It Didn’t Exist

“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 I knew a man who told a powerful story from the Jesus movement in the 1970s. He remembered when a man possessed by an evil spirit came into a gathering and caused trouble. Four elders were there, and they tried to hold the man, who was foaming at the mouth and shouting. In that tense moment, the storyteller realized he needed to admit his own secret sins and ask for forgiveness if he wanted spiritual authority. As they prayed, the possessed man started naming the hidden sins of each elder: “You’ve done this, and you’ve done that.” When he reached the storyteller, he said nothing. He told Hannah and me that the silence happened because God had hidden his sins from the demoniac. But