Acknowledgment
“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth ; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” (2 Timothy 2:24-26)
I am thinking of the largeness and significance of acknowledgment in our dealings with God and with truth. God is still God and truth is still truth, whether we acknowledge them or not; but we do not get anywhere until we acknowledge and confess that we must face Him “with whom we have to do.” (Hebrews 4:13) We may refuse to come to this point, even to the extent of denying what is right all of our lives, but in the end, we will all acknowledge; we will all confess. “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:11,12) It should be plain to all who read these words: all men who have ever lived, are living, or will live shall bow, shall confess to God.
Since we shall all acknowledge God and truth in the end, then the question is: will we acknowledge what is right now, before the final judgment? There is no progress or deliverance without this.
Acknowledgment of truth is the first and vital step to getting help. This truth runs contrary to the philosophy of influence, which glories in the skill of easing people into a better condition. The way of the cross is the way of acknowledgment—it is a stark confrontation. The awful price paid by Jesus speaks in tones of thunder of the enormous need of the human heart. The very first steps toward godly sorrow, confession, and repentance all arise from acknowledgment. God is right and I am wrong.
By God’s Word at last my sin I learned;
Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned,
Till my guilty soul imploring turned
To Calvary.*
This is all the language of acknowledgment. It is to own up, to confess, to admit, to concede. It is the result of humbling. It is honesty and candor in action. It gets God’s attention (Isaiah 66:2).
Acknowledgment is the first step toward any real help. In the writing of Brother Paul to Brother Timothy (quoted at the beginning of this article), it is plain that the abstinence from striving, the gentleness, the aptness to teach, the patience, and the meekness are all directed to one objective. What is that? That those who oppose themselves might acknowledge the truth. Without this step realized, all the labor expended toward the needy will do them no good.
A certain individual was a poor money manager, had difficulty keeping a job, and suffered from different shortcomings in getting along with people. Different ones were moved with pity and assisted this person a great deal, some giving money, others gave other kinds of assistance, including emotional support and comfort. A great deal of water was poured into a hole, so to speak, (and it was good water), but that was the end of it. No lasting good was done. There was no real effective change in the individual’s outlook or motivation. The needs were real; the case was indeed pitiful, but there was no change for the better. Part of this was the fault of those who ministered to the needy soul. The help was not tied to incentives which would have had the effect of causing an acknowledgment or a series of acknowledgments on the part of the needy one which would have resulted in real help.
We are fooling ourselves if we think that anyone can make real progress without this serious step of acknowledgment. In 2 Samuel 11, we read of King David’s temptation and falling into adultery. This is terrible enough, but the account then details the coverup, the murder, and the awful hypocrisy. We began to get a hint of how far things can go if one does wrong and does not acknowledge, confess, and repent. The man actually feels righteous indignation at the unjust incident related by the prophet, Nathan (2 Samuel 12). Then the covers are pulled off of King David, and God exposes the whole thing. We began to see the thing as God saw it all along. David had “despised the commandment of the Lord.” (2 Samuel 12:9) By this series of sins, he had despised God Himself (2 Samuel 12:10). And finally, in 2 Samuel 12:13, David acknowledges and confesses his condition, uttering (as one brother puts it) three of the most dreadful words in human language—“I have sinned.” At this point, King David begins to get help. Finally, he can begin to feel godly sorrow. Finally, he can begin to repent. Acknowledgment opens the door to these things. A lack of acknowledgment keeps it firmly closed. Regret and remorse follow true confession. You can read about it in Psalm 51.
It required considerable courage and faithfulness on the part of Brother Nathan to confront King David in this way, and other children of God have suffered much hardship to be faithful to God and the one in the wrong in similar situations; but it is the only way in which real help can be obtained.
There must be a certain clarity of understanding on the part of the one in the wrong before there can be a clear acknowledgment. If this is ignored or rushed, then confusion will certainly be the result, and perhaps a certain amount of coercion. Consider the situation of Job and his “friends.” They were sure that he had sinned, yet he was unaware of anything between him and God. Consequently, their counsel to acknowledge and repent (while technically accurate) was confusing. Had he yielded to their entreaties, it would have not brought blessings and peace, but bondage and turmoil.
Sincerity demands a clear inner acknowledgment. If apologies become political ploys, then those participating are well on the path to feigned love. After awhile, everything will become a show. The “courage of your convictions” will be lost in a morass of conflicting “duties,” “considerations,” etc. After a while, you will find yourself the servant of men, instead of the servant of Christ.
