Should a Christian confess all their sins to their Christian friends?

QuestionQuest74 said:

What sins should a Christian confess to another Christian ? Or we should confess all they sins we aware we did to a Christian friend ?

( Please support with Biblical verses as well)

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I confess to my Christian friends, and the Christians here, cos it is stated in James 5:16. Confessing our sins to a fellow friend or Christian in general can provide accountability, support, and encouragement during difficult times. It is essential to choose someone trustworthy, who will pray for you and offer wise counsel as needed. When sharing your confessions with others, always maintain respect for their feelings and privacy while also seeking God's wisdom on how best to approach the situation.

James 5:16 (NIV): "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."

Confession Devotional:

QuestionQuest74 said:

What sins should a Christian confess to another Christian ? Or we should confess all they sins we aware we did to a Christian friend ?

( Please support with Biblical verses as well)

Click to expand...

None, unless those sins directly and specifically involved those other Christians to whom the confession was offered.

For instance, I don't want to know how many times lately that Single Young men (or women) have been engaging in this or that sin. I don't need to know that ...

... however, if they need prayer or encouragement, or an explanation as to why today's society promotes and enables our most prized, pernicious and common sins, then please............................................... lay it all on me!!!!

I'll be happy to play "professional counselor" to those affected by the invitation to accept the Mark of the Beast.

If you sin against your friends, confess it to your friends and God and God in Jesus's name and He will forgive you, though your friends may not. In which case I'd question their friendship.

Your other sins, private sins that you don't think anyone knows about, think again: God knows. Confess them to God in Jesus's name for forgiveness and you'll be forgiven.

AlexB23 said:

I confess to my Christian friends, and the Christians here, cos it is stated in James 5:16. Confessing our sins to a fellow friend or Christian in general can provide accountability, support, and encouragement during difficult times. It is essential to choose someone trustworthy, who will pray for you and offer wise counsel as needed. When sharing your confessions with others, always maintain respect for their feelings and privacy while also seeking God's wisdom on how best to approach the situation.

James 5:16 (NIV): "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."

Confession Devotional:

Confession, Integrity & Honesty

Hello folks. Confessing our sins is important to do, as we all sin. For the first time in two years, I have confessed my sins to a priest, as he offered guidance to me. We can confess directly to Jesus, but sometimes a priest can give us some tips from a human perspective. Date July 13, 2024...

www.christianforums.com

Click to expand...

Excellent!

And James 5:16 is SO true! The healing is partly spiritual, in that it replaces the shame that the Enemy would like to perpetually heap upon us (after confession and repentance) with a new bulwark against any future attempt to capitalize on the unwanted memory - we are free to send the Accuser straight to this Scripture and claim it for ourselves:

Romans 8:33-39 NKJV

"Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

For myself, once this is done there is no need to confess these sins over and over to every Tom, Dick and Harry we come across. We can fellowship, and witness to the lost, in full confidence. What could be a truer definition of "healing"?

Great OP. God bless!

Joseph G said:

Excellent!

And James 5:16 is SO true! The healing is partly spiritual, in that it replaces the shame that the Enemy would like to perpetually heap upon us (after confession and repentance) with a new bulwark against any future attempt to capitalize on the unwanted memory - we are free to send the Accuser straight to this Scripture and claim it for ourselves:

Romans 8:33-39 NKJV

"Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

For myself, once this is done there is no need to confess these sins over and over to every Tom, Dick and Harry we come across. We can fellowship, and witness to the lost, in full confidence. What could be a truer definition of "healing"?

Great OP. God bless!

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Amen to this. James and Romans go to show how we can heal, and use confession as a way to battle the worldly influences.

QuestionQuest74 said:

What sins should a Christian confess to another Christian ? Or we should confess all they sins we aware we did to a Christian friend ?

( Please support with Biblical verses as well)

Click to expand...

No, we all sin, everyonr sins. If you stole from someone and the other person knows, we should ask forgiveness from the other person to restore the relation.

