{"id":4203,"date":"2017-05-01T04:00:35","date_gmt":"2017-05-01T04:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artiosmagazine.org\/?p=4203"},"modified":"2023-08-29T11:21:11","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T17:21:11","slug":"confession-must-christ-followers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baonline.cog7engage.net\/confession-must-christ-followers\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Confession is a Must for Christ-Followers"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all heard the saying: Confession is good for the soul. One of the most powerful lessons I\u2019ve learned as a Christian is how true this saying is. Confession is a source of great healing and freedom. All Christians, whether they have official titles or not, have been re-created by Jesus to lead<\/a> in their daily lives. For the Christian committed to leading with integrity, confession is an absolute necessity.<\/p>\n

But for many, confession is an abstract idea that isn\u2019t part of their daily lives. Many associate confession exclusively with a person confessing to a priest or telling their sexual secrets to an \u201caccountability group\u201d. But confession is far more than this. Confession means telling the truth about our sin<\/em>. Deception brings forth death. Truth-telling is powerful. Truth-telling brings life.<\/p>\n

[bctt tweet=”Deception brings death. Truth-telling brings life. – Israel Steinmetz”]<\/p>\n

Dietrich Bonhoeffer\u2019s book Life Together<\/em> taught me so much about confession and I want to share some of those things with you. If we embrace confession, it will make all the difference in our leadership. Bonhoeffer writes,<\/p>\n

He who is alone with his sin is utterly alone. It may be that Christians, notwithstanding corporate worship, common prayer, and all their fellowship in service, may still be left to their loneliness. The final break-through to fellowship does not occur, because, though they have fellowship with one another as believers and as devout people, they do not have fellowship as the undevout, as sinners. The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner. So everybody must conceal his sin from himself and from the fellowship\u2026So we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy\u2026But it is the grace of the Gospel, which is so hard for the pious to understand, that it confronts us with the truth and says: You are a sinner, a great, desperate sinner; now come as the sinner that you are, to God who loves you.\u201d[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bonhoeffer\u2019s words are both haunting and hopeful. Haunting because they portend the great danger of isolation; hopeful because they promise breakthrough if we embrace a life of confession. Bonhoeffer reminds us that by living in confession, we break through to true fellowship because we break through to community, to the cross, to new life, and to certainty.<\/p>\n

1. Breakthrough to Community<\/h3>\n

No matter what Christian community we otherwise enjoy, if we\u2019re isolated in our sin, we remain alone. But, \u201cIn confession, the breakthrough to community takes place.\u201d[2]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0We shouldn\u2019t settle for a superficial fellowship that allows us to be only saints, never sinners. Admit not only that you are a sinner, but what sins you commit. In transparency, we find true communion with each other as we truly<\/em> are.<\/p>\n

2. Breakthrough to the Cross<\/h3>\n

At the cross Jesus died publicly to sin, and in confession we participate in the public killing of the flesh; thus \u201cIn confession occurs the breakthrough to the cross.\u201c[3]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0It\u2019s through public death to sin\u2014which occurs in confession to one another\u2014that we truly conquer the flesh. Just as Jesus died publicly, so our flesh must die in the presence of others.<\/p>\n

3. Breakthrough to New Life<\/h3>\n

The open rejection of sin through public confession affects a true break with the past; thus \u201cIn confession the break-through to new life occurs.\u201d[4]<\/sup><\/a> As long as sin is kept private or confessed to God alone, we may remain linked with our past, the victim of memories and longings we dare not admit. But as we name these for what they are, and turn our backs on them, we break free from our sinful past.<\/p>\n

4. Breakthrough to Certainty<\/h3>\n

In confessing to others, we break the cycle of continual unrepentant confession to God alone. Thus, \u201cIn confession, a man breaks through to certainty\u201d[5]<\/sup><\/a>\u2014certainty that our sins are forgiven and that we are not deceiving ourselves. How many of us find ourselves caught in a perpetual cycle of: sinning, confessing to God, and then turning back to sin? The way out is to confess to our human brethren, receiving the concrete assurance of their, and God\u2019s, love and forgiveness (Proverbs 28:13, John 20:22-23).<\/p>\n

Confession & Community<\/h3>\n

Henri Nouwen says, \u201cForgiveness and celebration are what make community.\u201d[6]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0In community we commit to forgiveness as we realize that God alone is capable of perfect love. And in community we commit to celebration as we realize that any act of human love is a result of God\u2019s amazing grace.[7]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0\u201cConfession and forgiveness are the concrete forms in which sinful people love one another.\u201d[8]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0Let\u2019s not settle for superficial fellowship; rather, let\u2019s form communities of confession, forgiveness and celebration.<\/p>\n

[bctt tweet=”Painful though it be, there is joy in confession. – Israel Steinmetz”]<\/p>\n

When we are isolated we are most vulnerable to temptation, but in the context of confessing relationships we are most resilient. Painful though it be, there is joy in confession. Each time we confess it becomes easier to be honest about our sin and, in turn, more difficult to return to it. Confession and community don\u2019t happen by accident. We must proactively invite others to inquire about our sin, widening our circle of accountability.<\/p>\n

At the same time, we should be careful to confess in ways that are discrete, safe, and focused on repentance. Careless confession to immature and untrustworthy people is as bad as no confession. But the rewards of finding true fellowship with maturing and trustworthy siblings in Christ are great. Glorious peace is found in fellowship in which nothing is hidden. Rest and safety follows in the assurance of true communion.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

[bctt tweet=”The Christian life is a group adventure, not an individual quest. – Israel Steinmetz”]<\/p>\n

The Christian life is a group adventure, not an individual quest. Christian leaders die in the dark isolation of sin every day. The cure is confession within community. Escape from guilt and growth in grace happen through communion with Christ and the church. In community we confess our faults and failures to God (1 John 1:9\u201410) and to one another (James 5:16) in pursuit of forgiveness and healing from sin and its terrible effects. James tells us \u201cConfess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed\u201d (James 5:16a). By God\u2019s grace we find healing and true communion with God and each other through confession.<\/p>\n

Want to learn more about yourself as an everyday Christian leader, including your openness to confession?\u00a0Download\u00a0Artios Christian College\u2019s free guide on\u00a0Discovering\u00a0Your Leadership Strengths<\/em><\/a>.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

[1]<\/a> Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together<\/em>, trans. John W. Doberstein (New York, Harper & Row, 1954), 110-111.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ibid., 112.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Ibid., 113.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Ibid., 115.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Ibid., 115-116.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a>\u00a0 Henri Nouwen, \u201cMoving From Solitude to Community to Ministry,\u201d in Leadership<\/em>, Spring 1995, 81\u201487.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a>\u00a0 Ibid., 83-85.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Henri Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus<\/em> (New York: Crossroads, 1993), 46.<\/p>\n

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