CONFESSION

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness  
1 John 1:9

Introduction

Confession of sin is a normal and necessary part of the Christian life. Every true repentance leads a man to confess his sins from the heart. In a court of law, a person who confesses to a crime is agreeing that he or she did in fact violate a societal standard. When we confess our sins, we are admitting that we violated God’s law. We admit that we chose to do, say, or think something opposed to God’s will, and we stand guilty before Him. Confession of sin is the admission of what we did and the agreement with God that our actions or words were wrong.

Confession is related to” repentance”.
Whereas confession involves admitting what we did was wrong, repentance involves a desire to change course. We not only acknowledge our sin but take steps to overcome and forsake it. Confession without repentance is only words. Most people will confess to a sin when caught red-handed, but they may have no intention of changing. John the Baptist preached repentance in preparing the way for the Messiah:
“Bear fruit in keeping with repentance” Matthew 3:8

In other words, John counselled his hearers to not merely confess their sins but demonstrate by their actions that they had truly repented of them.

The Bible presents two avenues for the confession of sins. First, we are to confess our sins to God
First John 1:9 says that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Second, we are to confess our sins to other believers. James 5:16 says, 

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”

When we have wronged someone, it is appropriate to confess our wrongdoing to that person and seek forgiveness.

Main Scriptures

Matthew 3:6, Mark 1:5 James 5:16

Questions

  1. What are the two distinct confessions in the Bible?
  2. If I accept Christ without confessing my sins to Him, will I be saved?
  3. Can one lose his or her salvation if he/she deliberately refuses to ask for pardon from the person they’ve offended, or will it depend on the nature of sin that was committed?
  4. What is the need for confession?
  5. Should we confess our sins to one another, in our opinion, since many people and Christians are not trustworthy?
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