Confessing Our Sins - 06/23/2024

Listing things we are to be praying about for others, James includes confessing our sins to one another and praying for each other (James 5:16). There are several benefits Christians can enjoy if we will practice confessing our sins to one another.

Confessing means to admit, state or acknowledge some wrong that has been done. This can only come about by an honest evaluation of ourselves after we have learned that we have done something wrong. Sometimes we know something is wrong before we do it, but we do it anyway. This is rebellion. In this case there needs to be two confessions – one for the wrong done and another for the rebellion.

Honest evaluation requires not hiding anything from ourselves. The goal is to lay it all out in front of us. We are going to “own up to it.” We are not going to try to hide it or avoid it. We are not going to rationalize our actions by saying that it was the right thing to do. We are not going to blame someone else for doing something to cause us to do this wrong. We are going to be truthful with ourselves and others.

This kind of openness will help us to avoid doing wrong or sinful things in the future. It helps us to think in advance as to whether we want to do something wrong knowing that we will have to later admit the wrong. Why would we want to do something we know is the wrong thing to do?

When we confess our sins to one another, fellow Christians are in a better position to help each other. Notice James says for Christians to “confess our sins to one another, and pray for one another.” The “one another” in this passage is the individual church member in a local congregation. To say it another way, it is regular folks praying for regular folks. Christians are trying to help each other to be right with God and go to heaven.

So what benefit is it for the person who hears us confess our sins? They get the opportunity to serve another Christian. But, they also receive the benefit of setting the example of doing the right thing so there is no need to confess their sins. It serves as protection against doing the wrong thing.

Confessing our sins to one another is hard, but it is a necessary thing all Christians must do. Likewise, all Christians must be willing to pray for each another after listening to someone confess their sins. By being willing to engage in this mutual activity we are helping each other to be living God’s way. - cgm

Scriptural quotations from the NASB1995.