Confession Is Good For The Soul

Alba 6-2-2024

CONFESSION IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL

I John 1:8-10

As you know, the Roman Catholic Church uses the confessional where people go to confess their sins to a priest. There was a story in the Reader's Digest sometime ago from a priest, Douglas Fortner, who said:

“Because the younger children at our parochial school often forgot their sins when they entered my confessional, I suggested that teachers have the students make lists.

“The next week when one child came to confession, I could hear him unfolding paper. The youngster began, 'I lied to my parents. I disobeyed my mom. I fought with my brothers and...' There was a long pause. Then a small angry voice said, 'Hey, this isn't my list!'”

When you confess to the Lord, do you remember your list? Or do you find it easier to list the wrongs of others? Or maybe the better question is, do you ever confess to God any wrongs you have done? Most of us would have to admit that it is not easy to apologize, to face criticism, or to admit error, or even more, to admit that what we have done is sin.

It is a universal human impulse to hide our sin, remember Adam and Eve? We conceal, cover up, pretend, lie, deceive - anything to prevent our sin from being uncovered.

However, there are a couple of problems with this strategy. First of all, it doesn’t work. Hebrews 4:13 says, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." (NIV) And Ecclesiastes 12:14 says, "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." (NIV)

So if God already knows what we have done, why should we not be willing to simply be honest and confess it to Him. Perhaps it is because of the sense of guilt and shame we feel. Or maybe it is because we fear the consequences. If that is the case, then every one of us needs to know, even memorize, what it says here in I John 1:8-10, and especially verse nine.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Verses eight and ten lay it on the line. We are all sinners. And even though we are Christians, we still too often struggle with sin in our lives. To think that we are always good with no wrongs to confess is to deceive ourselves. The problem here is not deceiving others, but deceiving ourselves. It is possible for a believer to live in sin, yet convince himself that everything is fine in his relationship to the Lord.

And even worse, if we say that we have not sinned, that makes God a liar. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” He knows who we are deep down inside. His Word makes that clear.

But we can get pretty good at pretending all is good with us. We have all experienced times when we had to fake it. You pretend like you’re having a good time. You take a family picture where you tell the kids to at least try to look like they are enjoying themselves. You put on a “happy face” and try to fake it. The truth is, we can’t do that with God!

Verse nine tells us to stop pretending there is no elephant in the room and simply admit it, confessing our sins to the Lord. To admit our sins to Him is just being honest. Confession helps us to come face to face with our sins.

Our confession should be specific and not general. In other words, if any of the following are true, our confession should be: Lord forgive me for I have lied, cheated, used foul language, committed adultery. I have gossiped, I have used people. I have not forgiven my brother or my neighbor as I should. I have lusted, I have stolen, I have not honored my mother and father. I have been lukewarm in my walk for Christ. Now, this may not be your list, but you have a list.

We might fool some of the people around us into believing we always are good people, compassionate people, honest people, being careful to never let seen what is really inside.

So, we put on a good façade and pretend all is well. With God, that's a joke. We must be open and honest. When we confess, then “the game” of pretend is over! No more duplicity. No more need to “fake it till you make it”.