Confessing our faults

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In James 5, it says to confess our faults to one another. This is something that I have always struggled with. I think a lot of us in the church have been fooled by Satan to confess our faults to one another, in fear of what people might think of us. It has been on my heart lately to find someone to confess my faults to. I think many of us maybe sick or in pain, because we do not confes our faults to one another.
James 5:15-17 (King James Version)



15And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 17Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

I think this is something to seriously think about and pray about. This has been on my heart and I wanted to share it with you all.

 

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Just found this article! http://www.gospeltruth.net/1840OE/401104_fault_confession.htm

[SIZE=+3][SIZE=+2]The Oberlin Evangelist.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+2]November 4, 1840.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+2]Professor Finney's Lectures.[/SIZE]

LECTURE XXI.
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[/SIZE][SIZE=+3]CONFESSION OF FAULTS.[/SIZE]

Text--James 5:16: "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed."
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In this discussion I shall show:
I. WHAT IS INTENDED BY FAULTS IN THIS TEXT.
II. TO WHOM THIS PASSAGE REQUIRES CONFESSION TO BE MADE.
III. THE DESIGN AND USE OF CONFESSING FAULTS ONE TO ANOTHER.
IV. THAT WE ARE UNDER SPECIAL OBLIGATION TO PRAY FOR THOSE WHO CONFESS THEIR FAULTS.

I. What is intended by faults in this text.

1. Offenses against our neighbor.

2. Public offenses, or offenses against the public.

3. Secretly besetting sins, or those secret lusts and appetites, and passions, and temptations and states of mind that easily beset, and frequently overcome us.

4. Offensive and injurious traits of character. There are very few persons who have not more or less features of their character that are particularly offensive, either to good morals or good breeding, and are therefore injurious and disastrous in their tendencies and results. These are to be regarded not as isolated faults, but as faults of character--habitual faults, in opposition to accidental or occasional faults. All such faults should be confessed, one to another.

5. Such weaknesses and infirmities as lay us open to the power of temptation. These weaknesses may be owing to some constitutional infirmity, or they may arise out of evil habits that have acquired great power over us. Whatever they are, if they are faults in such a sense as to bring us into legal bondage to sin, they doubtless come within the scope of the Apostle's meaning.

6. All such things as grieve the Spirit of God, and hinder our growth in grace.

II. To whom this confession is to be made.

1. To those especially who have been injured by our faults. That we are under obligation to confess to them, and make what reparation is in our power, is too plain to need comment.


2. Public sins are to be confessed to the public. By this I mean, that if sins have been injurious to the public, to the Church, or to the world, or to both, the confession should be as public as the injury.

3. But especially does this text require confession to our praying friends. "Confess your faults one to another," says the Apostle, "and pray one for another that ye may be healed." Although the duty of confessing sin to all that have been injured, is abundantly taught in other parts of scripture; yet in this particular text, the Apostle manifestly intended to enjoin the duty of confessing our faults to praying friends, for the purpose of enlisting their sympathies and prayers in our behalf.

4. And more especially still does he seem to require the duty of confessing our faults to eminently praying persons; for he immediately adds, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." Hence it is plain, that the Apostle designed to direct persons to confess their faults especially to those who offer effectual fervent prayer.

III. The design and use of confessing faults one to another.

1. To make known to Christian friends our real circumstances and wants, so as to enlist their sympathies and enable them to pray for us intelligently, and present our case before the Lord as it is. Without this knowledge, persons may either altogether neglect to pray for us, or if they pray at all, they may be in such ignorance of our real necessities as greatly to misconceive our wants, and therefore never benefit us by their prayers.

2. Another design and use of confessing our faults one to another is, to make reparation, so far as confession goes, for the wrong we have done. Until this is done, God will not forgive. For while we refuse to make the reparation within our power, it were not only unreasonable, but unjust in God to pardon us.

3. To remove temptation to hard feelings on the part of those who have been injured by us. To injure a man by our faults is bad enough, but to refuse or neglect to confess is often worse, and may often result in worse consequences, and prove a greater injury to him, than did our original fault. If, after we have done wrong, and injured a brother or a neighbor, and he knows that we have done so, we persist in refusing to confess, it is a grievous temptation to him to entertain hard and revengeful feelings toward us. And where this course is persevered in it often results in the greatest injury, if not in the absolute annihilation of the piety of the injured party. If, then, you have committed a fault, take the earliest opportunity to confess it, lest you lay a stumbling block, a grievous, fatal stumbling block, before your brother's feet.

