Confession

To confess means to say that something is true. In the Bible, the word ‘confess’ is used in two main ways. The first is owning up to sin and admitting your guilt. Christians are told to confess their sins to God (Psalm 32:5) and to each other (James 5:16). Nowhere in the Bible does it state that only a church leader can hear confession: it is to be the practice of all believers with each other. John says that when Christians confess their sins, they can be confident that God will forgive them and continue working in them to make them holy (1 John 1:9). The other main use for the word ‘confess’ is to make a positive declaration of faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9-10 shows that faith in Jesus is not purely an internal belief but that it is also expressed outwardly through the mouth. Christians ‘confess’ with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and are saved, and they ‘confess’ the truth of the Gospel to others (2 Corinthians 9:13, 1 Timothy 6:12). Both kinds of confession are a crucial part of the life of the believer. They need to take place when someone initially becomes a Christian and be a regular part of a relationship with God and other believers. Every believer needs to declare that they are sinners and that Jesus is the only Saviour.