book 131: Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness — Chapter 7 |
| Source Timed Segments | 73 |
Synopsis: John Weaver examines Psalm 106:6 to challenge believers to confess not only personal sins but also the sins of their fathers, families, society, and nation. He explains that we sin with our fathers seminally, imputatively, representatively, nationally, and actually, and calls for corporate confession modeled by biblical figures like Daniel and Nehemiah.
Formatted Transcript
Introduction and the Question of Confession
Weaver introduces Psalm 106:6 and raises the question of what sins we should confess, noting that we may not know all our sins and that others sin secretly.
I will say, if you would please, to Psalm 106. Psalm 106. We're going to be reading one verse, and that is verse 6. The title of the message is, "How Many Sins Do You Confess?" How Many Sins Do You Confess? One of the habits that I have is just to read through the Bible over and over and over, just for my own edification, just for my own pleasure. Does not count my study time. And many times when I'm just reading the scripture, something jumps out at me. And this message stems from that, because if you will look at verse six of Psalm 106, the Bible says,
"We have sinned with our fathers. We've committed iniquity. We've done wickedly."
I think about that verse momentarily. We have sinned with our fathers. We've committed iniquity. We have done wickedly. Sin is the problem.
Confession and repentance are the answers. However, here's a good question. What exactly are we to confess? You say, well, we're going to confess our sins, our personal sins. Well, the interesting thing is, you may know some of your sins, but you may not know all of your sins. Moreover, there are other people who sin openly. We know of those sins when we see them and when we perceive them. But if there are secret sins of other people, then certainly we do not know those. So here's a good question in light of this verse. Do we just simply confess our sins, or do we confess the sins of others as well? And have you ever really considered the various types of sin that happen to be mentioned in the Bible? For instance, there are indeed sins of omission, there are sins of commission, there are sins of ignorance, there are secret sins, there are presumptuous sins. For instance, in Psalm 90 in verse 8, the psalmist said, "Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance."
Types of Sin in Scripture
He lists various categories of sin: omission, commission, ignorance, secret, presumptuous, family, societal, national, and governmental sins.
And then David said in Psalm 19 verses 12 and 13, "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults, keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins, let them not have dominion over me, then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression." So he's already talking about secret sins and secret faults and presumptuous sins, but there are more sins. There are indeed family sins. If you remember, I have two messages on family sins. There are family sins, there are societal sins, there's national sins, and it is possible for an ethnic group not only to sin as individuals, but also to sin as a family and as a community, as a society, as a nation. For instance, when you look at Judges chapter 19, there were a number of individuals who sinned, then the entire tribe joined in with that sin in defending those who had committed those particular sins. So you have all of those, and on top of that, you have governmental sins as well.
Because since government happens to be made up of men, and men are sinners, it's not only possible, but it's actually true that men who are in positions of power collude together and transgress and violate the law of God. For instance, if you look in your Bible, since you're in the book of Psalms, Psalm 83, let me just show you very quickly how this works out. Psalm 83, let's begin with verse 2. And I want you to note, if you would, the family groups or the nations, whatever you want to call them, that are colluding against God and against God's people. So he says in verse 2 of Psalm 83, "For lo, thine enemies make a tumult, and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones."
They said, "Come, let us cut them off from being a nation. Let the name of Israel be no more in remembrance." Now watch this, for they have consulted together with one consent. They are confederate against thee, and here we are, the tabernacles of Edom, the Ishmaelites of Moab, the Hagarenes, Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre. Asher also is joined with them. They uphold the children of Lot. So now you have these tribes, you have these nations. They're not tribes of Israel, but they were tribes of people.
They were descended from certain individuals. So you have all of these. So it's very possible then for people to sin as government. Every one of these nations had leaders. And of course, the classic passage to me is Psalm 94. If you look very quickly at verses 20 and 21, I've given you this passage so many times, but look at it again in light of this. The question is asked, "Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by law?" So a throne then speaks of rulership, authority. The throne of iniquity, so it's a wicked civil authority. So shall a wicked civil authority have fellowship with thee, that is with God, when that wicked civil authority frameth mischief by a law, that is, they make sin legal. Now look at this, they, who is the they? Well, he's talking about the throne of iniquity, the wicked rulers.
Governmental and Societal Sins
Weaver cites Psalm 94:20-21 to show that governments can sin by framing mischief by law, and asks if such sins trouble us and if we confess them.
They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous and condemn the innocent blood. So clearly then, you can have governmental sins as well. So let me ask you now a few leading questions. First of all, do governmental sins, iniquities, and transgressions trouble you? Do you consider abortion, sodomy, transgenderism, theft, political persecutions, tyranny, and destruction of biblical liberties and freedom and rights as sin and wickedness? If you do recognize and acknowledge them as sin and wickedness, here's my question, do you ever confess them? All you have to do is look at the injustices in our judicial system. Think, if you would please, just recently, of those Christians who were arrested for praying in front of an abortion clinic. And now each one of them, one was in his 80s and another one's 15, 16. Each one is now facing 11 years in prison for praying in front of an abortion clinic. While, on the other hand, people are burning down buildings, raping, killing, stealing, looting, and they're not even prosecuted.