4. Another design and use of confession is, to remove obstacles to the restoration of Christian confidence and fellowship. When you have been guilty of a fault, and this is known to your brethren, they cannot and ought not to have Christian confidence in you, until you confess your faults. And it sometimes comes to pass, that church members so long refuse or neglect to confess their faults to one another, as to render Christian confidence impossible. And members of the same church have little or no confidence in each other's piety. And whatever hope one may have, that another is pious, is founded not in the fact that he has any evidence that he is a Christian, but in the fact that he knows himself to be as bad as others, and is, therefore, constrained to hope for others upon the same principle that he hopes for himself. In such cases there is not and ought not to be Christian confidence and fellowship. Nor ought there to be any hope among them that they are Christians. For until they confess their faults one to another, and can heartily pray one for another, they are as far as possible from having any evidence that they are the disciples of Christ. Now the only possible way in which Christian confidence and fellowship can be restored in such cases, is honestly and freely to confess your faults one to another.

5. Another design and use of confessing our faults is, to enlist Christian prayer and sympathy in our behalf. Nothing is more calculated to beget sympathy, Christian compassion, and brotherly love--to draw out the heart in fervent prayer--than to confess our faults and lay our hearts open to our friends and brethren.

6. To promote our own humility. Humility is a willingness to be known and estimated according to our real character. While we are unwilling to confess, we have no humility at all. Nothing is more directly calculated to deepen, perpetuate, and perfect humility, than a full and frequent confession of our faults.

7. Another design and use of confessing is, to promote our own watchfulness. The very fact of confessing our sins to one another, has a strong tendency to put us on our guard against repeating them. And on this account confession is of great importance to us.

8. To promote watchfulness over us. If we confess our faults to others, we call their attention to our faults, and easily besetting sins, and thereby lead them to notice our walk and conversation, and to watch over us with a greater degree of Christian faithfulness than they otherwise would.

9. Another design and use of confession is, to encourage Christian reproof and admonition from our brethren. If we do not confess our sins, but on the contrary, show a disposition to conceal them, our brethren know that we are proud, and have reason to believe, that we would take it amiss if they should reprove us; but if, on the contrary, we open our hearts to our brethren, we invite and encourage their Christian watchfulness and reproof, and thereby greatly promote their faithfulness to us.

10. Another design and use of confession is, to promote self-examination in them. Few things have a stronger tendency to fasten conviction upon the mind of a man, than to go to him with a frank and full confession of our sins. It is often holding up a mirror, in which he is constrained to behold himself. Under scarcely any circumstances have I seen myself so utterly vile, as when persons have been ingenuously confessing to me their sins. It has so strongly called my attention to the facts of my own history, as not unfrequently to fill me with shame and confusion of face.

11. Another design and tendency of confessing is, to impress others with the truth of the Christian religion. When ungodly men hear the frank and heart broken confessions of Christians, they are often struck with the contrast between this spirit and the spirit of the world. They secretly, and sometimes openly exclaim, if they see themselves to be so great sinners, what am I?

12. Another design and use of confession is, to insure spiritual healing. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

13. Confession is indispensable to forgiveness. "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy."

14. It is indispensable to a present walking with God. If persons, for the time being, are brought into the light, and when they remember their sins, do not confess their faults, and ask the prayers and forgiveness of their brethren, they will undoubtedly and surely backslide. For in neglecting this duty, they will grieve the Spirit, harden their hearts, and immediately fall again under the power of sin.

IV. We are under special obligation to pray for those who confess their faults.

1. Because, by their confessions, we have been made acquainted with their necessities, and are, therefore, not in the dark, in respect to what we should pray for as it respects them. Now as light increases obligation, peculiar light in regard to their necessities, brings with it peculiar obligation.

2. We are under peculiar obligation to pray for them, because there is special encouragement to pray for those who are willing to confess their faults. We have express promises upon which we can fasten, in praying for such persons; especially when they not only confess but forsake their sins. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." "Whoso confesseth and forsaketh shall have mercy."

3. To pray for them will be peculiarly useful for us, especially if we have been injured by them.

(1.) It will reveal to us the real state of our feelings towards them. Let a man attempt to pray for another, and he will soon discover the real state of his heart, in relation to that subject of prayer.

