Confession : 2003-02-15
"Confession" means "to admit." We usually think of confession in a negative sense, not that confessing is a bad thing, but that we confess to our bad deeds. However, the word can also have a positive meaning. Philippians 2:10-11 says,
so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
In this sense, confess is an affirmation, a statement of belief. Jesus uses confess the same way in Matthew 10:32, saying,
Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.
Today, we want to focus primarily on the common meaning of confession, but without losing sight of the secondary meaning. Probably the best-known verse on this topic is 1 John 1:9. It promises believers in Christ that
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
What exactly does this mean? First of all, it assumes that the person is a follower of Christ. Let's back up a few verses to 1 John 1:5.
This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 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.
What does John mean when he contrasts walking in darkness with walking in light? Paul goes into more detail in Romans 13, verses 12-14:
The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
The Bible's definition of the deeds of darkness matches up pretty closely to what our culture would call a good party--drunkenness and sex outside of marriage. However, notice that it also includes dissension and jealousy. We're all guilty of participating in the deeds of darkness to some extent. 1 John 1:8 says,
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
The key is whether we're comfortable in our sin, or if we're seeking to turn from it and walk in the light through the power of Christ. As 1 John 1:7 stated,
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.
How can the blood of a Jewish carpenter cleanse us from sin? The Bible teaches that Jesus was more than a good man. He was the Creator God himself, come to earth as a man. John 1:10 says,
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
Not only did most people not recognize the presence of God among them, they hated him. He lived a perfect sinless life, and for speaking the truth and rightfully claiming to be God, the masses wanted him dead. Jesus Christ was horribly beaten and then hammered to a cross. But the good news is that He died for the sins of His people. Romans 5:9b explains:
you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
Then He rose from the dead to prove who He was. Anyone can claim to be the way to God, but Jesus Christ is the only one who rose again to prove it. Once we believe in Christ through the gift of faith, we have eternal life. However, we still have to live in this fallen world until our life here is done. That's where our key verse, 1 John 1:9, comes in:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We have to confess--admit--our wrongdoings to God. He won't cleanse us if we're in a state of denial. Admitting our sinfulness opens the door to healing. The same thing applies in our relationships. James 5:16 says,
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.
As we confess our failures to each other and pray for each other, we can't help but have a healing of our relationships. Strong marriages, strong friendships and strong staffs develop when we admit our faults and pray for each other, but ultimately none of that has any meaning unless we first confess to God and have a strong relationship with Him. When we get that vertical relationship straight with God, then we can work on the horizontal relationships down here on earth with our family, friends and co-workers.
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