AlexB23 said:

I confess to my Christian friends, and the Christians here, cos it is stated in James 5:16. Confessing our sins to a fellow friend or Christian in general can provide accountability, support, and encouragement during difficult times. It is essential to choose someone trustworthy, who will pray for you and offer wise counsel as needed. When sharing your confessions with others, always maintain respect for their feelings and privacy while also seeking God's wisdom on how best to approach the situation.

James 5:16 (NIV): "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."

Confession Devotional:

Confession, Integrity & Honesty

Hello folks. Confessing our sins is important to do, as we all sin. For the first time in two years, I have confessed my sins to a priest, as he offered guidance to me. We can confess directly to Jesus, but sometimes a priest can give us some tips from a human perspective. Date July 13, 2024...

www.christianforums.com

Click to expand...

That bible verse has been misinterpreted and have been used to abuse and gain power over people. Fact is we all sin, no one is perfect. Ofc if u have the need to confess to others u can do but it shouldnt be forced upon someone. God who knows all sins, we should confess to God. If u have done wrong to someone (for example u stole from the other person) and the other person knows also u should ask forgiveness from the other person to restore the relationship.

Curiousmind said:

That bible verse has been misinterpreted and have been used to abuse and gain power over people. Fact is we all sin, no one is perfect. Ofc if u have the need to confess to others u can do but it shouldnt be forced upon someone. God who knows all sins, we should confess to God. If u have done wrong to someone (for example u stole from the other person) and the other person knows also u should ask forgiveness from the other person to restore the relationship.

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Agreed. Confession should not be forced upon anyone.

Curiousmind said:

That bible verse has been misinterpreted and have been used to abuse and gain power over people. Fact is we all sin, no one is perfect. Ofc if u have the need to confess to others u can do but it shouldnt be forced upon someone. God who knows all sins, we should confess to God. If u have done wrong to someone (for example u stole from the other person) and the other person knows also u should ask forgiveness from the other person to restore the relationship.

Click to expand...

Dont let people abuse u or rule over u by forcing u to confess ur sins to them, it is enough to confess ur sin to God.

QuestionQuest74 said:

What sins should a Christian confess to another Christian ? Or we should confess all they sins we aware we did to a Christian friend ?

( Please support with Biblical verses as well)

Click to expand...

We do not need to confess our sins to other humans.

1 John 1:9 speaks of confessing sins to God - not to men. God alone can forgive sins.

The sins we confess to one another have to do with sinning against a brother. When I sin against someone else - I should confess my wrong to that person and ask for forgiveness from them. If they do not forgive me - it is fine either way since that person is not God and has no private hell they can send me to. So even in that case - the real forgiveness still comes from God alone.

When someone asks you for forgiveness and you do not forgive them - it only hurts you. It does not affect their own salvation one iota.

James 5:16 isn't phrased as an ultimatum. When it comes to confessing, wisdom has to be exercised. What if you confess things to a brother that causes him to stumble? Would it be wise for a man to walk up to a woman in church and confess that he's had sexual thoughts about her? What kind of negative impact might that have on her?

Ceallaigh said:

James 5:16 isn't phrased as an ultimatum. When it comes to confessing wisdom has to be exercised. What if you confess things to a brother that causes him to stumble? Would it be wise for a man to walk up to a woman in church and confess that he's had sexual thoughts about her? What kind of negative impact might that have on her?

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Concern noted. I figure if we are sensitive to the Holy Spirit's voice we will know if, when, how much, and to whom. He has stopped me sometimes, perhaps just for the reason you mention, I dunno.

For myself, if the sin is against another I do my best to go to them directly and ask for forgiveness. Note that 1 John 1:9 is a promise from God irregardless of their willingness to forgive. He cleanses based on our faithfulness to Him alone.

Otherwise, I have an inner circle of one proven Brother and one proven Sister that I go to if I'm struggling to shake it off even after going to God. Those situations are actually rare, and again only as prompted by the Holy Spirit.

Mostly though, it's between me and God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Even then, as we all know well, I'm certain that I'll miss some. That's why I ask Him at the end of each day for two things:

Shine a light into every dark corner:

Psalm 139:23-24 NIV

"Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting."