(2.) It will beget in us the spirit of forgiveness. We cannot pray that an individual may be forgiven, and be honest and sincere in this prayer, unless we honestly forgive him ourselves. And nothing is more highly calculated to beget in us a spirit of forgiveness, than to be much employed in praying for the forgiveness of others, especially for the forgiveness of those who have injured us.

4. The duty of praying for those who confess their sins, is expressly enjoined in the text, and therefore a special obligation exists, to make them particular subjects of prayer.

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REMARKS.​

1. We see from this subject, why so many are in bondage to sin. The fact is, they do not and will not confess their faults. They have too much regard to their own reputation, ingenuously to confess their faults; and hence they wear their galling chains and remain the miserable slaves of sin.

2. We see why there is so little Christian sympathy and love. So long as professors of religion remain so ignorant of each other's history, joys, sorrows, trials, and besetting sins, there is no such foundation or reason for Christian sympathy and love, as there might be and ought always to be among the followers of Christ. We sometimes see two Christians who are in the habit of confessing their faults to each other, and disclosing their own experience to each other, and praying one for the other. In all such cases, without exception, you see much Christian sympathy and brotherly love. Such a course of conduct as this, is indispensable to Christians sympathy; and this ought to be universally understood by the Church.

3. This subject shows, that there is very little humility in the world. I have already said, that humility consists in a willingness to be known and estimated according to our real character. While there is so little confession as there now is in
the Church of God, how can there be much humility?

4. We see why there is so little humility in the Church. If Christians would but begin, and make thorough work of confession, this would greatly promote their humility; but until they begin, cast away their pride, and address themselves in earnest to confessing their faults one to another, their pride will never be crucified, or their humility perfected.

5. There is but very little confidence among professors of religion, in each other's prayers. If there were, they would more frequently confess to their brethren, and beg them to pray, that they might be healed. It is often amazing to see how little confidence professors of religion have in prayer.

6. Living as they do, professors of religion have no right to have confidence in each other's prayers. And without utter presumption, it is impossible that they should. Professors of religion very generally know, that their own prayers are not answered; that they live in such a manner, as to have no right to expect an answer to their prayers; and from observation they perceive, that other professors of religion, with very few exceptions, live as they do. And in this view of the subject, how is it possible for them to have confidence in each other's prayers, so as to render it an object to solicit the prayers of their brethren.

7. There is here and there a professor of religion, who is regarded by other professors of religion, and by the Church generally, as one who prevails with God. And it is truly wonderful, that they do not resort to such persons, to confess their sins and ask their prayers. This can be accounted for only upon the supposition--

8. That there is very little honest and earnest desire to get rid of sin, among professors of religion. If they were really agonized, to get rid of sin, it does appear to me impossible that they should not avail themselves of the prayers and counsels of those whom they regard as eminent Christians, in order to get rid of their loathsome depravity. James Brainerd Taylor was, according to his own account of himself, in earnest to get rid of his sins. He believed the thing possible, and felt that it was indispensable to his usefulness as a minister. He gave himself up thoroughly to the work of getting away from his sins; and, as was very natural and scriptural, went to those whom he considered eminently pious and praying persons. To them he opened his heart and solicited their prayers in his behalf, that he might be healed. And, blessed be God, he was healed. And so, Christian, may you be healed, if you will go and do likewise, with as much honesty and earnestness as he did.

9. The fact is, that most professors of religion prefer remaining in bondage, to confessing that they are so. They wear a cloak over their chains, and while their hands are manacled, and they are fast bound in the chains of sin, the law in their members so warring against the law in their mind, as to keep them in a state of perpetual captivity, they gather their cloak of concealment all over them, try to cover up and conceal their loathsome servitude and detestable chains, rather than throw off the mask, confess their faults, and be healed. O professor of religion, what a miserable slave you are. Hold up your hands. Let us see if they are not chained. Lay aside your cloak. Are you not the bond-slave of Satan, or of lust, or of the world?

10. How shameful and lamentable it is, that persons regard their reputation more than they hate sin, and prefer concealment to humility, reputation to holiness, the good opinion of their brethren to the favor of God.

