The greatest (if not the only) problem we have is sin.
That’s because a holy God made us for fellowship with Him and sin disrupts that fellowship. With unconfessed sin in our lives Heaven would always be against us.
That is why the practice of confession is vital.
Here are four observations about confession of sins.
1. Sin must not be covered
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13)
The first act of disobedience in the garden of Eden grew into an immense burden that every human being now bears. If we ignore it, it doesn’t go away. It has to be dealt with.
Unfortunately, we all carry the innate knee-jerk reflex to hide our sins, just like Adam and Eve hid themselves from God after the fall. But just as our first ancestors failed to resolve their problem by hiding from God, we fare no better when we cover our sins today. They might be out of our sight and may not even be on our minds. But any sin that has not been confessed lingers in the records of Heaven.
On the contrary, confessing our sins exposes them, bringing them out into the open before God. Rather than ignoring what has gone wrong, confession makes the truth naked. This is obviously not easy: coming to a holy God to declare our wrong feels inherently shameful.
But although it makes us feel uncomfortable, it allows us to escape God’s wrath and receive mercy.
2. Confession must be to the full extent
“And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness” (Leviticus 16:21).
There is a word in this verse that is small enough to be easily overlooked. That word is “all”.
God instructed Aaron how to confess on behalf of the children of Israel. But God also mentioned the extent to which he should confess. He was required to go all out. Every detail was to be reported. Each sin was to be acknowledged. All the iniquities, all transgressions, all sins.
It seems Heaven records our sins as details, not summaries. This is a very strong possibility, seeing we have Scriptures like:
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Ecclesiastes 12:14: “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” And
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2 Corinthians 5:10: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
The application? Complete forgiveness is available when it is preceded by thorough confession.
3. Confession is accompanied by action
“And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers” (Nehemiah 9:2).
Confessing our sins and dealing with them should be taken seriously. Not only must there be verbal acknowledgement of sins, but we should be prepared to take (sometimes drastic) action to repent from them.
In the book of Nehemiah, confession of sins was accompanied by separating themselves from strangers (i.e. gentiles) and engaging in feasts they had abandoned for years.
Confession done the right way will make our lives look a whole lot different. And that’s a good thing!
4. Confession releases cleansing
“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).
Confession of sins is not a waste of time, and it isn’t a relic of legalism. It features in both the Old and the New Testaments.
When John the Baptist was fulfilling his mission, those being baptized would simultaneously confess their sins. In 1 John 1:9, believers are encouraged to confess our sins. Confession is evidently a healthy spiritual practice.
When we are confessing our sins, God is not hearing random noise. It is allowing Him to peel away the layers of filth and spiritual grime we would have gathered on ourselves through sin. Confession and cleansing go hand in hand.
God wants to forgive. But we have a significant part to play. We should make the first move of confession. Then, faithfully, He releases His power to forgive and cleanse.
Final Thoughts
The angels who brought news of Jesus’ birth, declared “Peace, good will toward men”.
Putting our faith in Jesus and confessing our sins turns away God’s wrath; restoring peace and unhindered fellowship with God.
