In Part 1 of the “Can the Gospel Wreck Your Marriage” series I mentioned the acrostic “ACTS” as a way to structure your prayers that is easy to remember. “ACTS” stand for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.

Last week we took a closer look at the first letter in the acrostic, “A” – Adoration. Today we are looking at the “C” – Confession.

So, if God is omniscient, knowing everything and nothing is hidden from Him (Psalm 139) why do we need to confess our sins? I mean, He already knows what they are, we aren’t telling Him anything new. What’s the point?

1. First of all, because the Bible says to.

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another” – James 5:16

“then he shall confess his sins which he has committed” – Numbers 5:7

“Now therefore, make confession to the Lord God” – Ezra 10:11

Throughout the Bible, Old and New Testaments, God commands His people to confess their sins. After spending only a few minutes researching I found 29 verses that spoke about the confession of sins.

If there were no other reasons, this one alone would be convincing enough for me. If my Creator and Maker says that I should confess my sins then I trust that it is something I should do. But in this case, there is more than just “because I said so,” He also gives us reasons for it.

2. Because there are benefits when we do.

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” – James 5:16

“He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.” – Proverbs 28:13

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9

Our sin hinders our fellowship with God. God promises that if we confess our sins, not only will He forgive us (1 John 1:9) but He removes our transgressions from us as far as the East is from the West (Psalm 103:12). Have you ever thought about that? If you start traveling East and continue on that path you will NEVER be headed West. East and West are infinitely far apart and that is how far removed our sins are when we confess them and God forgives us.

In Psalm 32 we read about how David’s lack of confession made him physically ill. Verse 3 says, “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.” Harboring and not confessing sin can literally make us sick! We benefit physically and spiritually when we confess our sins, but there is also another very important reason…

3. Because it makes us acknowledge our failures so we can address them.

I, personally, have never had a drinking problem. However, like most people, I am aware that the first step to recovery from alcoholism per the AA program is admitting that you are an alcoholic.

Likewise, until we admit our sin and own up to it, we will not repent and turn from it. God already knows our shortcomings but have we made an inward look to recognize them ourselves? Confession requires that inward look. It is examining our thoughts, our actions, and our words and evaluating where we have strayed from obeying God. It causes us to humble ourselves before our Creator.

How do we address our sin? The first step is confessing the sin and repenting which means more than just being sorry. Repentance is turning your back on the sin, making a U-turn and heading in the other direction. The Greek words for repent/repentance used in the New Testament are metanoia (noun) and metanoeō (verb) which mean a change in one’s mind/inner man, essentially a change in one’s way of life. It implies a personal, absolute and ultimate unconditional surrender to God.

Here are a few examples of the use of those words:

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 3:2

“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” – Luke 5:32

“Therefore, repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” – Acts 3:19

“Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent” – Acts 17:30

Closing thought:

Confession is the first step on the road to forgiveness. You are telling God you messed up, you are sorry, and your intention is to turn away from the wrong you’ve committed. Confession humbles us, gets us right with our Creator and cleanses our souls. We should all be thankful for God’s forgiveness and we should:

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” – Ephesians 4:32

It’s not always easy to forgive others, actually let me restate that, it is almost NEVER easy to forgive others in our own power. It goes against the grain of our human nature. However, the Bible clearly states:

“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” – Matthew 6:14-15

A whole sermon can, and often is, preached on that one verse alone. The main takeaway is that God freely forgives us and we should extend that same grace and mercy to others through the power of the Holy Spirit.

C is for Confession. God already knows what our sins are but confession should still be a part of our regular prayer life.

Here’s a link to the next article in this series: “T” – Thanksgiving