Christ and Confession

At the beginning of this year, my wife and I started getting involved with our current church community in downtown Tulsa. One of the ways in which I choose to participate is by attending a men's confession group on Thursday mornings.

Sadly, before joining this group, my only encounters with confession were from unrealistic over dramatizations from movies I had watched before. I had no idea at the time, but this group would eventually shape the way I saw community and discipleship, as well as become a loyal tool in my prayer life.

Forgiveness in Confession

As someone raised Protestant and immersed in a charismatic background, I found myself asking, "but are we not saved by grace? Why then must we need to confess our sins if we have already been forgiven of them?" 

We have indeed been cleansed of our sins by the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. However, we should not abuse the grace of our Lord and continue to live in our sin (Romans 6:1). While recognizing that there is no sin too wicked for Christ to redeem man from, we also acknowledge that we still live in the now-but-not-yet and commit transgressions regularly. Let me put it this way: I would never do wrong against my wife and not apologize on the notion that I know that we are bound by marriage and that she will indeed forgive me.

There is scripture that helps us arrive at a biblical understanding of confession. In the epistle of James, arguably the oldest written book in the New Testament, we are told "therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed" (James 5:1). The apostle John also speaks of this act, saying "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:8–9). These passages show us that confession is a cleansing act.

While I know that I have been forgiven by the Lord in my head, that truth does not always stick to my heart and soul. With this heart, I tend to shy away from God and want to help myself; I have never enjoyed being in need of help. When I am stuck in this shame mentality, I keep my sinful actions to myself, and in that, allow guilt to grow and take over me – which usually makes room for my sin nature.

In confession, we cast our darkness into God's holy light and, as the two above passages tell us, we find ourselves being prayed for by the Church and the power of the cross cleanses us of our shame.

The incredible thing is, that instead of being greeted with judgment we find ourselves being found in the forgiveness of redemption. There is a mighty power in hearing the words "you are forgiven," even though logically we know that to be a truth. In this, the one hearing the confession also lives out the scriptures: "if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven" (John 20:23).

Confession is necessary because it allows the confessor to audibly hear the mercy of Jesus.

Walking Towards Christ Together

Another effect confession has is that it can help us keep our sins in check and our community closer. 

When we know that we will need to confess our sins regularly, we become more aware of our actions throughout the week and start to take in a spiritual inventory. 

In particular, habitual sins are targeted. This has a lot to do with community being involved with the act of confession. Confessing sins week after week with the same group of people is never fun, but over time we learn to be vulnerable with each other. Eventually, we trust those in the room with us to hear our habits we are more encouraged to combat our sin nature, but more importantly, we find ourselves in a community that keeps us accountable for our actions.

This goes back to the above James passage, where he says to pray for one another in confession. As a people, we want to follow the risen Christ. However, it is harder than it looks when we go about it alone. Having a close group of people that can keep each other accountable for their actions, as well as pray for each other, makes this task a little easier. Confession helps us to abandon our sin and follow our Lord, together.

Beating Our Chests

In Luke's Gospel, Jesus tells a parable about two drastically different men going to the Temple to pray (18:9–14). The first man, a very religious Pharisee who is aware that he is "in" with God, exhorts himself to quite a high level. He boasts about all the positive things he has done, whether it be fasting twice a week or the degree to which he gives, and does not fail to throw those less self-righteous than him under the bus.

Then there is the second man: a tax collector. 

This man stood at a distance with his head bent down because he did not want to look into the heavens. He beat his chest and said, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner" (8:13). Another way we can look at this phrase, and a way that I have found humbling, is through the Greek text, looking at the article that is placed next to "sinner." This would translate as "have mercy on me, the sinner." Reading the phrase this way makes it appear as though the tax collector is pointing more precisely at his own sins.

What is striking is that Jesus says that out of the two men the tax collector who identified as the sinner left a justified man.

This passage comes to my mind when I reflect on the act of confession. To be candid, more often than not I tell myself I need to approach the throne of God already cleansed, and tell him about all the great accomplishments I have done in my own strength. But that is not what God wants from us.

The Lord wants us to walk with and towards him. By confessing the actions we have committed that keep us from his likeness, we give ourselves room for his grace to wash over our very being.

This parable teaches us that confession is not an act of piety, but an act of absolute surrender so that we may grasp the power of the cross.

- Eric J. Blessing