So that should bother you, that should cause you to grieve. How about the immorality that's prevalent in our country today? Look at the broken homes, look at the adultery, look at the fornication, and does that grieve you? And so here's the question, have you confessed those sins? And would you consider Deuteronomy chapter 6 a sin, when God demands that his children, or our children, be taught the law of God. And instead, children, they are being taught a steady diet of Marxism, humanism, and pure paganism. So the question is, have you confessed those sins? Have you acknowledged them?
Now, David said it like this in Psalm 119 and verse 53. He said, "Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law." Think about that. Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law. So has horror taken hold upon you, or at least enough to lead you to confess and acknowledge the sins of our society as well as our nation? Now you're going to respond and you're going to say, well, I didn't think I was responsible for anyone's sins but mine. And I didn't think I needed to confess any sins except my sin.
But I believe you are mistaken, and I believe I can show you from the Bible that that's not so, that there's more than just your sins that you need to consider. Let me give you an illustration. Since we are in the book of Psalms, look in your Bibles to Psalm 107. Psalm 107. Here's an excellent illustration where confession of sins of others, I believe, is necessary. Watch this. Psalm 107. Look if you would please at verse 8. You'll find this verse repeated. Watch it. Verse 8.
Confession of Others' Sins Illustrated
Using Psalm 107, he illustrates confessing the failure of men to praise God for His goodness, suggesting we should lament this sin.
Now, David said it like this in Psalm 119 and verse 53. He said, "Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law." Think about that. Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law. So has horror taken hold upon you, or at least enough to lead you to confess and acknowledge the sins of our society as well as our nation? Now you're going to respond and you're going to say, well, I didn't think I was responsible for anyone's sins but mine. And I didn't think I needed to confess any sins except my sin.
But I believe you are mistaken, and I believe I can show you from the Bible that that's not so, that there's more than just your sins that you need to consider. Let me give you an illustration. Since we are in the book of Psalms, look in your Bibles to Psalm 107. Psalm 107. Here's an excellent illustration where confession of sins of others, I believe, is necessary. Watch this. Psalm 107. Look if you would please at verse 8. You'll find this verse repeated. Watch it. Verse 8.
"Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men."
Skip down to verse 15.
"Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men."
Verse 21.
"Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men."
Now look at verse 31.
"Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men."
Four times in this psalm we have the same exact truth. So here's a good question. Has it ever bothered you that men take advantage of God's goodness, receive His blessings, His mercies, and then fail to praise Him and fail to thank Him and fail to acknowledge that He is indeed the giver of all good gifts? I will tell you something. It certainly has affected me. I want to be thankful, and I try to thank Him every day for life and health and a multitude of blessings. I also want to thank Him, and I do thank Him for His goodness and kindness to my children. Like Job, you remember how Job got up and would offer sacrifices for his children in case, he said, they sinned and I don't realize it. And then oftentimes when I'm thanking the Lord for His goodness to me, I find myself thanking Him even for His goodness and mercies to the wicked who absolutely refused to acknowledge Him and to thank Him. I mean, this is what he said four times.
Oh, oh, he says, listen to this, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. Wow. Have you ever stopped to really say, Lord, I'm so sorry that men refuse to praise you for everything that you do for them. The breath you give them, the life you give them, the help you give them, the abilities you give them, and men totally ignore you.
Now before I go further, I want to give you an implication on confession. I've told you this in times past, but I'm going to tell you again in light of this message. The Bible does say in 1 John chapter 1 and verse 9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
The Meaning of Confession
Confession (homologeo) means agreeing with God about sin, not just naming it, but acknowledging its wickedness and desert of death.
Now the word confess is the Greek word homologeo. Homo means one and the same, lego means I say. So confession then is not just simply mouthing words. Confession is not some flippant act or some irreverent act. Confession actually means when you say the exact same thing about sin that God says. When you take the attitude about sin that God takes about sin. In other words, real confession is not just simply naming your sins. It's agreeing with God that your sin is wicked, vile, and a transgression and deserves death. Wow.
Now, when you go back to Psalm 106 and you look at verse 6 again, the scripture says, "We have sinned with our fathers. We've committed iniquity. We've done wickedly. We've sinned with our fathers." So here is my question. How did they, and how do we, sin with our fathers? Is not each man responsible, answerable, and accountable for his own sins? How is it then that we have sinned with our fathers? I've said many times in preaching that sins have consequences. You remember that passage in Romans chapter 14 in verse 7, where the Word of God says, "For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself." So our sins have far-reaching consequences, not just for us, but for our children, our children's children. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, to Matthew chapter 23. Matthew chapter 23. And see what our Lord says in regard to this, beginning there with verse 29. Matthew chapter 23 and verse 29. Look at what he says. Matthew 23, verse 29.
