The Power Of Confession

Psalm 51 v 1-2 (NIV) 

‘Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.’ 

I’m not sure about you but growing up I never really understood the idea of confession. I always believed it was a religious ritual practised in some churches that made us feel guilty about our sins. However, recently my view of confession has been radically changed. What if the goal of confession is not to emphasise and dwell on the gravity of our sins, but rather, to lead us into a renewed sense of freedom in our walk with Jesus? I honestly believe this would revolutionise the Church. Tyler Staton comments, ‘A mature church is not a place without sin but a place of confession. Revival happens when confession and vulnerability arrive.’*

In the book of Psalms, we see vulnerability and honesty from David. He doesn’t run away in shame and hide from God, which is what we so often spiritually find ourselves doing. Instead, he comes before God in full acknowledgement of his downfalls and shortcomings. The book of Hebrews describes Jesus’ response to sin as 'empathy': the ancient Greek word used is ‘sympatheō’, which translated literally into English means ‘to co-suffer’. Jesus doesn’t leave us to process and dwell in our sin alone; while remaining sinless himself, he suffers with us and comes even closer amid our weaknesses. We need to constantly remind ourselves that God’s grace is far more powerful than our sin; bringing our mistakes before God leads us into more freedom than we could have ever imagined possible. 

Reflection — What are some things in our life that we need to bring before Jesus and confess this week?

*Tyler Staton, Seminar at Wildfires 2022.