I. INTRODUCTION
A. In 1John 1:9, Christians are given this wonderful but conditional promise: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Certainly, we want the blessings of forgiveness and cleansing, but are we ready to make a full confession of our sins?
B. In this lesson, let us consider the instructions of God's word concerning the confession of sins so that we may learn how to gain the great blessings that God has promised on this condition.
II. THE MEANING OF CONFESSION
A. It is important that we understand what is involved in making a confession.
1. By the common use of the word "confession,” we understand that a confession is an admission or acknowledgement of something. When a man confesses, he concedes that something is true.
2. Often, a confession is an admission of guilt. By such a confession, a person states the truth about what he has done wrong.
3. In the original language of the New Testament, to confess (Gr. homologeō or exomologeō) means to say the same thing as another. Thus, when a person confesses, he is agreeing that what someone else has said is true.
4. A confession is not often easy to make because it usually involves a change of both mind and behavior and an admission of wrong. Regardless of how difficult confession may be, certain confessions are absolutely necessary for one to be reconciled to God through Christ's gospel.
B. In the New Testament, we read of various confessions that differ by content and purpose.
1. The foremost confession of the gospel is that Jesus is the Son of God, Christ, Lord, and Savior.
a. In Romans 10:8-10, Paul describes the gospel as "the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
b. Before the gospel can be effective for us, a person must confess (agree with God) that Jesus is all that God has said He is. This confession of Jesus is the gateway to all the gospel's blessings (Matt. 10:32-33; Matt. 16:15-17; John 8:24; 11:25-27; Acts 8:37).
2. The confession of sin is a necessary element of the gospel because the forgiveness of sin is impossible without the acknowledgement of sin.
a. From the first preaching of John the baptist, men and women were confessing their sins as they resolved to repent and change their wicked ways (Mark 1:4-5).
b. After the full revelation of the gospel, the practice of confessing sins continued as a natural response to the message of repentance and forgiveness (Acts 2:37; 8:20-24; 19:18).
c. Indeed, before sins can be forgiven, repentance must occur, and before repentance can occur, there must be a correct understanding and confession of sins.
d. Thus, a confession of sin is an admission that one's deeds were in conflict with God's will. A man confesses his sin when he agrees that God was right about sin and he was wrong.
III. CONFESSION OF SINS
A. Concerning sin, the most important confession we must make is to God.
1. It is good to confess our sins to one another, as we will see shortly, but confession of sins to God is mandatory.
a. It is God who is offended by sin, and we must acknowledge this to Him. When we sin, we would do well to imitate David's confession to God in Psalm 51:4 – "Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge.”
b. It only God who can forgive sin, so we must confess our sins to Him in order to ask His forgiveness. See Psalm 51:1-2, 7-14.
2. New converts to Christ confess their sins by the very act of obedience to the gospel of Christ. Every soul who obeys the gospel is admitting that he has sinned and needs a Savior in the person of Jesus Christ.
3. Christians who sin against God must make confession of their sins in order to repent and be forgiven.
a. John gives specific directions to Christians concerning the confession of sin in 1John 1:6-10:
If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
b. Notice that John is teaching the essential meaning of confession.
i. Consider all the ways John describes disagreement with God (the opposite of confession). He calls this lying, a failure to practice the truth, self-deception, an accusation of lying against God, and the lack of God's word in us. As a result, the guilt of sin remains in one who disagrees with God about his own sin.
ii. On the other hand, if a Christian confesses that he has sinned, then he is in agreement with God, and God forgives and cleanses him.
c. Remember that these directions in 1John 1:6-10 pertain to those who have already obeyed the gospel of Christ (notice 1John 2:12-14; 3:1).
i. Christians do not abide in sin or practice it as a way of life (1John 3:6-9), but they may stumble in sin from time to time and have need of forgiveness. Therefore, there is no truth in the so-called "once-saved-always-saved” doctrine.
ii. This passage shows that the blood of Christ remains effective for Christians to "wash away sins” long after baptism (Acts 22:16). As we walk in the light with God, "the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
4. Understand that confession of sins to God is for our sake, not God's.
a. Sinners do not confess their sin to God as a means of informing Him, for He already knows all things (Heb. 4:13). He does not need our confession for any reason.
b. Instead, confession is an opportunity for a sinner to acknowledge what he has done and express his contrition and godly sorrow. Consider Psalm 51:17 – "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”
B. The Scriptures also encourage Christians to confess sins to one another.
1. James gives us both the instruction for this confession and the purpose of it in James 5:16 – "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
a. This is not a license for Christians to learn all of one another's secrets. Instead, it is a great support mechanism whereby Christians who are burdened with sin can find help.
b. The purpose of such a confession is to obtain the help and support of fellow Christians by their prayers.
c. To practice this instruction requires a great deal of trust for a Christian who has sinned and a great deal of compassion for one who hears a confession. If we don't practice this instruction enough, it is probably because we lack these things.
2. Compliance with this instruction is most commonly encouraged in the assembly of the church, but mutual confession of sins needs to be practiced more commonly between individual Christians. If practiced correctly, then it will make us stronger.
IV. CONCLUSION
A. Finally, consider the confession made by the prodigal son in Luke 15:18-19, 21 – "I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men'”…And the son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”
B. When we sin, may we have the same good sense and contrition as the prodigal son had to confess our sins to our heavenly Father. If we will do so, then He assures us that He will receive us and forgive us just as the prodigal son's father received and forgave him.