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. Why? Because you build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers."
How We Sin with Our Fathers
Weaver explains five ways: seminally (in their loins), imputatively (sin imputed), representatively (federal headship), nationally (as ethnic groups), and actually (committing the same sins).
Now, when you go back to Psalm 106 and you look at verse 6 again, the scripture says, "We have sinned with our fathers. We've committed iniquity. We've done wickedly. We've sinned with our fathers." So here is my question. How did they, and how do we, sin with our fathers? Is not each man responsible, answerable, and accountable for his own sins? How is it then that we have sinned with our fathers? I've said many times in preaching that sins have consequences. You remember that passage in Romans chapter 14 in verse 7, where the Word of God says, "For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself." So our sins have far-reaching consequences, not just for us, but for our children, our children's children. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, to Matthew chapter 23. Matthew chapter 23. And see what our Lord says in regard to this, beginning there with verse 29. Matthew chapter 23 and verse 29. Look at what he says. Matthew 23, verse 29.
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. Why? Because you build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers."
Then he calls them, "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" So he accuses these people of building the sepulchres and garnishing the sepulchres of the prophets whom their fathers had killed. In other words, there is a connection between the fathers and their descendants. Now, in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 3 and verse 25, the Word of God says,
"We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us. For we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers from our youth, even unto this day have we not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God."
We and our fathers. Now, when you look at Psalm 106 and verse 6 again, he said, "We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity. We've done wickedly."
So again, confession is not just simply mouthing words. It's not just simply acknowledging that which has been done. It takes sin exceedingly seriously because it acknowledges that it is iniquity and wickedness. So he said, "We've sinned with our fathers." So the thing that jumped out at me as I looked at that verse was this question. How have we sinned with our fathers? How do we sin with our fathers? Well, I want to give you several answers to that question, and I hope you can understand where we are today, I hope. First of all, we have sinned seminally with our fathers. What that simply means is this, we were in our father's loins when they sinned. Now let me give you a good illustration.
If you will turn in your Bible, hold Psalm 106, but turn in your Bibles please to Hebrews chapter 7. Hebrews chapter 7. And let's begin reading there in verse 1. And I think that you will see this very readily. Hebrews chapter 7, verse 1, we're going to read through verse 10. The Bible says,
"For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being by interpretation king of righteousness, and after that also king of Salem, which is king of peace, without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest forever. Now, consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who received the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham."
"But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. And without all contradiction, the less is blessed of the better. And here men that die receive tithes, but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth." Now look at this, "And as I may so say, Levi also who receiveth tithes, paid tithes in Abraham, for he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchizedek met him." Now this passage has reference to Genesis chapter 14 where Abraham fought with these five kings and rescued his nephew Lot and the other people as well. So Abraham then pursued them with his 318 trained servants that he had trained in his own house, and God gave him the victory and on his return Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High, comes out, and he blesses Abraham, and Abraham gives him a tenth of everything. And now the Bible says that Levi, the tribe of Levi, who receiveth tithes, also paid tithes, because he was in the loins of Abraham.
So Abraham sired Isaac, and Isaac sired Jacob and Esau, and Jacob sired Levi and his brethren. And so now we're talking about grandpa, and here Levi is paying tithes in Abraham because they were yet in his loins. Now, if the good is attributed to the children and the grandchildren because of being in the loins of their father, would not the evil also be attributed to the children and the grandchildren as well? I want you to understand something. I realize that many traits and characteristics, dispositions, and acts are learned responses from observing fathers and grandfathers. But there does seem to be an inherited tendency as well. Something genetic.
So let me give you several scriptures to meditate upon. The first one is Exodus chapter 20 and verse 5. Listen carefully. "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them," talking about idols, "nor serve them. For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me." Now it is true, usually children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren do what their fathers and grandfathers have done. That is true.
But I believe there's also some inherited tendencies and weaknesses, as well as learned responses as well. Here's another one. Listen to Exodus chapter 34 and verse 7. God says,
"Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children's children unto the third and fourth generation."
Wow.
Now I want to show you two, and I want you to turn with me. I want you to turn to 2 Chronicles, chapter 30, and then Zechariah, chapter 1. So you have 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, and then Zechariah is right before the book of Malachi, which is the last book in the Bible. So Zechariah's next to the last book of the Bible. So look, first of all, if you would please, to 2 Chronicles, chapter 30, and let's read verses 7 and 8. 2 Chronicles chapter 30, look if you would please, verses 7 and 8. Look what God says, "And be ye not like your fathers, and like your brethren, who trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as you see."
"Now be ye not stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he has sanctified for ever. And serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you." Isn't that amazing? And be not like your fathers and like your brethren. And then he says in verse 8, "Be not ye stiff-necked as your fathers were." Now, if you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Zechariah, chapter 1, and look, if you would please, at verse 4. Zechariah, chapter 1, and verse 4. Look at it. Again, God says, "Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn ye now from your evil ways and from your evil doings."
