Confession Sin, The Grace of Acknowledging Transgressions

There is great spiritual danger to leaving the sins in your life unconfessed. It is easier to keep your sins concealed than it is to have them cured, but hiding transgressions won’t make you holy. I mention this because justifying the sin and immaturity in our lives comes natural to us. In my pastoral experience, one of the greatest hindrances to sanctification that I see is rationalizing sin. Excuse-making might make you feel better, but it is not a means of grace. In fact, hiding your sin will be a hindrance to your growth:

“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13, ESV)

You don’t have to paralyze yourself looking for possible sins to confess, but when you do see sin in your life it is your spiritual responsibility to own it. In other words, you must make it a habit to confess specific sins when you see them. Confession of sin is not an easy spiritual discipline to practice, the very thought of it grates against our pride. But acknowledging our sins is the first step toward repenting of our sins. “Sin is an ugly fact. It is to be neither ignored nor ridiculed, but honestly faced” (John Stott, Confess your Sins, 1).

THE NEED FOR CONFESSION

When you struggle to acknowledge sin, here are several passages that remind you of the need for confession:

• Num 32:23 - If “your sins will find you out” it would be better for you to proactively confess them.

• Lk 12:2-3 - If your sins will be “brought to light” it would be better for you to honestly admit them.

• 1 Jn 1:8 - If you think that you are without sin, you are kidding yourself… worse you are lying about yourself.

Additionally, here are several passages that will remind you that confession is both a responsibility and a means of grace:

“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13, ESV)

“For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.” (Psalm 32:3–6, ESV)

“and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12, ESV)

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8–10, ESV)

The fact that you have a great deal of sin to confess combined with the reality that God has promised to use confession as a grace in your life should motivate you to confession.

EXTENT OF CONFESSION

The extent of our confession should correspond to the scope of our sin. In other words, we should acknowledge our sin to and seek forgiveness from everyone that we have sinned against. In general, this means that…

• Private sins require private confession (Ps 90:8).

• Personal sins require personal confession (Mt 5:23-24)

• Public sins require public confession (Matt 18:19-21)

(cf. John Stott, Confess your Sins)