11. But in a very few cases, after all, do they by such concealment, secure any reputation for real piety. Although they are ashamed to confess, and do not confess what the difficulty is; yet, as a matter of fact, every discerning mind sees, that there is some difficulty--that they are not spiritual--that they do not walk with God--that they do not prevail in prayer. So that, after all, they gain nothing, even of reputation, by their concealment. And this is the folly of sin--a man under its dominion will think to cover it up. But while some particular form of it may be disguised, its existence in some form will be known, from the spirit and temper of the man, in spite of himself.

12. Confession, to be of any avail, should be ingenuous and full, so as to give our brethren as full a view of our real character and wants as possible; so that they may understand, as far as may be, the worst of our case, and know how to present it before the Lord. If individuals will but half confess, they will find that such confessions will do no good, but only harden their hearts. You must fully confess, and cover up no essential feature of your depravity, if you expect to be healed.

13. Few things are so useful and important to us and to those against whom we have sinned, as to confess our faults to them. When difficulties have existed between brethren, nothing can restore permanent confidence, but a full, thorough, hearty, mutual confession of faults, one to another, and praying one for another, that they may be healed.

14. There are but very few professors of religion who seem to know, or believe, that there is any such thing as spiritual healing in this world. They seem to reason thus: 'Of what use would it be for me to confess my sins, as I am continually sinning? Why should I trouble the brethren with a detail of my sins, for they are as constant as the flowing of the waters? Why should I make myself the loathing of the Church of God, by continually confessing my sins? It will do no good. I shall continue to sin on as long as I live; and I may as well, therefore, groan under my chains and continue this infernal service till I die. As to ever being healed, so as to get away from my sins, in this life, it is out of the question.'
Now I see not why all this is not very natural and reasonable, upon the supposition that Christians have no reason to expect, in this life, entire emancipation from the bondage of sin. But brother--sister--let me beseech you to be no longer deceived in this thing. Remember, that Christ is faithful, who has expressly promised, that if you confess your sins, He will not only forgive you, but "cleanse you from all unrighteousness."

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[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Italic]http://www.norwichalliancechurch.or...apter 13 Confess Your Sins To One Another.pdf[/FONT]​

[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Italic]Most church members live so far below the standard, you'd have to backslide to be in fellowship.
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-Vance Havner
[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]CONFESS YOUR SINS TO[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]
[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]ONE ANOTHER[/FONT]
[/FONT]James 5:16
One of the most glaring deficiencies among Christians today is the lack of genuine fellowship. Much
of what passes for fellowship is not that at all. Fellowship means "a mutual sharing of something in
common." What Christians have in common is Christ. Therefore, Christian fellowship ​

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[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Italic](koinonia) [/FONT]is the

"mutual sharing of our lives in Christ." This is why a Christian cannot have fellowship with a non-
Christian. Paul put it, "What fellowship can light have with darkness? . . . What does a believer have
in common with an unbeliever?" (II Cor. 6: 14b-15b). We can have friendship and companion ship with
unbelievers, but not fellowship.
Unfortunately, what often passes for fellowship in Christian circles is our thoughts about the weather,
sports events, social get-togethers, etc. Biblical fellowship involves the exposure of our real selves to
each other.
For fear that our words would come back to haunt us because of misunderstanding and gossip, we
gather together for meetings, pretending that everything is quite all right, yet all the while hiding
ourselves from each other and aching to get a few things off our chest. We remain burdened for fearn
of being considered unspiritual. For the Christian community has projected the theology that Christians
are not supposed to have problems. So we go on living unreal lives. What a tragedy!​

[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Italic]SELF-DISCLOSURE[/FONT]
Fellowship requires ​

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[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Italic]self-disclosure. [/FONT]John says, "God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all" (I John

1:5b). We know that light reveals and that darkness conceals. John is saying that God is light, the one
who reveals. And when John says, ". . . in Him there is no darkness at all'' he means that God conceals
nothing of Himself. He is open before all. It is only our inability to see which keeps certain aspects of
God hidden from us.
In order for God to have fellowship with man He found it necessary to show Himself to man. For man
to have fellowship with God, he in turn must expose himself to God. This is why John could write, "If
we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth" (I John
1:6). To walk in darkness is to live in sin and to conceal that fact. To walk in darkness is an attempt to
conceal our real self from God.
God fellowships with man as He reveals Himself to man, and man in turn fellowships with God as he
exposes himself to God. It follows then, that men fellowship with each other as they are mutually
transparent. John put it, "If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from every sin" (I John 1:7).
John is saying not only that if we walk in truth and obedience ("the light") we have fellowship
together, but also that if we live honest lives (which of necessity requires self disclosure) we experience
fellowship with God and each other. Light does not only speak of good, ethical living; it also speaks of
open, honest living. While many Christians do the former, they often do not practice the latter. God not
only requires that we strive to live according to His will, but that we are also honest enough to admit
to the fact that we sometimes fail to live according to His will.
The result of open confession, of who we are and what we have done, is forgiveness, not rejection.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness" (I John 1 :9). Openness, self-disclosure, exposure and cleansing go hand-in-hand.​