"But they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord." Again, God says, be not as your fathers. So clearly, obviously, we are all sinners and the one thing that is going to distinguish an individual from their erring and sinning fathers and grandfathers and everyone else is just simply the sovereign grace of God when God gives them repentance and God gives them faith and draws them unto himself. So we have sinned with our fathers seminally because we were in their loins. Secondly, we have sinned with our fathers imputatively. That is, sin has been imputed to us. Now that is certainly true in relationship to Adam, who was our first father. Please remember this. Consequently, in light of original sin, physical life always ends in death. You remember that passage in Genesis chapter 2, verses 16 and 17, where the Bible says, "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." And, of course, Adam did die spiritually, first of all. Later on, he did die physically as well. So death, then, is the consequence of sin. That's why the Bible says in Romans 6, verse 23, "For the wages of sin is death." Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans, chapter 5, because I want you to see this that we have sinned in our fathers imputatively. As I quote Romans 5 and verse 12, the Word of God says this, watch carefully.
"Wherefore, as by one man,"
that would be Adam,
"sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."
And when you get rid of all the sin, it's passive, which means it's happened once and for all, and it's over with. Well, when did we sin all at one time, once and for all, and it's over with? And that would be in Adam. Now, I want you to watch carefully because we're going to begin reading in Romans chapter 5 with verse 14. And I want you to see there's a comparison now between the first Adam and the last Adam, and you're going to see imputation. So look in Romans 5 beginning with verse 14.
"Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come."
Now that's an interesting sermon in and of itself. How was Adam a type of Christ? How is Adam a type or a figure of Christ? Because Adam failed when Christ did not, but the Bible says he was a figure of him that was to come. Now watch what he says in verse 15. "But not as the offense," that is the sin of Adam, "so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one," that's Adam, "many be dead, much more the grace of God and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many." Watch this now, "And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift. For the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. For if by one man's offense death reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." Therefore, as by the offense of one, Adam, judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one, Jesus Christ, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
"For as by one man's disobedience," Adam, "many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Now, the proof of imputation and the proof of original sin is very simple. It is death. You can deny original sin all you want to, you can deny the doctrine of imputation all you want to, but the truth of the matter is you're going to die. And that's proof positive that imputation is true and original sin is true.
Now, original sin always issues forth in actual sin, which I will explain a little bit later. But we do not become sinners when we sin. We sin because we're sinners. OK, because it has been imputed to us. So we have sinned with our fathers seminally because we were in their loins. We have sinned with them imputatively, because their sins have been imputed. That's why the Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 22,
"As in Adam, all die."
And so thirdly, we sinned with our fathers representatively. Adam, who was our first father, in one sense of the word of the humans, our head, was our head, our federal representative.
What he did, we did. We were not only in his loins, he was our representative. Moreover, listen carefully, we sin with our earthly fathers today in the sense that their sins always affect their wives and their children. Whatever the father, who happens to be the head of the house, does, it affects his entire household. We suffer with the sins of our parents, for they are our representatives, while we are their children. Paul stated this clearly in Galatians chapter 4, verses 1 through 3. Now listen to what he said. He said that the heir, "Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all." So if my father happened to have been, say, a multi-millionaire, he was not, and I was his only son, and I'm 3, and 4, and 5 years old, and 7, and 8, and 9, and 10 years old, I might be an heir, but I'm still a child, and I'm under the discipline of my father, and he is my head, and my representative, and what he does in one sense of the word, I do as well, because he is over me, he is responsible for me. I have no control, I had no control as a child over the actions of my parents.
They did what they did and that's all there is to it. They are our representatives. Now you're going to say, but that's not fair. Well, before you say that, may I remind you that that is in reality the kind of government that we have or that we are supposed to have. Because our elected officials are our representatives. In truth, they are to represent us even though they really do not. They're supposed to represent us and whether we like it or not, whatever they do, we do. Whatever mess they get in, they get us in.
How many of you voted to go to Ukraine and send money to Ukraine? How many voted to send money to Jerusalem or to Israel? How many voted to tear down the wire at the Texas border? No, no, no. You see what I'm saying? They're supposed to be representing us, although they're not. But whatever mess they get into, we are into as well. Now, although that sounds bad, hang on.
I want to look in your Bibles. The first Corinthians chapter 15, 1 Corinthians 15. Look, if you would. And let's begin reading there with verse 45. So it is true that we've sinned in our fathers representatively, but there is something else to that as well. So in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, look at verse 45. The Bible says, "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul. The last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural, and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy, and the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy. As is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly."
