Confession, Anyone?

People say confession is good for the soul. The psalmist agrees, “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psalm 66:18). God says if we confess our sins, He will forgive them.  So go on, confess it to a confidant and to God.  Forgiveness is a tremendous gift. However, God whispered something also into my ear. He promised to go one step further- not only will He forgive us, He will heal us. James 5:16 declares, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” God promises not only to forgive, but to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:19, ensures that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Confession opens the door to greater sanctification and transformation; in essence, healing eventually begets sanctification or at least it should. Leviticus 5:5, “And whoever is responsible for any such sin, let him make a statement openly of his wrongdoing.”  Shame, guilt, and condemnation are all useless.  These acts of self-scourging are impotent.  Jesus took the scourging with 39 lashes to his back to purchase our Shalom- wholeness- spirit, soul, and body.  Bask in walking out of the dark corners of shame into the light of right relationship. Most people repent to God and stop there. Some may even ask others to forgive them. Ultimately, we need to get healing, and finally, we need to be transformed.

God is transforming us into Christ’s image through our confession and our petition for His empowerment over sin. Jude 1:24 declares, that Christ “is able to keep you from falling and to ... [and] is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy.” How does Jesus do this? I am glad you asked. He does it through our confession and the application of His blood or by the theological term, propitiation.   

Colossians 1:22 declares, “But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical ... he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.”  Jude and Colossians promise that God will present us blameless at the day of Christ – this work is the completed work of sanctification. Ephesians 5:27, “He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.” How will this happen? The Truth will set us free. As we confess our sins, He removes that stain. We confess another sin; we work in tandem with the Holy Spirit and place another sin under the Blood. God begins to change our natures so that they resemble His. This character transformation is actually a part of our transformation from glory to glory: “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Who do I think I am actually fooling? God already knows my heart. Lying to myself is as productive as sewing fig leaves together.  Do I want to lose weight?  I must confess and ask for forgiveness. I must make restitution to the people I have hurt.  I process the pain and let the healing begin.  I am being transformed into His image.

A Fellow Penitent,

M.J.