[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Italic]CLEANSING EFFECT[/FONT]
The cleansing effect of confession is pointed out by the renowned American psychologist, William
James, when he says:
For him who confesses, shams are over and realities have begun; he has exteriorized his
rottenness. If he has not actually got rid of it, he at least no longer smears it over with a
hypocritical show of virtue -he lives at least upon a basis of veracity.. . The complete decay of
the practice of confession in Anglo-Saxon communities is a little hard to account for. . . One
would think that in more men the shell of secrecy would have had to open, the pent-in abscess
to burst and gain relief, even though the ears that heard the confession were unworthy.
Unlike so many of us, William James was not willing to let the "ears that hear the confession [though]
unworthy" keep him from the important practice of confession. The excuse that people will not
understand, twist, or gossip our confession, usually keeps most of us from confessing our sins to each
other. The fear of rejection: "If people knew me as I really am, they won't like me" or "If church people
knew about my secret sins, they would kick me out" keeps us from confession.
It is the belief that our problems are unique, which makes us think that the Christian community
cannot handle our sins and problems. Our struggles, whatever they are, may be unique to us, but they
are common to man (I Cor. 10: 13). As Solomon put it, "There is nothing new under the sun" (Eccles.
I :9b).​

[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Italic]NECESSARY TO COMMUNITY LIFE[/FONT]
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a young German pastor and theologian who gave his life to keep the church
in Germany from compromising with Hitler. Pastor Bonhoeffer was called to direct an illegal
underground seminary in 1935. Along with twenty-five theological students and pastors, Bonhoeffer
lived, studied, worked and played together for three years. It was out of this experience that Bonhoeffer
wrote ​

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[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Italic]Life Together. [/FONT]In this book Bonhoeffer shares the importance of Christian community, and that

confession must be an integral part if community life is to take place.
In 1938, this underground seminary and intimate Christian community was closed by the Gestapo.
After two years of imprisonment, on April 9, 1945, Pastor Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazis only
a few days before their defeat by the Allies.
In his book, ​

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[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Italic]Life Together, [/FONT]Bonhoeffer shares the vital part that confession plays in a group of

believers who want their life with God and each other to be real:
He who is alone with his sin is utterly alone. It may be that Christians, notwithstanding corporate
worship, common prayer, and all their fellowship in service, may still be left to their loneliness.
The final breakthrough to fellowship does not occur, because, though they have fellowship with
one another as believers and as devout people, they do not have fellowship as the undevout, as
sinners. The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner. So everybody must conceal his sin
from himself and from the fellowship. We dare not be sinners. Many Christians are unthinkably
horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among the righteous. So we remain alone
with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy The fact is that we are sinners! ​

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Though we are saints once we have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of our lives, we are
sinners in the sense that we still sin. We all struggle with temptations and we occasionally fail in that
struggle. It is at this point of failure that confession not only to God, but also to each other is so helpful.
This is the point Bonhoeffer is trying to make.​

[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Italic]OPEN CONFESSION[/FONT]
Open confession of sin was practiced during Bible times. David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against
the Lord" (II Sam. 12: 13). Saul admitted to Samuel, "I have sinned. I have violated the Lord's command
and your instructions. I was afraid of people and so I gave in to them" (I Sam. 15:24). Notice how
specific Saul gets in his confession. He says that it was his fear of man that led to his sin.
In the case of Achan as mentioned in the last chapter, his sin was done in private; but because his
private sin led to military disaster for his whole army, he was required to confess his sin before the
whole army (Josh. 7:19).
Although it has been taught that secret sins should be confessed secretly to God, private sins privately
to the person offended, and open sins before the group offended, there are private sins that need to be
confessed openly.
Private sin affects us all. No man is an island. What we do or do not do affects everyone else.
Confession, therefore, is important.
Open confession of specific sins has characterized every great revival of past generations. Charles G.
Finney, the great American evangelist, has written:
A revival of religion may be expected when Christians begin to confess their sins to one another.
At other times they confess in a general manner, as if they are only half in earnest. They may
do it in eloquent language, but it does not mean anything. But when there is an ingenious
breaking down, and a pouring out of the heart in confession of sin, the floodgates will soon burst
open, and salvation will flow over the place.​