Now, here's a question that you need to consider. How is Jesus Christ referred to as the second man, and Adam is referred to as the first man, when we know that Jesus Christ existed far before Adam was ever created, because Jesus Christ is the eternal God? Why is Jesus Christ called the second man? And the answer is because Jesus Christ was the second chronologically to be the federal head and representative of a people. Now, I stated that Adam was our representative. He was our federal head. And what he did, we did. When he sinned, we sinned. When he fell, we fell. You may not like that truth, but if you don't like the truth of representation and federal headship, then you don't really like the truth of salvation because the failure of the first man set the stage for the success of the second man. The truth of the matter is, the Bible says in Romans chapter 6.
In fact, turn right back there. You're almost there. Look in Romans chapter 6. And notice if you would, beginning there with verse 3. Romans 6 and verse 3. The Bible says,
"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection."
Now, the Bible tells us in this passage that we died with Christ, we were buried with Christ, we were raised from the dead in Christ. And when you read Ephesians chapter 2 verses 5 and 6, it not only says that we died with him and were buried with him and raised with him, it also teaches that we ascended with him and were seated at the right hand of God the Father in Jesus Christ.
Why? Because Jesus Christ was our federal head and our representative. In Adam, we lost everything. In Jesus Christ, we got more than we ever had in Adam, because now we not only have a perfect forgiveness, we have a perfect obedience, we have an absolutely perfect righteousness, because he is our head and our representative. And what he did, we did. Now, I don't know if you noticed or not, as we read 1 Corinthians 15, Jesus Christ was called the last Adam. Why is Jesus Christ called the last Adam? There's a contrast between the first Adam and the last Adam. Jesus Christ is called the last Adam because he is the last one to sustain this federal headship in representation with the people.
Let me explain it like this. Bad English, bad grammar, but good truth, there ain't going to be another Savior. There's not going to be another way of salvation. So if someone is not saved by Jesus Christ, he is not going to be saved, period. So how did we sin with our fathers so far? We sinned with them seminally. We were in their loins. We sinned with them imputatively.
Their sins were imputed to us. We sinned with them representatively. They were our representatives. Adam was, but so were our parents. But here's the fourth one. Listen to this. We sinned with our parents nationally. Nationally. In order to understand this, you must understand that Israel was a nation. However, you've got to understand something else. A nation, according to the Bible, was and is a family or a specific ethnic group. Bill Evans, one of my good friends, said it like this, and I'm quoting him here. He said, "Biblically, however, nation or ethnos, which is the Greek word, is not an amalgamated conglomeration of people from different linguistic, cultural, political, or religious persuasions. It is a particular people group akin to a large extended family."
And that is certainly true. In fact, we notice that in Psalm 83, there were the Philistines, there were the Hagarenes, there were Moabites, there were the Ammonites, then the Amalekites. All of these are extended families. They may be nations, but they're people who were related to each other. So when God told Abraham in Genesis chapter 12 and verse 2, "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing." The nation that God promised Abraham would be those of his family or those of his descendants.
So I want you to understand something. Nations or families act together in many ways and in many areas. There are family groups that sin against God. There are family groups that hate the Lord Jesus Christ. There are family groups that despise the law of God. Look at the Muslims. Look at the Chinese.
Now, I'm not saying that there aren't exceptions. All I am saying is a general rule. They don't worship the Lord Jesus Christ. They don't obey him. They're not concerned with his law. No, but just like there are family groups and ethnic groups that hate him, there are those that love him and want to obey him as well. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to Psalm 43 to begin with, Psalm 43, and look at verse 1 and what David prays. Psalm 43 and verse 1. You remember David had to fight the Moabites. He had to fight the Philistines. He had to fight different kind of nations. And so he prays in verse 1, "Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation."
"O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man." I don't know what nation he was praying about or against in this particular psalm, but he's praying against a people group, a family that hated him and hated God. If you look in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah chapter 1, Isaiah chapter 1, and look at verse 4, and look what God says about Judah and Jerusalem. He's talking about the southern kingdom. He says in verse 4, "A sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters." "They have forsaken the Lord. They provoke the Holy One of Israel unto anger. They are gone away backward." And if you'll go back to verse one, "The vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah," and then he calls them in verse four, "a sinful nation, a people laden." So what in the world were Judah and Jerusalem? They were an ethnic group of people.
They were descendants of Jacob. There was the Benjamites. There were the Judahites and the Simeonites all living in the southern kingdom. But they were a people group. Everybody knows that passage in Psalm 33 in verse 12, where the Bible says, "Blessed is that nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." If you would read Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 22, you will discover that God always condemns a nation, usually by condemning the prophets, the priests, the princes, and the people. He lists them all and he condemns them as people, but it's one nation. That's why in Jeremiah chapter 5 and verse 23, God says this, "But this people have a revolting and rebellious heart."