And then wash my feet for the day so I remain clean (and be available to any brethren asking for help washing theirs):

John 13:12-17 NIV

"When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

Works well for me, anyways. It's satisfying to live at peace with self and with others!

God bless!

BobRyan said:

1 John 1:9 speaks of confessing sins to God - not to men. God alone can forgive sins.

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Right you are on 1 John 1:9. I quoted the wrong verse, I meant:

James 5:16 ESV

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

The point to confessing to one another in this instance is for prayer, not for forgiveness from an uninvolved party, I believe.

God bless!

QuestionQuest74 said:

What sins should a Christian confess to another Christian ? Or we should confess all they sins we aware we did to a Christian friend ?

( Please support with Biblical verses as well)

Click to expand...

If one has committed an offense against a brother or sister they should confess and ask them for forgiveness so the relationship can be made whole ... beyond that no reason to confess other sins to them ... that's nonsense imo ... it's none of their business ... confess all sins to God.

"Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16)

Yes, this says to confess. And what do we confess?

"trespasses"

To me, I see that a trespass is anything which is trespassing. This can include not only wrong things I do by myself.

Arguing is trespassing in a relationship, and Philippians 2:13-16 to me clearly says not to argue.

Now, taking this as an example, how might I use confession and prayer to deal with my arguing?

I might stop right in the middle of an argument and confess how I am wrong to be arguing with someone. The other might confess back to me about being wrong also . . . so we are confessing "to one another". And then we can pray so we get "healed" in our character so we are strong in the Lord and sensitive against arguing, plus healing into His love gets us into His creativity so we relate in His way more and more maturely.

It does say to confess our trespasses to other people.

But it says, "to one another". I see this means to have

m-u-t-u-a-l confession.

And you pray mutually, also >

"for one another".

And all this is so you can get "healed". I see how you are getting healed of what in your character makes you able to have sin problems. Trespasses can include your secret actions that are wrong, and there are feelings and thinking and excuses and emotions and bad ways of relating, all trespassing > they don't belong there. Instead, we can become how God's love has our character become gentle and humble and all-loving like Jesus, so that our actions and feelings and emotions are gentle and humble and caring about any and all people.

And every child of God has power with God to minister this with "one another" who are Christians.

So, yes there are people who claim God's word but don't do this. And they can even backlash at you and fight you when you offer to confess and pray together. Well, this gives you an opportunity to be strong and forgiving in Jesus so we grow more in love, when people turn on us. So, yes if we are going to do this, we do need to be ready to love and forgive anyone who treats us the wrong way. And be discerning and sensitive about who we trust and how God is leading us with each person.

By seeking, then, to do this scripture, we can grow and mature in being led by the Lord, and in family sharing and caring with real helping of our brothers and sisters in Jesus.

Also, at times, I use confession as an example even with unbelievers, in order to point out how certain things are wrong . . . anti-love.

I have needed correction about looking the wrong way at women in the store and at church, and the stuff that can go on in my imagination. I might tell this to people, in order to point out that it is wrong. And also I can talk about how I do so better in love relating while I am caring for and praying for each woman I see.

So, confession can be used as an example to encourage others to be honest and humble and seek real correction how God is able.

This is an important point: we are *praying* for this; this is not a do-it-yourself thing. And God says to do this; so yes God is committed to making this work. The healing God is sure to be committed to is healing of our character so we are loving instead of going on in various emotional and mental and practical and interpersonal trouble.

God's word does say >

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice." (Ephesians 4:31)

So, yes there are personality things which are sin problems of not having Jesus Christ's gentle and humble and pleasantly patient and kind personality. And we all can help "one another" with this.

Curiousmind said:

Dont let people abuse u or rule over u by forcing u to confess ur sins to them, it is enough to confess ur sin to God.

Click to expand...

It is best to sacramentally confess your sins to God through a priest, that way you can know that your sins are forgiven. If your religion doesn't recognize the sacraments then ask God in prayer, with a heart of repentance, to forgive your sins.