​

 

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[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Italic]HEALING[/FONT]
James tells us, "Confess your sins to each other" (Jas. 5:16). While open confession brings
psychological relief, its main purpose should be to obtain prayer to gain healing: "Confess your sins to
each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." The Greek word for healing
[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Italic](iatheite)[/FONT]

is used elsewhere to denote healing of the soul as well as of the physical body. Such confession


encourages the sinner to forsake his sin and be comforted and strengthened by the knowledge that


empathetic friends will be praying for him. In addition, such confession challenges others in the group


to bring their Own sins to the light.


Martin Luther knew the importance of confession to his fellow believers:


Private confession to a brother is useful, even necessary, and I would not have it abolished.


Indeed, I rejoice that it exists in the church of Christ, for it is a cure without equal for distressed


consciences. For when we have laid bare our conscience to Our brother and privately made


known to him the evil that lurked within, we receive from Our brother's lips the word of comfort


spoken by God Himself. And, if we accept this in faith, we find peace in the mercy of God


speaking to us through Our brother.


Mutual confession was regularly practiced by the Moravian church. J ohn Wesley was impressed by


their "community life" and so he copied their practice for his earliest Methodist classes. It became their


custom to meet two or three times a week "to confess their sins to each other and pray for each other


so that they might be healed" (Jas. 5: l6a).


John Wesley talks about the purpose of confession:


We ought to confess Our weaknesses and infirmities to each other to the end that, knowing each


other's frailties, we may more earnestly pray together unto Almighty God, Our Heavenly Father,


that He will vouchsafe to pardon Our infirmities for His Son Jesus Christ's sake.


Wesley continues by sharing the wholesome effects confession had among his followers:


Many were delivered from temptations out of which, until then, they found no way of escape.


They were built up in our most holy faith. They rejoiced in the Lord more abundantly. They


were strengthened in love and more effectually provoked to abound in every good work.


Confession to another human being is important, as Bonhoeffer sees it, because it keeps us from "selfdeception."


If we are already caught in the "cycle of self-deception" it can be broken. Other people can


help us to bring to light the naked reality of what we are doing.


Bonhoeffer warns of the danger of confessing our sins to ourselves instead of to God. He suspects that


this is the reason "for our countless relapses and the feebleness of our Christian obedience."


According to Bonhoeffer, effective Christian living is impossible apart from the Christian community:


In confession the break-through to community takes place. Sin demands to have a man by


himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more


destructive will be the power of sin over him, and the more deeply he becomes involved in it,


the more disastrous is his isolation. ​

3

Bonhoeffer put it, "In the presence of a psychiatrist I can only be a sick man; in the presence of a


Christian brother I can dare to be a sinner." ​

4 We need to be able to be ourselves in the presence of

someone else.​

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[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Italic]

FORGIVENESS​

[/FONT]

Bonhoeffer shares about man's great need for forgiveness and how it takes place in the Christian
community:
Worldly wisdom knows what distress and weakness and failure are, but it does not know the
godlessness of man. And so it also does not know that man is destroyed only by his sin and can
be healed only by forgiveness. . . Anybody. . . who has discerned in the Cross of Jesus the utter
wickedness of all men and of his own heart will find there is no sin that can ever be alien to him.
. . It is not experience of life but experience of the Cross that makes one a worthy hearer of
confessions. . . The Christian brother knows when I come to him: he is a sinner like myself, a
godless man who wants to confess and yearns for God's forgiveness. . . The brother views me
as I am before the judging and merciful God in the Cross of Jesus Christ. It is not lack of
psychological knowledge but lack oflove for the crucified Jesus Christ that makes us so poor and
inefficient in brotherly confession.​

