Experiencing The Freedom Of Confession Series

Sin brings sorrow because it alienates us from God, from other people, and it leaves us broken within. We have rebelled against the God who loved us and broken our relationship with him. We have harmed other people and damaged our relationship with them. We have sinned against ourselves and it has left us broken inside. We need to confess in order to relieve the burden. Our tears wash away the guilt and shame of our behavior.

You remember the story of the prodigal son who rebelled against his father. The Bible says, “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:17-20). The point of the story is that when we come with sorrow for our sin, instead of a scolding, we experience the embrace of God.

The third point is: True confession is marked by change. Once we become honest with ourselves, others and God, once we have repented with godly sorrow, a change takes place in our hearts. We have a new freedom to live for God. We are no longer bound by our guilt and shame. We have a new determination to live for God with faithfulness and obedience. We don’t want to run away from God; we want to run to him. A new honesty and transparency takes over in our lives. We are no longer pretending; we are honest before God and others.

It is interesting that the early Methodists practiced public confession in their small groups called Bands. In the rules for the Societies it states, “The design of our meeting is, to obey that command of God, ‘Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed’ (James 5:16). To this end, we intend. . . to speak each of us in order, freely and plainly, the true state of our souls, with the faults we have committed in thought, word, or deed, and the temptations we have felt, since our last meeting.” It is unfortunate that we have lost that part of our history.

It is a good thing to have someone to whom we can confess our sins. It is even better to do it in a small group. Sometimes it may even be appropriate to do it in front of the whole church. What this does is keep us humble, and stops us from elevating ourselves above others. It helps us to know that others can understand the worst about us and still love us. It gives others the knowledge that they are not alone in the way they feel, the temptations they face or the things they have done.

Dallas Willard says, “It is said confession is good for the soul but bad for the reputation, and a bad reputation makes life more difficult in relation to those close to us, we all know. But closeness and confession force out evildoing. Nothing is more supportive of right behavior than open truth.” He goes on to say, “Confession alone makes deep fellowship possible, and the lack of it explains much of the superficial quality so commonly found in our church associations. What, though, makes confession bearable? Fellowship.”