Confessing Him (not to Him)
Don't need a laundry list of sins
Most people begin forming a long, laundry list of sins whenever they think of confession.
These lists begin with infractions of the Ten Commandments and quickly devolve into trespasses against social media and insults of one’s pet. We don’t know where to start and can’t tell when to quit. The first few items on the list may seem hard to get out. We feel better after confessing some of the nasty things. That feeling quickly evaporates as we move further down the list. Is this how Christian confession is supposed to work? What does the Bible say about confession?
The Old Testament generally uses confession along with sin(s). I found over a dozen examples which covers most of the twenty occurrences of confession in the Old Testament. Mosaic Law instructed the people to confess their sins when sacrificing guilt, sin and burnt offerings. The Lord may have intended worshipers to list all their sins, but it seems more likely that He intended them to confess to the specific sin(s) prompting the offering.
Some of the offerings from Mosaic Law may have given the high priest opportunity to confess a list of sins on behalf of the people. Prayers for/about the people don’t include the word confession in the Old Testament. So, we don’t have much biblical support there.
Ezra confesses the sins of the people (Ezra 10). The people also confess their own sins (Nehemiah 10). However, the nation confronted a specific problem in these situations, not a vague inventory of religious infractions. The men of Israel violated Mosaic Law by marrying women from other nations. Their indiscriminate affections threatened the survival of Israel ethnically, religiously and nationally. It became so widespread among the relatively few survivors of the exile that the leadership treated it as a critical situation with a national day of confession and repentance.
Only one example from Daniel appears to include a laundry list of sins which Daniel confesses on behalf of his people (Daniel 9).
The remaining verses confess the name of the Lord rather than human sins.
The New Testament concept of confession has even less emphasis on sin. It’s hard to make a case that agreement with God means reciting a roster of daily sins. Just five verses encourage confession of sins. Three deal with sins of the newcomer to the faith (Matthew 3:6, Mark 1:5, Acts 19:18). One encourages believers to confess their sins to each other (James 5:16), not to priests or to God.
Just one talks about confessing sins for forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9). Before you open the confessional booths for an all-nighter, please read the entire passage. We receive the same benefits of cleansing “from all sin” by walking in the light (1 John 1:7). [I did a thorough study of this passage some months ago. You’ll probably need a premium subscription to find it in my archives.]
Don’t let these holdovers from the Old Testament guide your worship. We don’t need to confess sins (repetitively or completely) because Jesus paid for all our sins – past, present and future.
Christians should hold to another type of confession. This confession conveys power. Be careful with it. It can heal oneself and others.
The New Testament directs Christians to confess Jesus (Romans 10:9, Hebrews 3:1; 4:14, I John 4:2-3, 15) just as Jesus confessed (about truth) before Pilate (1 Timothy 6:13).
When we confess Him before men (Matthew 10:32, Luke 12:8) we receive the assurance of His personal commendation before the Father. He will never deny us. Does your itemized confession of sin(s) come with that biblical guarantee?
We also facilitate another measure of glory for God when we are obedient to the gospel we confess (2 Corinthians 9:13). Other believers will glorify God because of the things we do for God for their benefit. That’s the kind of worship which lifts up God and promotes His name. His people bring Him glory by doing good things that help people. Actions, not words.
Don’t worry about listing all your sins. You can’t do it completely. Please don’t try.
Jesus paid for all your sins with His blood sacrifice on the cross. You cannot pay for a single one. Please don’t try.
Itemizing sins is the world’s view of confession. It’s a fool’s errand. It’s unproductive. Don’t imitate the world.
Adopt the biblical view of confession. I agree with God when He calls me a sinner. I agree that God’s righteousness exposes my sinful action(s), thought(s) and word(s). I agree with God’s law that condemns me as guilty. God is right. He is always right. Always.
That kind of confession brings glory to the Lord because it elevates Him above us. It promotes His character over ours. It aligns our thinking with His. He always speaks the truth about us and about Himself. Always.
I saved the best example of what I mean by confession until now. This verse summarizes the New Testament’s position on confession. Paul inserts this verse while revealing his own ongoing problem with sin:
But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. (Romans 7:16, NASB)
Notice that Paul admits to sinning. What does this tell us about the Christian life? Paul is an apostle, yet he still sins. He writes parts of the Bible, yet he still sins. He just got done telling us about avoiding sin and declaring it powerless over us. Yet, he still sins. He performed several miracles, saw visions and spoke in tongues, yet he still sins. Why do you expect to do better as a Christian?
Jesus paid for all your sins – past, present and future. He isn’t surprised at your latest sin. He isn’t panicking. Why do you freak out whenever you transgress? Remain in Christ and accept His forgiveness.
Think about how Paul approaches his own sin problem. He doesn’t resort to confessing his sin. Instead, he agrees to something higher (God’s law). This confession allows the Christian to separate himself from his own sin. He sees sin as a foreign invader.
Paul doesn’t instruct us to confess when we sin. This would be the right time for him to give us his four steps to a sin-free life, but he doesn’t give us a long process to deal with our situation. He doesn’t run back to the altar to repent all over again. We don’t see him trekking back to Damascus to get baptized again. Instead, Paul gets annoyed with himself while agreeing with God about the evil of sin.
A Christian despises sin. He hates his own sin. By hating sin, a Christian agrees with the Law and calls it good. The sinner (i.e. not a Christian) hates the Law because it condemns him. Christians stand condemned only when they stand apart from Christ (i.e. before they come to Christ). In Christ, we are free from the Law. Instead of confessing our sin, we confess the goodness and rightness of the Law. “Thank God for the Law which shows me my sin. Thanks be to Christ for forgiving me. Thanks be to the Holy Spirit for molding me into a new person who learns not to sin.” All statements of praise and thanksgiving to God…sounds like worship to me.
Notice what Paul says about our tacit confession about the Law and its goodness. It remains true even when we sin. The sin doesn’t disqualify us from Christianity, it confirms our salvation. Whoa! Why does it work that way? It’s not the act of confession that makes the difference to the believer, but our hatred of our sin which comes from God’s Spirit working in our hearts.
I’ve gone through the entire litany of confession in the Bible (give or take). If confessing our sins (from top to bottom) is so important, why isn’t there more in the Bible about it? Where is the clear command to confess our sins daily, weekly, annually, etc.?
My students often wonder why I constantly challenge the status quo. I only challenge beliefs and practices that don’t appear in the Bible. Quite frankly, the church has accepted too much of the world’s view of confession. Our scholars and theologians should know better. Shame on them for leaving it to a nobody like me to point out the truth!
Truth be told, confession is mostly for the new believer to come clean with God and themselves. Mature Christians continue to confess as they discover another dark layer in their hearts which the Holy Spirit has exposed and begins to excise. I find confession useful when I discover that I had made unilateral peace with sin rather than hating it as a militant intruder trying to destroy me.
Instead of confessing sin, It’s much more important that we confess Jesus as Lord. To prove this, God ensures that every being in creation will do confess Jesus as Lord, too:
so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10–11, NASB)
This includes all God’s friends and His enemies. Yes, your unsaved neighbor, coworker and family member will confess Jesus. It won’t make them saved, but it will satisfy God’s requirement. Even Satan will confess Jesus as Lord. He will yield to the awesome power of God despite his pride and anger.
[We’ll start with this thought in next week’s devotional.]
No need to bring up a problem (sin) Christ has already resolved. Instead, you can worship God right now and bring Him glory every day by confessing Jesus as Lord without anyone forcing you, Christian. Now that’s real worship!