Salvation has never been based upon the confession of our sins (plural) either to God or to man. ("Confess your faults one to another" is something said to believers.) The Holy Spirit convicts believers of specific sins, but He convicts the unsaved of sin. Then sin is not regarded as something apart and by itself. It is always looked upon in relation to a Divine Person. Men often confuse sin with vice or vice with sin. Vice is usually that which relates to either the one who commits it or to the person or persons against whom it is committed. Vice is something against self or society. Sin is against God. We are never saved by ceasing to commit acts of wrong, vice, or sin against ourselves or others. We are saved when we come to see by Divine illumination that sin is what we are, and that in His Cross Jesus Christ representatively and substitutionally took us under the judgment of God against a sinful race, and has set us aside by nature, so that in Christ risen we take our stand by faith as having died to sin.

   This whole question is gathered up in one comprehensive statement of Christ's. "When he, the Spirit, is come, he shall convict of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. Of sin, because they believe not on me. Of righteousness, because I go to the Father. Of judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged."

Sin then is a matter of our faith union with Christ as Saviour. The one question which will ever be the basis of our justification or condemnation will be, not how many sins, or how we have sinned, but what is our relationship with Christ the Saviour? God will never say, "were you a bad sinner or guilty of few or many sins?" But, "what did you do with my Son, the Lord Jesus, in view of His atoning work on the cross?"

   This concludes this booklet through TAS.