Repentance AN HONEST CONFESSION
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. James 5:16.
Have you ever wondered how to know whether or not to confess a particular sin to God or to other people? Have you ever pondered what to confess and what not to confess, wondering where to draw the line? We have evidence that we should be very careful in our confessions. "In many of our religious awakenings mistakes have been made in regard to confession. While confession is good for the soul, there is need of moving wisely."--Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 645. The question of how and to whom sins should be confessed is one that demands careful, prayerful study. We must consider it from all points, weighing it before God and seeking divine illumination (ibid., pp. 645, 646).
So when the question comes, To whom should I confess my wrongs? there are several guidelines we have been given. First of all, don't neglect to confess your faults to your fellow men when they have a connection with them (Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 239). Second, as a general rule, confess the sins of a private nature to Christ (Councils on Health, p. 374).
If I have a valid relationship with God, I do not have to sit down and take inventory of my life and try to figure out how many I have wronged, and lie awake at night making a list and checking it twice. God, in the setting of my relationship with him, has ways of impressing me with what to confess.
The responsibility of convicting us of what we need to confess belongs to God and the Holy Spirit. Our part is to respond to Him immediately, not to wait. If we have sins to confess, we should lose no time in making them right. It's hard to admit that you are wrong. But when we understand that lack of confession and making things right is blocking our continuing relationship with Christ, when we see the close connection that confession has with our growth in the Christian life, it appears not quite so difficult.
We all have struggles on this subject. But we can be thankful for the lovingkindness of Jesus today. He is still big enough to communicate to us, in our relationship with Him, just what to confess and how to go about it.
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. James 5:16.
Have you ever wondered how to know whether or not to confess a particular sin to God or to other people? Have you ever pondered what to confess and what not to confess, wondering where to draw the line? We have evidence that we should be very careful in our confessions. "In many of our religious awakenings mistakes have been made in regard to confession. While confession is good for the soul, there is need of moving wisely."--Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 645. The question of how and to whom sins should be confessed is one that demands careful, prayerful study. We must consider it from all points, weighing it before God and seeking divine illumination (ibid., pp. 645, 646).
So when the question comes, To whom should I confess my wrongs? there are several guidelines we have been given. First of all, don't neglect to confess your faults to your fellow men when they have a connection with them (Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 239). Second, as a general rule, confess the sins of a private nature to Christ (Councils on Health, p. 374).
If I have a valid relationship with God, I do not have to sit down and take inventory of my life and try to figure out how many I have wronged, and lie awake at night making a list and checking it twice. God, in the setting of my relationship with him, has ways of impressing me with what to confess.
The responsibility of convicting us of what we need to confess belongs to God and the Holy Spirit. Our part is to respond to Him immediately, not to wait. If we have sins to confess, we should lose no time in making them right. It's hard to admit that you are wrong. But when we understand that lack of confession and making things right is blocking our continuing relationship with Christ, when we see the close connection that confession has with our growth in the Christian life, it appears not quite so difficult.
We all have struggles on this subject. But we can be thankful for the lovingkindness of Jesus today. He is still big enough to communicate to us, in our relationship with Him, just what to confess and how to go about it.
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