5​

In many ways another person's listening ear, understanding heart and affirmative words can be of
much greater help than the expert counsel of a psychiatrist or psychologist. Healing is our need, not
merely understanding. And healing comes only through forgiveness.
This is the point that James makes: "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that
you may be healed" (Jas. 5: 16). The last part of the previous verse states, ".. . If he has sinned, he will
be forgiven" (Jas. 5: 15). And then James states, "Therefore confess your sins to each other..." (Jas.
5:16a). The context here is that of healing. James is saying that "if anyone is sick that he should call the
elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord" and that the
prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well (Jas. 5: 14, 15). Then he states also that if that
person has sinned, that he will be forgiven. This is the reason why we should confess our sins to each
other.​

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THE PURPOSE​

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The purpose of confession is for the healing of both our physical bodies and our souls.
The reason why so little healing is taking place today is that there is so little confession. We remain
physically and spiritually crippled because we are too proud to confess our sins.
Notice that the exhortation to confess does not limit it to confession to the elders; it states ". . . confess
your sins to each other. . ." While confession is good for the soul, it is murder on the ego!
Weak, imperfect human beings though we are, we are God's vehicles of forgiveness. When confession
is made to us, it is also made to God, and we have the authority to thereby forgive that person in Jesus'
name. This is the point that John made when he said, "If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven;
if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven" (John 20:23).
Bonhoeffer brings to light how this happens. He says:
Christ became our Brother in order to help us. Through Him our brother has become Christ for
us in the power and authority of the commission Christ has given to him. Our brother stands
before us as the sign of the truth and the grace of God. He has been given to us to help us. He
hears the confession of our sins in Christ's stead and he forgives our sins in Christ's name. . .
When I go to my brother to confess, I am going to God .​

6​

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BEWARE OF DANGERS​

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There are dangers in confessing our sins to others. Mel White warns:
Confession should not be a means of getting sympathy and support. . . It is exciting to tell a close
friend your struggles with sexual lust. And even better if he or she confesses back to you. It is
like telling ghost stories around the campfire. Shared fears draws the circle closer. One story
leads to another. It's a kind of game and it isn't confession at all.​

7​

In fact, how many sexual affairs were started by someone confessing his or her sexual struggle-all the
while using that confession to entice the very person who is hearing it? Though this may masquerade
as confession, it is really just another clever technique to flirt or seduce or gain sympathy from. a
curious and vulnerable friend.​

8​

Confession cannot be a routine duty or obligation, either. [Like] the junior-high student who makes
his weekly confession .only because it pleases priest, or parent. [Or like] the long-time members of the
church who stand to recite (in unison) a confession of sin as a dull and thoughtless routine of worship.
[Or like) the person who goes down the sawdust trail or coliseum stairs to confess -just because it
makes him acceptable to the busload of believers who brought him to the crusade.​

9​

Bonhoeffer rightly points out, "The forgiveness of sins is the sole ground and goal of confession."
He says:
It is only God's offer of grace, help, and forgiveness that could make us dare to enter the abyss
of confession. We can confess solely for the sake of the promise of absolution. Confession as
a routine duty is spiritual death; confession in reliance upon the promise is life.​

10​

There are other dangers with confession. What, how and to whom we confess is of crucial importance.
Apart from the guidance and restraint of the Holy Spirit, intimate sharing might easily degenerate into
exhibitionism where we try to outdo each other in dredging up sensational sins. As Paul says there are
some things too shameful to talk about (Eph. 5:12).
We must use restraint in telling about our sins, especially in the area of sexual sins. We do not need
to be too specific or graphic. As long as people know basically what we are struggling with, that is
sufficient.
The person or group that we are with, to a large extent, determines how much we can safely confess.
Some things can be confessed to a large group, more personal things that would only be safe to confess
in a smaller group, and certain intimate things that would only be proper to confess to one other person.
We need to be sensitive to God's leading or our exposure will be destructive rather than constructive.
But we should not discredit self-disclosure because of its possible abuse. Prayer, teaching, Holy
Communion can also be abused, yet we carefully continue to avail ourselves of these means of grace.
It should be no different with confession.
God's promises concerning confession are prosperity, healing and fellowship:
He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds
mercy. . . Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. .
If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood
of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin (Prov. 28:13; Jas. 5:16; I John 1:7).
May those of us who have a thirst for transparent honesty and a willingness to listen and to open our
hearts confess our sins to one another. Although this may involve only a few at first, like leaven it will
grow until it permeates our church family. Honest, loving fellowship becomes magnetic. We must be
willing to take the first step. Let us unmask ourselves before God and our fellow believers so that we​

may live in the light, experiencing prosperity, healing and fellowship.