There is a transparency to an open, honest acknowledgment. Something about it rings well. “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” (John 1:47) That is what the Lord said to Nathanael. And, sure enough, that brother’s reply: “Whence knowest thou me?” (John 1:48) It is blunt and straightforward. Excuse me, but how do you know anything about me? Such blunt, rugged honesty is vital to receiving the things of God. It also inspires confidence. One is not left to guessing at double meanings. There is “no guile.” This simplicity and straightforwardness is the natural result of a plain and aboveboard habit of acknowledgment of truth. I expect that we would say of Brother Nathanael, “You always knew where you stood with him.” You were not concerned that he would prove treacherous and stab you in the back. If he opposed you, he would do so openly.
“And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.” (Revelation 5:2) If an individual will approach God with a straightforward, honest attitude, without excuses, with an open confession, then God will deal with that person with the fire of His Word and Spirit, revealing and searching the hidden motives of the heart.
Human wisdom and influence may stir loyalty to people, doctrine, or cause; but it will not bring them to regeneration.
A person’s honesty is not enough to save them, but ones honesty coupled with the “piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [the discerning] of the thoughts and intents of the heart,” (Hebrews 4:12) will produce a sea-of-glass-mingled-with-fire foundation. This clearness is so important. “For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves…. ” (2 Corinthians 7:11) It will bring about restitution. It will produce an excellent spirit.
Here is where the political mind can go astray. Some are gifted with a good sense of the manifold subtleties of human nature and thought. They have a good feel for the in’s and out’s of people’s ways. We say that they are “natural” politicians. Excellency of speech and excellency of wisdom seem very effective and appropriate ways to deal with others. They are naturally influential. We need to recognize that the politically skillful ways of men do not produce this all-important spiritual clearness through acknowledgment. “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God…. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. ” (1 Corinthians 2:1,4,5) Men are not fooled or coaxed into conversion. Human wisdom and influence may stir their loyalty to people, doctrine, or cause; but it will not bring them to regeneration. It may teach them to imitate a true Christian, but it will not make a true Christian from the inside out. It will not place the feet on a transparent foundation, even that of acknowledgment, confession, repentance, and deliverance—a sea of glass mingled with Divine fire. How many dear, precious souls are standing in the wisdom of men! A terrible shock awaits them at the final judgment.
“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:22,23)
We frequently meet and have dealings with dear souls who are far from acknowledging their spiritual condition, much less getting any deliverance. We observe with horror how their spiritual leaders “pet” them and assist them in quieting their consciences. “They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.” (Jeremiah 6:14)
A certain acquaintance of ours professed to be a child of God, and we believe that she was really convinced that she was. She had no real victory, and her life was up and down, with no abiding peace. She largely lived on her emotions, but her integrity was sometimes there and sometimes not, as well. But the folks where she went to meeting received her, and they “encouraged” her to continue in her profession because she had not embraced a life of open sin and had “some desire” to still want to do right. I would toGod that they would have been as zealous in encouraging her to acknowledge her transgressions and confront her need. But human wisdom and the “spirit of influence” made them afraid to grit their teeth and deal with her effectively. Besides, the same “fuzziness” was working in their lives, and the clearness necessary in their own souls to effectively deal with her was lacking. At one point, this individual did an astounding thing. She sinned greatly, throwing away a great deal of mercy from the Lord extended to her, and wronging others, bringing reproach and hindering others by her actions as she continued to profess. But there was no acknowledgment, not to herself, nor to others. But what she did was so wrong, that her own outraged conscience smote her greatly, and she became deeply depressed and withdrew from everyone, claiming that she was “discouraged.” Of course she was discouraged—she had sinned and made occasion for the enemies of the right to blaspheme. It was time to acknowledge her condition. Her supporters came running. She needed encouragement, they said. This was no time to say anything that would crush her down, they thought. After awhile, they got her pumped up. She felt better. It was all smoothed over. She went another direction and put her hand to other things. No attempt was made to make things right with the ones that she had wronged. She ignored them and avoided them. (No, they were not us. But we marvel at how effectively this dear soul can push aside her responsibility to them. And we marvel at how her spiritual counselors seem to de-emphasize her need to make things right with those folks, as well.)
Such an experience does not stand on a sea of glass in the least, nor does such a dear soul sound forth the praises of God in tune with heaven and the children of God there. Something is badly amiss. A clearness, the clearness of honest acknowledgment and confession, is simply not there. It is time to cry. It is time to drop the false profession (recognizing it for what it is) and cry for help. “Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (James 4:9,10)
God has made acknowledgment a condition for help. “Only acknowledge thine iniquity.” (Jeremiah 3:13) “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) It is the only way to get rid of them—acknowledge, confess, forsake, repent; then God will do the forgiving and cleansing. Nothing else will do. Without this, “ye are yet in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17)
“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:6)