THE DISCIPLINE OF CONFESSION
"He who conceals his sins (the rebellion of his heart against God)
will not prosper (advance or flourish) but whoever
confesses (openly and willingly owns up to) and forsakes
(leaves behind, deserts, and ceases from doing) them
will have mercy (the loving, tender compassion of God)."
(Proverbs 28:13)
Introduction
Someone has said: "Confession is good for the soul." That is probably a true statement, but it relates immediately to the content of that confession. The assumption is, of course, that confession has something to do with an infraction of a law, a code of social behavior, or of something hidden deep within the heart and mind of the person confessing.
Three key words will provide the basic structure or format of this message: Agreement, Benefits, and Caution. These will help us remember, and may well serve us as the
A-B-C's of Confession.
1. AGREEMENT – Provides the definition of confession.
From the Old Testament word hd`y` (yada) it is learned that confession means, quite simply, "to own," "to acknowledge," "to confess," or "to praise." By this we can understand that there is a basic idea in the Hebrew word. It is "simply the acknowledgement of the reality of that which is stated." It is used in the text from Proverbs 28:13, and in various other places in the Old Testament, but it is used in the context of praising God for Who He is, and for what He has done, is doing, and will do for His people.
From the New Testament word oJmologei'n it is easy to dis-cover a clear definition for the word “confession.” It emerges from the word o{mo" which indicates “like,” or “same” and the verb that indicates “to freely and verbally acknowledge.” Therefore, and quite in harmony with the Old Testament’s understanding of “confession,” the New Testament concept is “freely speaking in agreement with that which is presented to us.”
It is quite evident from Scripture that the exercise of “confession” can be focused in two directions:
(1) Confession is verbally and openly agreeing with the reality of who God is and what He has done, is doing, and will do in the lives of His people.
“When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and when they turn back to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication to You in this temple, then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel…” (1 Kings 8:33-34)
Confessing the name of God is a confession that we are in agreement with Who God is, as well as submitting to the full authority of God to declare and to do whatever He wills regarding our lives.
This follows into the New Testament in terms of confessing Jesus Christ…the reality of Who He is, and in submission to His Lordship over our lives.
“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:8-10)
(2) Confession is also openly and willingly agreeing with the reality of having fallen short of measuring up to the standards of God for our lives…in other words, our sinful character and the acts of our disobedience…sin.
The point of this message is the second focus…openly and willingly agreeing with God’s assessment of our lives relating to sin…to our disobedience to His standards…our failure to measure up to His standard of holiness.
The Bible abounds with clear statements regarding “confession” of sin, disobedience before God, failure to measure up to His standards.
When King David was confronted by the Prophet Nathan, he simply stated:
I have sinned against the LORD.” (2 Samuel 11:6)
He was in agreement with what God had disclosed to the Prophet Nathan.
When the Prodigal Son came to himself, his confession was: “ I have sinned against heaven.” (Luke 15:18)
But in order to know that confession is what God expects it to be, we must willingly submit ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If, and when we fail to do so, we place ourselves in one of two, or into both categories:
(1) self-condemnation for things we ought not to feel guilty about, or,
(2) glossing over the truly evil things in our lives that demand our attention, and call for true repentance.
It is imperative, therefore, that in order for confession to be made with integrity, the kardiognwvsth", the “heart-knowing” God be given access to our hearts, our minds, our wills, and that we willingly accept His assessment, His evaluation, His indictment, if indeed there is sin in our lives.
One of the attempts that the enemy of our soul makes in the matter of confession, is to try to get us to rationalize or argue our way out of the reality of our guilt by placing the blame elsewhere. Two classic Biblical examples stand out. (1) After Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden and God came down in the cool of the evening to walk with Adam and Eve, as was His custom, and Adam was not in his usual place, He called out to Adam. After God had confronted Adam with his sin, Adam responded: "It is that woman You gave to me!" (Genesis 3:12) That did not work! (2) After King Saul had disobeyed God's instructions to destroy the Amalekites including their king, he was confronted by the Prophet of God, Samuel. His response to Samuel was: "The people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God." (1 Samuel 15:15)
Don't try to blame someone else when God has confronted you with your guilt. Agree with God, confess it to God, and determine in your heart that with the help of the Holy Spirit you will forsake that sin. The same is true when you have offended someone. Don't try to find a place to cast the blame. Let integrity rule your heart and let the Word of God instruct you and the Spirit of God help you.
