If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.   1 John 1:8–10 (NIV)

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In the New Testament, confession (Greek, homologeō) is the admission of having sinned. This admission is, first of all, to God (private confession). However, it can also be towards individuals and/or the church community (public confession). Its objective is to seek restoration and forgiveness.

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Unlike members of the Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox churches, and some Protestant churches, many among Churches of Christ do not have a strong practice of confessing sins. The closest thing some older Christians may have experienced is the post-sermon invitation on a Sunday morning, when the preacher would call upon the congregation to respond to the Gospel in baptism if they were non-Christians; or, if they were already Christians, to seek the prayers of the church, perhaps for some wrongdoing. There is typically little or no confession of any specific sin. Over time, many churches have discarded this invitation, and with it the opportunity to ‘confess’ in this way.

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And yet confession of sins is a biblical command.

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John, as quoted above, calls on his ‘dear children’ to acknowledge their sins and to confess such because confession leads to forgiveness – the removal of all unrighteousness which stands between the sinner and God (1 John 1:8–10). To ignore the importance of confession is both self-deceiving and contrary to God’s Word.

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In his epistle, James speaks about the power of prayer and confession. Are you in trouble? Pray! Are you sick? Go to the elders for prayer, James writes. Then he adds ‘If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.’ (James 5:15–16)

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It isn’t clear whether James is associating sickness with sin. The proximity of the two, written in the same breath, prompts our mind to think it is so. Sin, unconfessed, is distressing and can at times render a person unwell (1 Corinthians 11:27–32).

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Helpfully, Scripture provides us with three narratives of confession.

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In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve both sinned against God when they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When confronted by God, both admitted ‘I ate’ but each pointed the finger to someone else (Genesis 3:12–13). ‘The woman gave it to me’, Adam said. ‘The serpent deceived me’, Eve said. In pushing the blame to someone else, neither was truly contrite in their confession.

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But as we see in 2 Samuel 11 and 12, with King David it was different. When the prophet Nathan confronted David and said to him, 'You are the man’, David’s facade of self-righteousness came crashing down. His double sin of adultery with Bathsheba and causing the death of her husband, Uriah, came before him. David immediately confessed, ‘I have sinned against the Lord’ (2 Samuel 12:13).

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This confession is expanded upon in David’s prayer to the Lord in Psalm 51. There David once again admits his guilt of having sinned against God. In a trinity of trinities, he casts himself before the ‘mercy’, the ‘unfailing love,’ and the ‘great compassion’ of God and implores God to ‘blot out’, ‘wash away,’ and ‘cleanse’ him of all his ‘transgressions,’ ‘iniquity,’ and ‘sin’ (Psalm 51:1–2).

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The awfulness of David's adultery and murderous act stands as a crippling accusation against him. Unclean! Devoid of joy! Crushed! Lost! Banished from God! Each is a lead weight that pulls David down and down.

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The only recourse for David is to prostrate himself before God and beg for his mercy. Sacrifices and burnt offerings will not undo his sin and bring him restitution. Only ‘a broken and contrite heart’ will please and move God to forgive (Psalm 51:17). Here, David approaches God to cleanse him of his filthiness, create in him a pure heart, and restore the joy of his salvation.

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The third narrative comes from the teaching of the Lord Jesus himself. In a parable that signifies how believers can stray from God the Father, Jesus tells of a son who leaves his father for a foreign land, and squanders his inheritance in wanton living. The son soon finds himself destitute and desperate to eat food thrown to pigs. However, this dire state brings the son to his senses, showing him just how blessed he was in his father’s house. He knows he has sinned and decides to return to his father – not as a son, but as a humbled hired hand.

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When the son meets his father, he confesses, ‘I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son’. But the father has other ideas. He calls for a feast to celebrate. ‘For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found’ (Luke 15:11–24).

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To confess we have sinned in our lives isn’t a shameful thing. On the contrary, it is God-mandated. It draws us closer to him as we acknowledge we need God and his forgiveness. But Scripture shows us only a contrite confession will bring us back to God.

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