An element of traditional worship has curiously dropped out of much Protestant worship. I am speaking of the confession of sin. After my conversion I never attended a church service wherein the congregation confessed their sins during worship until coming to New Life. For many, the confession of sin smacks of sacerdotalism, at best, and Roman Catholicism, at worst. Therefore, to avoid all things sacerdotal the confession of sin has been deleted from many liturgies. What is so striking about this, however, is that Scripture is replete with examples of God’s people confessing their sin and seeking his mercy. One thinks of the Psalms and hears the Psalmist over and over again crying out for God’s mercy and confessing his sins (cf. Ps. 32; 51; 130). We are reminded of Daniel’s prayer (Dan. 9) and of Nehemiah’s (Neh. 9). And we hear John and James echoing the same truth and calling for the same practice.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:9).We sin in thought, word and deed, and we commit sins of omission (not doing what we should) and commission (doing what we should not).
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working (Js. 5:16).
Confession of sin is what Christians do. The rationale is simple. We confess our sins because we sin and he who says he does not sin or is without sin is a liar and has no place in God’s house (1 Jn. 1:10). We sin in thought, word and deed, and we commit sins of omission (not doing what we should) and commission (doing what we should not).
When we confess our sins it means we take sin and sinning seriously. I have heard people speak the opposite, as if you can sin all you want and then deal with it during the confession in worship. May it never be! God forbid! Instead, when we confess our sins we declare them to be what they are and speak of our missteps and disobedience how God speaks of them. We call it what it is. We call, as I was often told growing up, a spade a spade. Confession is more than just naming our sin, recognizing it and making it known to God; for, after all, God already knows everything. Confession of sin is also a commitment to a renewed obedience. Upon confession we commit ourselves to turn from sin to God and to seek to put to death the deeds of the body and live according to God’s law. Finally, in the confession we also freshly appropriate the gospel, the good news that Jesus died for us and loves us and has freed us from the penalty of sin. In the confession we are reminded that our right standing before God is based on the worth and work of Jesus and not our worth and works. Simply put, in the confession we are reminded that we sin and that we need a Savior.
As we gather, let us turn from the heinousness and filthiness of our sin; let us freshly appropriate the gospel of Jesus Christ; and let us go forth in renewed obedience as we live in gratitude for all that God has done for us.