"They are revolted and gone." This people, this nation has a rebellious and revolting heart. All you have to do to understand this is look around in America. We don't have to consider the illegal immigrants. We don't have to consider the people who come with their different religions and their different cultures and all. Look at what happened to America before all of this ever transpired. We were going downhill, downhill, downhill. We're going faster now, but I don't care which country you look at. Look at Germany. Look at Spain. Look at Mexico. All I'm simply saying is, nations sin nationally because nations are made up of ethnic groups, they're made up of families of people, and those people either love God or hate Him. They either love His law or they hate His law. Period.
So, yes, we've sinned with them seminally, we've sinned with them imputatively, we've sinned with them representatively, we've sinned with them nationally, and here's the fifth one, we've sinned actually with our fathers. Now, we end up committing the same sins that our fathers committed. History does not repeat itself. It is sin that repeats itself and brings the same consequences, conditions, and judgments. Hence we say history repeats itself. It's not history. You may charge it to history, but sin is the culprit. The truth is that we often not only commit the same sins of our fathers, but we go over and above and beyond those sins and we make them worse.
So I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, first of all, to the book of Nehemiah. Ezra, Nehemiah. You'll get through 2 Chronicles, and then you're going to hit Ezra, and then Nehemiah. And look at Nehemiah chapter 1 and verse 6. Nehemiah 1 and look in verse 6. Nehemiah is praying. And here's what he says,
"Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants."
Now look,
"And confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee, both I and my father's house have sinned."
Do you realize he's not only confessing his individual sins, he's confessing the sins of his people, the children of Israel, those of his father's house. If you look in your Bibles, Nehemiah chapter 9 and verse 2, Nehemiah 9 verse 2, the Bible says, "And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers."
Biblical Examples of Corporate Confession
He points to Nehemiah, Daniel, and others who confessed not only their own sins but the sins of their people and fathers.
So they're not just confessing their individual sins. They said, our fathers have sinned too. They helped get us into this mess. We're here together. We've sinned. Then if you'd turn back in your Bibles to 1 Kings chapter 14, 1 Kings chapter 14, and I want you to look at verse 22. 1 Kings chapter 14 and verse 22. Not only do we commit the sins of our fathers, we go over and above and beyond those sins many times. 1 Kings 14 verse 22, "And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed above all that their fathers had done." They were worse than their fathers. If you would turn over to 2 Kings, chapter 15, and look at verse 9, you're going to read about Zechariah, the son of Jeroboam. 2 Kings, chapter 15, verse 9, look what the Bible says. "And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done. He departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin."
Now, I want you to turn to the book of Daniel, and I want you to hold this chapter, Daniel 9, right after the book of Ezekiel, and I want you to hold it, because we're going to come back there just momentarily. So after the book of Ezekiel, you've got Daniel, Daniel 9. Look, if you would please, at verse 16 now at what Daniel is praying. Look what he says. Watch this. "O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain, because of our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us." So he's asking forgiveness for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers.
Now, I want you to hold the book of Daniel, but I want you to go back to Psalm 106. I want to show you this. I said that we've sinned with our fathers in many ways. And I have showed you where a lot of people just repeat the sin, repeat the sin of their fathers, and sometimes they are worse than their fathers. But I want you to see this, and when you get home this afternoon, you may finish reading Psalm 106. It's a wonderful psalm.
But let's read verse 6 again, and watch this. "We have sinned with our fathers. We have committed iniquity. We have done wickedly." Well, how did our fathers sin, and how is it that we sin like them? Look in verse 7. "Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt. They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies, but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red Sea." So let me ask you a question. Have you ever meditated on the wonders of God? Not just in times past, not just in history, but the wonders of God even being performed today. Have you ever thought about it's a miracle that you are spared? It's a miracle that your family is spared. It's a miracle that God lets any of us live. And then he said, "And they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies." How many times God has been merciful to us. We've never thanked him. We've never thought about it.
Application and Call to Confess
Weaver urges believers to confess personal, family, societal, and national sins, grieving over them and seeking God's mercy or judgment.
Now, let me try to tie this together. Here's the first application. Do you confess your sins? That's a good question. Do you confess the sins of your fathers? Do you confess the sins of your society? Do you confess the sins of your family? Do you confess the sins of your nation? I would encourage you to read the book of Ezra, the book of Nehemiah, and the book of Daniel. Because you'll find that these men not only confess their individual sins, but the sins of their family, the sins of their tribes, the sins of their nation, over and over.
One author said it like this, listen carefully. "We have sinned with our fathers, that is, like our fathers, after the similitude of their transgression. We have added to the stock of hereditary guilt and filled up the measure of our father's iniquity to augment the fierce anger of the Lord." So what he's saying is we're doing the same thing, even worse, and we're augmenting, we're building up, we're storing up the fierce anger of God against us. Now I want you to go back to Daniel chapter 9. I want you to watch this with me. Daniel chapter 9. And I want us to begin reading with verse 5. Daniel 9 verse 5. I want you to pay close attention to what he says. Daniel 9 verse 5. In fact, let's begin with verse 4, just so you can see his prayer. He said, "And I prayed unto the Lord my God and made my confession. And said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him and to them that keep his commandments. We have sinned." Now notice, it's not just that I have sinned. He includes himself.
