Public Confession of Sin

Sometimes you come across a blog that's worth passing on:

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/rayortlund/2013/09/10/confession/

The author is not teaching that confession to one another brings about forgiveness, because that only comes from God. He's not promoting a priesthood with the power of absolution.

But he is encouraging the confession of sin to another believer (James 5:16) as a means to bring about restoration and spiritual growth.

For years I had put up a front, hiding certain sins from everyone around me. The wall was pretty sturdy and the relationships were pretty shallow.

As God worked on me, revealing that He alone could forgive and heal me, I learned that a beneficial part of that process was public confession. It was not easy and at the time I thought it unnecessary.

"Confession needs to be as wide as those offended," one of my professors often said. "It was a private sin, so why not keep the confession private?" had been my modus operandi for decades.

But my pastors encouraged and helped (i.e. gently forced). The sense of relief, the lifting of the burden and the knocking down of the walls were immediate. The healing and the growth began.

It's not been easy and there have been consequences which continue.

The author points out that we are afraid of public confession because of the ammunition that is placed in the hands of others when we admit our sins. It's true. It's going to happen. It's part of living in a world, a church and a family that are filled with sinners.

Just because it's hard, doesn't make it wrong.

What can you do to encourage a culture of confession in your church?

Confess your sins. Set an example. You probably shouldn't stand up every week in prayer meeting to confess all your sins to the congregation. But confessing to a close group within the church will set a pattern.

Accept the sinners. It's easy to rally around the cancer patients. It's easy to help those who lose their jobs. Those things get put in the prayer bulletin, and they should. But those who confess sins and those who admit failure in relationships need your support.

• Ask them specifically about those sins and relationships. Don't avoid the issues which have brought into the light. Asking shows concern.
• Don't spread rumors. Talk with them, not with others.
• Don't kick them when they're down. Support, not criticism. 
• Shunning will not help those who are bold enough to admit that they need help. They need friends and support.

It's radical. It's seldom practiced. But it's biblical and needed.