2. BENEFIT – Provides the dynamic of confession.
From the words of our text may be found the heart of the benefit of confession.
“…but whoever confesses (openly and willingly owns up to) and forsakes (leaves behind, deserts, and ceases from doing) them will have mercy (the loving, tender compassion of God)."
Return with me to King David. Standing before the Prophet Nathan who had received instructions from the LORD God to confront the King with the reality of sin, David came to that dynamic moment when he said: “I have sinned against the LORD.” (2 Samuel 12:13) But it is response of the Prophet Nathan that brings to us the true dynamic of confession that is made with integrity:
“The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.” (2 Samuel 12:13)
The Prophet Isaiah has written God’s message indelibly for all time and eternity:
“’Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD, ‘though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’” (Isaiah 1:18)
But again it is the Prophet Isaiah, citing the words of the LORD, saying:
“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.”
(Isaiah 43:25)
We are so indebted to the words of Robert Robinson from his Gospel song found in our Church Hymnals:
O to grace how great a debtor,
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace, now like a fetter,
Bind my yielded heart to Thee.
Let me know Thee in Thy fullness;
Guide e by Thy mighty hand,
Till, transformed, in Thine own image,
In Thy presence I shall stand.
This same reality is to prevail among the people of God in their interpersonal relationships. Jesus said:
“If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24)
Whatever it was…a sharp word, an unwarranted criticism, shunning a brother or sister, an adverse attitude…confessed AND forsaken…left behind…and deserted. And now to enjoy the benefits!
Forgiven! Reconciled! A Conscience Cleared! A Brand New Clean Slate in Relationships! A New Beginning! A New Day! Magnificent array of benefits from confession with integrity!
3. CAUTION – Provides the defense of confession.
So! You have confessed your sin to God and have received His forgiveness. But you realize that your life has been less than effective for God as you have walked in the presence of fellow-Christians, and before the world of lost people. You feel the urgent need to confess to them also. In a testimony service, you take advantage of the opportunity to share your newfound peace and your new resolve to walk obediently before the Lord.
A word of caution is in order here. It is almost always unnecessary to provide a litany of detail regarding that which you have confessed to God.
Recall again King David after his adulterous affair with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. When the Prophet Nathan confronted him, he simply confessed: "I have sinned against the LORD!" There was no litany of the sordid details. There was no "Yes, Nathan, I was resting on the rooftop and glanced over to the next house. There I saw a woman bathing, and lust stirred within me. I made arrangements to have her brought to me, I slept with her, and a child was conceived. I manipulated the affairs of the war so that her husband would be killed.!
No! No such listing of the sordid details! It is almost always unnecessary! If there is something cathartic about opening up to God and sharing the details with Him, then it should be done in private. Remember, He already knows all the details, so you are not informing Him. You are only ridding your heart and mind of that which has been the focus of your guilt.
Or, recall the Prodigal Son, after he came to himself, and said, "I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,…'" (Luke 15:18) There was no descriptive litany of his profligacy. He did not say: "Dad, you just don't know how terrible I have been. I gambled away most of the money you gave me. The rest I spent on prostitutes. I even had to eat with the pigs!" While his father may have had some idea of his son's undisciplined, unholy actions, he did not need it! He heard what was necessary.
There is a true story of a young man's post-confession-to-God testimony. He was very active in youth leadership in the Church. He rose from the altar of the Church, and said to the effect: "I have been struggling with some issues in my life, and today God has heard my confession, has forgiven me, and has given me the strong desire to walk in obedience with Him." That was excellent, but he did not stop with that testimony. He began immediately to go into much unnecessary detail before the whole congregation regarding his heavy involvement in pornography and related activities. Needless to say, his ministry with the young people from that point forward was not only suspect, it was over!
Ministry opportunities have been ruined, revival services brought to a standstill, employment been cancelled, and lives rendered unproductive in the work of the Kingdom because of unwise public confessions. Confess to God, and share only in general with the body of Christ!
In conclusion then, Agreement with God's assessment of our lives, Benefit from God's grace of forgiveness and promised help to overcome, and use Caution in any kind of public witness to the details of confession!
