Week 6: Confess Your Sins, Part 1

Confess your sins to each other. ~James 5:16

In the third week of the James 1:22 Project my assignment was repentance. During that week (regular readers might recall) I divided my life into three time periods (pre-conversion, post-conversion but pre-marriage, and post-marriage) and dedicated some time to praying about each time period, asking God to bring to my mind whatever sins he wanted me to repent of and confess. I was not attempting to list every detail about every sin that I've ever committed. The goal was to be honest and specific, but spirit-led.

This week, the assignment is confession. We are commanded in the book of James to "confess [our] sins to each other and pray for each other so that [we] may be healed." In response to this command, I intend to confess my list from week three to a Christian brother.

I've confessed sins before. It is always scary, but also is always liberating and healing. I have never attempted to make a confession nearly as comprehensive as this one.

As for the practical matter of to whom I should confess, I will again follow Richard Foster's example. In his masterful book Celebration of Discipline, Foster acknowledges that "it is quite correct theologically to say that every Christian believer can receive the confession of another." He recommends, however, that confession be made to a person with the qualities of "spiritual maturity, wisdom, compassion, good common sense, the ability to keep confidence, and a wholesome sense of humor."

I am very blessed to be able to say that there are several dear Christian brothers in my life, who are close friends, that I would trust with my confession. God has richly blessed me in this area. From the beginning of my Christian walk, He has given me trustworthy Christian brothers---men who have stood by me as fellow sinners and saints and made Jesus's presence real to me.

In week two, I wrote about a young man who was my friend in high school and who softened my heart towards Jesus while I was still an unbeliever. After my conversion, we were in a men's small group together for several years. We met together weekly for prayer and mutual encouragement. He and I are not so young anymore, but we are still close friends. We live a block apart, and his sons and my sons are buddies. How great are God's blessings?

My wife and I belong to a small group at our church with five other couples. It is a wonderful group of winsome and encouraging people, and I have no doubt that any of the five guys in our small group would have the requisite wisdom and compassion to receive my confession.

For this week's assignment, however, I have made an appointment to meet with my pastor. He has agreed to hear my confession. It feels right and appropriate to me that I should give my confession to my spiritual leader. I respect and trust him, not only because of his position as my pastor, but also because he has shown himself to be a God-fearing man of wisdom, integrity and compassion.