I’ve heard it said that you don’t need to confess your specific sins to the Lord, because He already knows what you’ve done; and He sees your heart, and knows if you’re truly repentant.
And similarly, I’ve heard it said that if you’ve wronged a brother, you don’t need to confess it to him… that words are pretty meaningless, and you just need to demonstrate over time, by your actions, that you’ve changed.
Proverbs 28:13 [KJV] “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
1 John 1:9 [KJV] “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Psalm 32:1-5 [KJV] “ I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.”
Certainly, when a sinner comes to the Lord for the saving of his soul, and repents, and surrenders his life to God; he cannot be expected to remember and confess all of his innumerable sins. He is only confessing that he is a sinner in need of a Savior. You could say he is confessing sin, as opposed to sins.
It’s also important to understand that we should never add the word ‘only’, where it’s not in the Word. I have heard it preached that, once you become a Christian and your old sins are washed away… that from then on, God can forgive you, ONLY if you confess your sins. That can lead to a belief that, if you were to die suddenly without a chance to confess your most recent sins, you would end up in hell. Think about that for a moment. How many things have you done, and the Holy Spirit convicted you, but you shrugged it off as no big deal, and never really confessed it as sin. Is that “hidden sin” that condemns you to hell? Could you even remember all of them now, to confess them, even if you tried?
It is absolutely critical that we know what God has to say about redemption, imputed righteousness, and justification by faith. But right now, I’m just on the subject of confession.
Probably every parent has had an occasion when you tell your kid to apologize for something, and the kid just says, “Sorry.” OK. Sorry for what? With that kind of apology, you don’t know if he even understands what he did wrong, or what exactly he’s sorry for.
That’s why confession of sins is so much more than feeling remorse, or saying, “Sorry.” God is asking us to humble ourselves enough to be specific about what it is that we’re confessing. It starts with confessing sin as SIN… not just a “mistake”. And YOUR sin, not “the serpent deceived me… or my wife or my husband this or that… or I was just following the preacher”, or other shifted blame.
Another great thing about confession, is that it marks a point in time, that you’re declaring before God or your brother, that this is a new beginning. You are saying, “I understand what I’ve done wrong, and from this point on, you will see that I have received correction, and have changed.”
That confession, in honesty and humility, is especially important in a marriage. For example, if a husband speaks some hurtful words, but is too proud to make a specific apology, the wife is left to wonder exactly what he is sorry for, or whether he really meant some of the hurtful things he said… no matter how many roses he brings her. His specific confession assures her that he knows exactly how he personally has wronged her, and helps the forgiveness and healing to happen at that moment in time… not letting the doubts and hurts linger on, damaging or destroying their relationship, while he goes on thinking time or outward affection will heal the wounds. Of course that’s equally true for the wife to her husband.
That same principle applies to any relationship… whether friendships, or marriages, or business, or the church. So much healing could take place, if we would first follow what the Word says about confessing our sins to God, and then do the same in our homes and our churches.
James 5:16 says, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” Of course, this isn’t about broadcasting all your sins to everyone. It’s about humility, honesty, and confession, where healing is needed. And it’s not just about physical healing. It’s also about confession to bring healing where someone has been hurt or wronged, in body or spirit. It’s God’s way, and it works!
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