Ernest Smith

Over the last few weeks, God has been teaching me so much on the subject of confession.  Not only has he been teaching me the benefits of confession, but he has been teaching me that I have a hard time with confession.  I wrote a blog on the reasons I struggle with confession, reasons that may resonate with you.

At the end of the blog, I made the statement that “The ultimate, and everlasting, rewards come when we confess.”  I believe that if we can come to an understanding of what those rewards are and how great those rewards are, then we will be willing to engage in confession every day of our lives.

So, let me outline two rewards, two eternal benefits we receive when we practice the spiritual discipline of confession.

The first reward or benefit we receive is…

          1.       Forgiveness

1 John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

What a promise!  God promises that if we confess, then he will forgive.  This is not just a promise, but it is a conditional promise.  God will forgive us…that is a promise you and I can bank on…however, it is only a promise that we can bank on if we do our part, confess.

Confession is essential for forgiveness.  Every person wants forgiveness.  Every person knows that they need forgiveness.  But, the question is “Are we willing to do our part to receive forgiveness?”

Our part is simple and yet can be so difficult.  We must confess.

Confess your sins to God.  He already knows what they are.  He knows what thoughts you have had today.  He knows where your eyes have wandered.  He knows what kind of conversations you have had or what you tweeted earlier.  God already knows everything and yet He still wants you to confess, why?  Because confession is taking ownership in what we have done and agreeing with God in what He believes.

Our job is to confess.  His job is to forgive.  If we do our part, then He will do His part in providing us with the greatest eternal blessing we could receive.

The second reward or benefit we receive when we confess is…

          2.       Healing

James 5:16 states “Therefore confess yours 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.”

The Bible makes it clear that there are two main benefits of confession…forgiveness and healing.  There are many who understand and get the forgiveness benefit.  I understand this one.  It is easy for me to confess to God.

The more challenging one is confession for healing.  This involves us being vulnerable before another human being.  Confession for healing means that we must admit to another person that we have messed up and we need help.  This is easy to do with God, but difficult to do with another person because of all the reasons that I mentioned in my previous post.

However, the only way to receive healing is to confess to “each other.”  There are many people who are walking around forgiven, but they still are not healed.  They have tasted of the grace of God, but they have not tasted of the power of God.  If we don’t experience the power of God in our lives, then we will never be truly transformed and will never make the transformation that God has created us to make in the world around us.

If you want true freedom in your life, then there must be confession.  Confession to God brings forgiveness.  Confession to others brings healing.  Both benefits can be received…but both are under the condition of you and me confessing.

Is it difficult for you to confess to others?  If so, why? 

What would life be like if you were not only forgiven, but healed?