CONFESSION

When I hear the word confession, the first image that usually comes to mind is of someone going to a Roman Catholic Church into one of those booths and pouring out their wrongs before a fellow human. In that picture, the Catholic priest is acting as a physical picture of Jesus being our Mediator. In the Catholic church, this is the only way you can be absolved of your sins. You have to go through a human, the local priest. Praise the Lord this isn’t biblical or necessary! We can confess our sins to God at any moment of any day and receive instant forgiveness of our sins. But, do we? The Roman Catholic Church’s view that you can only be forgiven by going through the traditions of their church is false. But the idea of regularly partaking in the spiritual discipline of confession in private is worth a closer look.

First of all, what is confession? To confess can mean to state what you believe or it means to admit you are guilty of a sin or crime. The Bible talks about confessing sins at every stage in a believer’s life whether salvation (Romans 10:9-10) or for after salvation when we sin (Psalm 32:5). Confession was needed in Old Testament sacrifices (Lev. 16:21) and it’s still needed under the new covenant (1 John 1:9).

Why do we need confession? Because the Bible says so. You might have heard the gospel a thousand times, but take a moment to reflect on this truly good news. We are sinners (Romans 3:23). Because of our sin, we cannot have a relationship with God who is holy and righteous (Romans 1:21-23). But God, in His infinite love sent Jesus, who is God, to live a perfect life and offer His life as a ransom for ours by dying on the cross (Romans 5:8). He was raised on the third day and is now seated at the right hand of God and acting as a mediator on behalf of His true followers (1 Timothy 2:5-6). God offers us a free gift of His grace through His Son to be forgiven of all our sins and to have a relationship with Him (2 Timothy 1:9-10). We cannot earn a relationship with Him through good works (Ephesians 2:8-9). All we have to do is admit we are sinners in need of a Savior, believe in Jesus and His work, and follow God with our whole lives (Romans 10:9-10). Praise the Lord for His mercy on us!

But why do WE need confession? Why do we need to confess sins even after we’ve been saved? Because the Bible says so. Sorry, couldn’t resist! Yes, the Bible tells us that although we are secure in our relationship with Christ, we still sin on this earth and will continue to sin until we die and then receive our new glorified bodies (Romans 7:22-25). Honestly, all we have to do is look at our actions and thoughts today and we will see a multitude of sins. These sins keep us from resting in God’s will. They damage our relationships with others. They also injure our witness for the gospel. And most importantly, our sins keep us from glorifying, obeying, and loving God. Developing a discipline of confessing our sins to God can help a believer in so many ways! That’s why I am actually excited to delve into this topic. It’s uncomfortable, but regular confession does so much to grow spiritual maturity in a believer. So start now. I challenge you to spend a little time today recognizing at least one sin in your life, praying to God for forgiveness, and asking Him to help you when you’re tempted to sin in this way.

RESOURCE: “Create in My A Clean Heart” by the Talbot Brothers

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