does confessing our sins really matter?
Moment of honesty, friend. I have done a really lousy job confessing my sins lately. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that a mentor of mine called the sin of pride out in my life and asked point blank, “Tara, have you confessed this sin to the Lord?”
Yikes. I fell silent.
“No…” I told her.
She proceeded to flip open to 1 John 1 and read this passage to me with both kindness and bold conviction.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ESV)
Somewhere along the lines, I had believed the lie from the enemy that confessing my sins wasn't that important. I wasn't calling sin what it is – sin. A wall of separation between me and my Savior. An egregious act that I was perpetuating – an act that Jesus died on the cross for.
So, I've been doing a deep dive on what it means to confess our sins and why we need to do it. Now, we don't have all the time in the world or room in this inbox to talk about it, but can I share with you some of my findings from God's Word?
What is confession?
To put it simply, confession is agreeing with God that sin is sin. Confession is acknowledging that we sin and mess up. Confession is bringing to light what we struggle with. Confession is realizing that we can't save ourselves and we need someone to intercede for us in our sin and weakness. Confession is also the crucial act of admitting and believing that Jesus is Lord. That is more of the one-time moment of salvation, but confession also has an on-going component of confessing our sins everyday.
Confess literally means, “to say the same thing”, or to agree with God.
“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
“Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Why is it important?
The first and foremost reason why confession is important is because God's Word says so. We're told over and over in the Scriptures to repent, meaning to turn, from our sins and confess them to God. The reality is that sin separates us from God and severs our relationship. God is a perfect and holy God, therefore, He can not be in the presence of sin. But because of His Son's sacrifice on the cross, He made a way for us to come to be in relationship with Him.
But as Paul says, we should not go in sinning so that grace may abound (Romans 6:1). That's where confession comes in. Grace and forgiveness is not an excuse for us to keep sinning. It's not an excuse for us to look the other way and not take sin seriously. God's grace and goodness and forgiveness should lead us to repentance. To confession. We've been forgiven once and for all through Jesus, but we need to continue to daily confess our sins.
Confession isn't just important – it's a non-negotiable to the Christian faith. It's our way to live in obedience to God's commandment and a right relationship with Him.
How do I confess my sins?
Confession can be twofold – to God first and foremost, but then sometimes, to others if we have sinned against them or wronged them. Confession is done in humility (that's key) and remorse for the sin we've committed. It's taking sin seriously. But confession doesn't live in guilt or shame, because we're told there's no condemnation for those in Christ (Romans 8:1).
Confession says, “Lord, I am deeply sorry and repentant for my sin and how I've wronged you. Please forgive me. Help me to walk anew in You, through the power of Your Spirit, recognizing that sin does not have a hold on me. Help me honor and obey You.”
Confession then aims to not walk in that sin again, but knowing that if and when we do sin again, we have God's grace and mercy as our guarantee. We don't have to hide from God. As a matter of fact, we CAN'T hide from God. We're told that God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us. Yes, sin has discipline and repercussions on our lives, but with confession, we can rest in the guarantee that God is only good and loving. He calls us to confession because He knows that is the best way to live. In the light of His glory, goodness, and grace.
God’s Word also calls us to confess our sins to one another (James 5:16) to find healing, restoration and accountability. It’s a biblical mandate to seek forgiveness and repent to those we have also wronged (Matthew 8:15). Sin doesn’t just affect our relationship with God vertically — it also affects our horizontal relationships with others here on earth.
All in all, we need to recognize that confession, albeit uncomfortable at times, is actually one of the most freeing things we can do as Christians. We need to be people willing to do the sometimes hard and challenging things — not only because God calls us to — but because there is freedom, grace, mercy, and forgiveness on the other side.
How good is God… how merciful is He… how loving is His heart… that He would give us a way to live in purity and right standing with Him. That comes through confession and repentance.
