A Lesson in Confession

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)

This verse is a stumbling block to me. 

Isn’t it enough that I confess my sins to God? I’m not Catholic, after all. I believe in salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, for as Romans 10:13 proclaims, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Why then need I confess my sins to others?

Consider that other alone: Scripture alone. The Bible - the whole Bible! - is the inspired word of God and the sole infallible rule of faith and practice. That includes James 5:16. Further, this is not about justification; it’s about sanctification. We do not confess our sins to each other so that we may be forgiven or justified; we confess our sins to each other so that we may be healed.

So why don’t I do it?

Because people would think less of me. Confident though I may be in God’s amazing grace and unconditional love, I don’t fully trust His church to mirror His character. I fear their haughty eyes and self-righteous condemnation. I desire their approval, their admiration even, so under a veil of righteousness I hide my sinful heart.

Who then do I aim to please - God or man? Who do I glorify - God or self?

I must confess I have sought to please man that I might be glorified. This verse is a stumbling block to me because I have a pride problem. Pray for me so that I may be healed.

The Story - Chapter 2 - Romans 4

Justification, Faith and Righteousness are concepts we, as Christians, struggle to understand.  As one who works for results, the idea of God’s love and forgiveness and grace being mine by simply believing, leaves me wide-eyed with amazement.  I don’t need a text book to tell me I am not worthy of the justification I am granted by my belief.

My worldly wisdom communicates to me I must earn vindication, and tells me there is something I can do to be exonerated from my sinful existence.  It is difficult for my human mind to grasp the spiritual concept of justification by faith.  We all sin, we know we do, and we know the extent of this sin, how it invades our lives and often controls our hearts and why we feel guilt at times.

I had this explained to me this way.  A man is on trial for a crime he may or may not have committed.  He is found innocent and set free.  Whether he is guilty or not, there is no longer any record of this incident.  He has been freed from all the consequences of his deeds.

“Blessed are they

whose transgressions are forgiven,

whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man

whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” (Romans 4:7-8)

I can face tomorrow knowing my sins from today are forgiven.  God forgave them before I even committed them, before I was even born. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)  

We are made right by God who loves us more than we could ever dream or imagine.  His love covers us like a blanket of hope in a storm of despair.  We can wrap ourselves in this and snuggle up to a God whose only demand is that we believe.   “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Romans 5:1)

Read Romans 4 here

Listen to Romans 4 here