“Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”
In September, 2010, there was a calamity in a community in the Northern California of San Bruno. A gas line explosion flattened and wiped out homes throughout an otherwise quite residential neighborhood. The catastrophe also took the lives of eight people. Since that time, one investigation after another has occurred and eventually the Gas and Electric Company was found guilty of six felonies. Since that time, PG&E has worked hard to repair their community and corporate image, but I had not seen a public admission of their guilt until yesterday in a full-page ad in the San Francisco Chronicle. Here it is:
Why is this noteworthy? For me, whether or not this was forced on the company to do as a part of their punishment, the admission of guilt is a good starting point for rebuilding for the future. We have another substantial issue with a local company right now (Wells-Fargo) who have taken out similar full-page newspaper advertisements to reassure their customers and shareholders that they are rectifying their retail practices. However, each time I read those they fall short of actually admitting guilt. Yes, they say they used bad judgment and their processes failed, but not that “We are guilty”, like this PG&E statement does. Which company do we trust more? The one that admits their guilt as a step to repairing themselves, or the company that isn’t quite there yet, but still tries to win back our confidence? I know which one I admire more; the one with the courage.
Why is it that we are to admit our sins to God for His forgiveness? I mean, He already knows what we have done and He already has forgiven us and washed us clean, right? For me, I am to admit my sins and failings to Him because then I know and can willfully admit that I am guilty and it is only with that first step am I truly committed to doing my best to not take the same action again. The person who pilfer a little here and there from the expense report and never gets caught will do it again and again. The backstabber who demeans another to their boss and never has to fess up for this action will only continue to attack again. But, when someone has to admit their guilt, then it is in that admission that they can never truly ignore what it is that they do in the future. So, it is in our guilt that He welcomes us to His forgiveness. Let us take our admissions to Him today!
Reference: Hebrews 10:22 (New Living Translation)