Dear BPCWAians, You are saved at the point when you genuinely confessed to God that you are a sinner and asked God for forgiveness of your sins. You are saved as you turn to God with a repentant heart, confess that Jesus is the only Way, the Truth, and the Life, believe that His finished work on the cross is what saves you, and not coupled with any of your good works. But after salvation, do we still need to confess our sins? There is the erroneous but increasingly popular teaching today that confession of sins after salvation is optional since your sins have all been forgiven already. Do we need to confess our sins after salvation? What is confession of sins? Do you genuinely confess your sins?

We must confess our sins even after salvation. When Peter asked Jesus to wash his entire body instead of just his feet, “Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all” (John 13:10). Peter was told that those who have been cleansed by His redemption work of salvation is positionally cleansed of all past, present, and future sins. This is why we are positionally and permanently fit for heaven. But as we walk in this world, we do fall into sin because we are not sinlessly perfect. Christ told His disciples that just like how, though they’ve bathed, they gathered dirt on their feet as they walked about and needed to wash their feet, they still needed to be cleansed of the sins they had gathered. Likewise, for us too, as we walk in this world, we sin and need to confess our sins daily. That is why we are reminded in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. The clearest proof that the popular idea today that we need not confess our sins is unbiblical is that it directly contradicts the model prayer that our Lord Jesus taught us. We are told to pray, “ . . . And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us” (Luke 11:4). Moreover, God says in Psalm 66:18, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me”. Refusing to confess certainly includes regarding iniquity in our hearts!

The meaning of confession of sin. So, what is confession of sin? The Hebrew word has the expression of bemoaning and even with the wringing of the hands. The Greek word means to concede, admit, and assent to something. Confession is not denying but instead declaring oneself guilty as accused by God’s  truth. In fact, the word literally means to recognize   a thing to be what it really is, to accept and admit it. It is made up of 2 words (homos = same, logos = said, word) that practically means “to say the same thing” myself. When King David was confronted with his sins, he confessed without reservations, and agreed fully to what the prophet said to him. When confronted with what was true about what David has done, he readily admitted when confronted. So must we.

Genuine Confession of sin.What makes our confession genuine before God and man? From the meaning of the word used in Scriptures, confession   of sin is therefore to personally agree and admit that what God’s Word states is sin is sin, be sincerely grieved in my heart that I have committed it, and concede and also declare that I have sinned and is thus guilty. That is genuine confession. Conversely, when you confess but actually do not fully assent with the Word of God that you have sinned, it is not genuine biblical confession. What makes our confession false? 1) Confession is not genuine when we argue, rationalise, blame, and give excuses despite having broken God’s laws. David did not say “but it was Bathsheba’s fault for doing what she did, a man cannot control himself under such situations”. The nature of sin is to blame another in part or in whole for what is fully your responsibility. Adam blamed Eve for giving him the fruit. The accusation was true, but Adam did not need to have eaten of the fruit, even if it    was given to him. Christ was tempted to the human limits of man by His enemies – physically, emotionally and mentally – but He did not sin. We  sin because we choose to sin, whatever the circumstances we are in that we may think “caused us” to sin. 2) The other situation that we have false confession, which is perhaps worse than the former, is that we intend to confess only if we have been found out and wish to minimise the effects of the punishment for our sin. If we are not found out, there is no remorse or grieve. In fact, we would continue doing it. In David’s case, he suffered a troubled conscience when he failed to approach God and confess, “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.  For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah” (Ps 32:3,4). Parents, have you caught your children in some wrongdoing and told them to apologise? Certainly, they may have said those needed words of “I’m sorry” in front of you, even perhaps with tears in their eyes, but it was tears of anger and self-pity, not remorse. Some of us confess only because we are exposed or caught. Unlike David, we have no remorse for what we are doing. We “confess” only because we have been exposed, or because we fear the consequences, or worse – because we have no choice! Doesn’t that happen in the worldly courts? The criminal has been caught “red handed”. The indisputable evidence is presented against him in court. He has no choice, but to plead guilty – yes, he did break the law. Does that mean that he is sorrowful for his crime? A punishment may even be meted out by the courts, and he may have no choice but to submit to that punishment. But that does not mean that the man’s heart has actually repented from that crime, even if he completes and fulfils the court’s sentence. Let us search our hearts and respond to the Holy Spirit’s conviction when He uses the Word to show us wherein we have sinned.

How do I know if my confession is genuine? God willing, we shall consider this, and why this topic is so crucial to the believer’s life, what are the blessings of genuine confession, and the consequences of false confession of sins in future pastorals.

Yours in our Lord’s service

Pastor