Confession
… confess your sins to one another and pray for one another… - James 5:16
During a recent men’s meeting instead of diving directly into the lesson we started the meeting with a round of confession. I did not expect much from the session. I knew I wanted to express some struggles and anxiety I was having and hear godly counsel from the elders and brothers. However, this session proved to be far more profitable for the entire group than for myself alone. One by one all the brothers began expressing their own confession. Some were dealing with similar trials, others something totally different. What became overwhelmingly clear was that these unconfessed sins were debilitating to our spiritual and physical life.
As we navigated our way through the session, we came to the question of why we had not spoken openly to each other sooner? This was indeed strange considering that we are a close-knit, understanding, even keeled, godly, and not unrighteously judgemental group of Christian brothers. What was discovered is that pride, our pride, restrained us from doing what we ought to have done. Pride displayed itself in many ways: I had the thought, “I will get through this.” While another person’s thought was, “I do not want to bother anyone one with my issues.” Yet another’s logic was, “This is just who I am.” Pride’s sinful power was truly at work among our small group.
However, God does not desire His people to reside, in the shame, fear, and pride of unconfessed sin. There is a debilitating bondage experienced by any true believer that fails to practice confession to God and their fellow Christians. The colorful hues of the Christian life appear dry, ashy, and gloomy. Walking in the glorious mercy of God is lost and is replaced by melancholy.
The admission of our guilt before God is the key that opens the door and allows the flood of God’s mercy to come back to the Christian experience.
Whoever conceals his transgressions, will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. (Proverbs 28:13 ESV)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9b)
Therefore, if you find yourself missing God’s holy mark of perfection, do not allow pride or shame to prevent you from finding a faithful elder, brother, or sister to share your faults with, so that they may pray, counsel, and hold you accountable for your life in Christ. A healthy practice of confession of sin is not only good for the individual, but it is also good for the community of Christ. First it allows the church to practice biblical restoration as Paul outlined to the Galatians,
“… if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him [or her] in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”
It should be noted that the transgressor is to be restored in gentleness. As the church engages with the confessing believer, love should not be lost due to dealing harshly with them. Christ upon confronting the woman caught in adultery did not cast one stone. On the contrary, she found the gentle forgiveness in the words of the savior (John 8). The church, if it is to practice healthy confession must adopt this healthy response to encourage safe confession.
Secondly, healthy confession of sin in the community aids in the growth and maturity of the church. God’s word can flourish where sins are confessed and forsaken. The greatest evangelistic effort is for the world to see Christians admitting and turning away from sin. Many try to project the Christian life as a life of perfection when it is more like a pursuit of perfection. A pursuit filled with pitfalls, slumps, hang-ups, slips and stalls. There are bumps in the road of salvation and it will do the church well to admit where they are wrong so that the power of God displayed in his mercy and forgiveness would shine bright for all to see. In Acts 19 as the fear of God fell on the people of Ephesus the Bible says,
… many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So, the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. (Acts 19:18-20 ESV)
In conclusion what started out as an unction by the spirit of God to confess some struggles has turned into glorious liberation and an exciting anticipation to share in the discipline of confession and restoration. It is not that we want to see Christians sin, but we know sin will indeed happen as we are prone to fail due to out sinful natures. However, this too gives the church the chance to display the magnificence of salvation through admission of sin and repentance. I pray that you as well as your church take up or greater foster the act of confession of sin for the glory of God.