"We have sinned and have committed iniquity and have done wickedly and have rebelled even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments. Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants, the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and to all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces as at this day to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel that are near and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespasses that they have trespassed against thee. O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings and to our princes and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him. Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets, yea, all Israel, oh, look at this, have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice."
"Therefore the curse is poured out upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, because we have sinned against him." But I want you to notice what he's doing. He's confessing not just his sins, but the sins of his people and the sins of his nation. Here's the thing. I understand and I know that you may not be able to repent for the sins of your family members. You will not be able to repent for the sins of society. You will not be able to repent for the sins of the nations. But you may recognize those sins. You may acknowledge those sins, you may confess those sins and say, Lord, I'm powerless to do anything, but Lord, this is a slap in thy face. Lord, this is dishonoring to thy great and holy name. And Lord, I acknowledge that, and it grieves me and it hurts me, and I don't want this. O Lord, arise and do something. Either be merciful and grant us repentance, or Lord, bring thy chastening and thy judging hand against a sinful and wicked nation.
In other words, we must recognize not just our sins, but the sins of others and acknowledge them and confess that they are sins against God and they deserve His displeasure, His anger and His wrath, or if He pleases, His mercy and His grace. So how many sins do you confess? Just yours? Or those of your family? Those of your society? Those of your church? And those of your nation? These men prayed, "Have mercy, O Lord."
"We have sinned against Thee. All Israel has sinned against thee." Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. We acknowledge, Lord, that we've sinned. We've sinned in so many different and grievous ways. And it's not just, Lord, each one of us as individuals. Lord, collectively, we've sinned against thee in our churches, in our communities, in our society, in our states, in our nation. Lord, may we recognize that these sins are grievous in thy sight and bring forth your anger and your wrath and your judgment. And although, Lord, we may be helpless to turn people from those sins, thou art not. But may we grieve over them, Father, because it grieves Thee. Give us Your grace and Your mercy, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. In His name we ask and pray. Amen.
Study Guide
Major Themes
Corporate Confession of Sin
Summary: Believers should confess not only personal sins but also the sins of their fathers, families, society, and nation, following biblical examples.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'Do you confess the sins of your fathers? Do you confess the sins of your society? Do you confess the sins of your family? Do you confess the sins of your nation?' and cites Daniel 9 and Nehemiah 1.
The Nature of True Confession
Summary: Confession means agreeing with God about the wickedness of sin, not merely reciting sins.
Evidence: Weaver explains homologeo: 'Confession actually means when you say the exact same thing about sin that God says.'
Federal Headship and Representation
Summary: Adam and Christ are federal heads; in Adam we sinned and died, in Christ we are made righteous.
Evidence: Weaver states, 'In Adam, we lost everything. In Jesus Christ, we got more than we ever had in Adam.'
Inherited and National Sin
Summary: Sin has consequences across generations and nations, and we participate in the sins of our ethnic and national groups.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'We have sinned with our fathers seminally because we were in their loins' and 'nations sin nationally because nations are made up of ethnic groups.'
The Repetition and Escalation of Sin
Summary: We often repeat and even worsen the sins of our fathers, provoking God's anger.
Evidence: Weaver notes, 'We end up committing the same sins that our fathers committed... we go over and above and beyond those sins and we make them worse.'
Key Arguments
We sin with our fathers in multiple ways
Summary: Weaver argues that we are connected to our fathers' sins seminally, imputatively, representatively, nationally, and actually.
Evidence: He states, 'We have sinned with our fathers seminally because we were in their loins... imputatively... representatively... nationally... actually.'
Confession must extend beyond personal sins
Summary: Biblical figures like Daniel and Nehemiah confessed the sins of their people and nation, setting a pattern for believers.
Evidence: Weaver cites Daniel 9:5: 'We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled...'
Governmental and societal sins require acknowledgment
Summary: Governments can sin by making ungodly laws, and believers should recognize and confess these national sins.
Evidence: Weaver asks, 'Do you consider abortion, sodomy, transgenderism, theft, political persecutions... as sin and wickedness? ...do you ever confess them?'
True confession agrees with God's view of sin
Summary: Confession is not flippant; it means saying the same thing about sin that God says, acknowledging its vileness.
Evidence: Weaver explains, 'Real confession is not just simply naming your sins. It's agreeing with God that your sin is wicked, vile, and a transgression and deserves death.'
Sin's consequences are corporate and generational
Summary: Sin affects not just the individual but families, nations, and future generations, as seen in the visiting of iniquity.
Evidence: Weaver quotes Exodus 20:5: 'visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.'
Scripture References
Psalm 106:6
Context: The foundational verse for the sermon: 'We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.'
Psalm 90:8
Context: Mentioned to show that God sets secret sins in the light of His countenance.
Psalm 19:12-13
Context: David's prayer about secret faults and presumptuous sins.
Psalm 83:2-8
Context: Illustrates nations colluding against God and His people.
Psalm 94:20-21
Context: Shows governmental sin: 'Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?'
Psalm 107:8,15,21,31
Context: Repeated call for men to praise the Lord, used to illustrate confessing others' failure to thank God.
1 John 1:9
Context: If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive; used to introduce the meaning of confession.
Matthew 23:29-33
Context: Jesus accuses the Pharisees of being children of those who killed the prophets, showing connection to fathers' sins.
Jeremiah 3:25
Context: Confession: 'We have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers.'
Hebrews 7:1-10
Context: Levi paid tithes in Abraham, illustrating seminal presence in the loins of the father.
Exodus 20:5
Context: God visits iniquity of fathers on children to the third and fourth generation.
Exodus 34:7
Context: Similar to Exodus 20:5, emphasizing generational consequences of sin.
2 Chronicles 30:7-8
Context: Command not to be like their fathers who trespassed against God.
Zechariah 1:4
Context: God says, 'Be ye not as your fathers,' who did not hearken to the prophets.
Romans 5:12-19
Context: Imputation of Adam's sin and Christ's righteousness; death passed upon all men.
1 Corinthians 15:22,45-49
Context: In Adam all die; contrast between first Adam and last Adam as federal heads.
Romans 6:3-5
Context: Believers baptized into Christ's death and resurrection, showing representation.
Nehemiah 1:6
Context: Nehemiah confesses sins of Israel and his father's house.
Nehemiah 9:2
Context: Israel confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
Daniel 9:4-11
Context: Daniel's prayer of confession for personal and national sins.
Historical References
Christians arrested for praying in front of an abortion clinic
Context: Weaver mentions recent events where Christians face prison for praying, while others committing violent crimes are not prosecuted.
Melchizedek and Abraham (Genesis 14)
Context: Historical event where Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek, used to illustrate Levi paying tithes in Abraham.
Judges 19 (implied tribal sin)
Context: Reference to a tribe joining in sin to defend those who committed wickedness.
Important Quotes
We have sinned with our fathers. We've committed iniquity. We've done wickedly.
Significance: The central verse of the sermon, emphasizing corporate sin and the need for confession beyond the individual.
Confession actually means when you say the exact same thing about sin that God says.
Significance: Defines true confession as agreement with God's view of sin, not mere recitation.
In Adam, we lost everything. In Jesus Christ, we got more than we ever had in Adam.
Significance: Summarizes the federal headship of Adam and Christ, showing the gain through Christ.
We have sinned with our fathers seminally because we were in their loins.
Significance: Explains the first way we sin with our fathers, through physical descent.
Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.
Significance: Quotes Psalm 119:53 to illustrate the proper response to societal sin.
We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments.
Significance: Daniel's corporate confession, modeling the sermon's call to confess national sins.
Discussion Questions
What does it mean to confess sin in a way that agrees with God's view of it, rather than just naming sins?
Context: Weaver explains that confession (homologeo) means saying the same thing about sin that God says.
In what ways do we 'sin with our fathers' today, and how should that affect our prayers?
Context: Weaver outlines five ways we sin with our fathers: seminally, imputatively, representatively, nationally, and actually.
How can we confess the sins of our nation or society without becoming self-righteous or judgmental?
Context: Weaver urges confession of societal sins like abortion and injustice, following Daniel's example.
Why is it important to recognize that governments can sin, and how should Christians respond?
Context: Weaver cites Psalm 94:20-21 to show that thrones of iniquity frame mischief by law.
How does the doctrine of federal headship (Adam and Christ) impact our understanding of sin and salvation?
Context: Weaver explains that in Adam we sinned and died, but in Christ we are made righteous.
Applications
Confess personal and corporate sins
Summary: Believers should regularly confess not only their own sins but also the sins of their family, church, society, and nation.
Evidence: Weaver asks, 'Do you confess your sins? ... Do you confess the sins of your fathers? Do you confess the sins of your society?'
Grieve over societal wickedness
Summary: Christians should be troubled by national sins like abortion, injustice, and immorality, and bring them before God in confession.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'That should bother you, that should cause you to grieve... have you confessed those sins?'
Agree with God about the seriousness of sin
Summary: True confession involves acknowledging that sin is wicked, vile, and deserving of death, not just listing offenses.
Evidence: Weaver states, 'Real confession is not just simply naming your sins. It's agreeing with God that your sin is wicked, vile, and a transgression and deserves death.'
Follow biblical examples of intercessory confession
Summary: Imitate Daniel, Nehemiah, and Ezra by praying prayers that acknowledge the sins of the people and plead for God's mercy.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'I would encourage you to read the book of Ezra, the book of Nehemiah, and the book of Daniel. Because you'll find that these men not only confess their individual sins, but the sins of their family...'
deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T20:07:30Z
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