There are at least seven examples in the Bible of someone confessing, "I have sinned." We will not examine these in this article, but we strongly suggest that you open your Bible and read each one, noting the circumstances under which each confession was made, and if the person was sincere in confessing his wrong. Those who said, "I have sinned" include Pharaoh (Exodus 9:27; 10:16), Balaam (Numbers 22:34), Achan (Joshua 7:20,21), king Saul (I Samuel 15:24,30), David (2 Samuel 12:13; 24:10; Psalm 41:4), Judas Iscariot (Matthew 27:4), and the lost son (often called "prodigal son," Luke 15:18)21). If you will read closely what is recorded about each of these, you will see that in reality, only a couple of them really turned away from their sin, even though all of them confessed it orally.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Sin is the most awful thing in the world. It is the most serious problem that is faced in every nation on the planet. But thanks be to God that through His grace we can have redemption in the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:24,25). Sin is not new to this generation. It has been in the world since the time of Adam and Eve. All men make mistakes, and when those mistakes are transgressions of the law of God, He calls them "sin" (I John 3:4). When people sin, they have different reactions to what they have done. Some are unconcerned that they have sinned, while others are made very sad by their sins. Some kill themselves because they do not want to deal with the guilty feeling or consequences of sin, while others have made horrible mistakes but put their trust in Jehovah and try to solve their problems with His help. Some deny their sins, claiming that they have done nothing wrong, but others confess their sins with tears.
Let us consider some various facts and Bible teaching about confessing sins. Not every human being needs to confess sins. Of course the Lord Jesus is the only adult in the history of mankind who never sinned and thus, had no need to make a confession of sin (Hebrews 4:15). Infants and small children are without sin, so there is no need for them to say, "I have sinned." On the other hand, there are those who need to admit their sins, but they are not willing! When Moses directly asked his brother, Aaron, why he sinned in making the golden calf at Mt. Sinai, Aaron did not confess his sin, but said it was "the people" who made the mistake (Exodus 32:21-24). Even after God through the prophet Jeremiah accused the Jews of the Southern Kingdom of sin, they refused to admit it: "Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned" (Jeremiah 2:35). Friends, when God says to someone, "You have sinned," and that person answers, " I have not sinned," then someone is wrong, and it is not the Lord!
It may be a surprise to many to learn that nowhere in the Bible do we read that God or His servants commanded a non-Christian to confess his sins before others. Many denominational groups teach that in order to receive the remission of sins, one who is not yet a disciple of Jesus must confess his sins before others. I tell you plainly that such a teaching did not come from the Bible. If you do not believe me, take your New Testament and read it all the way through. You will find examples and instruction about confessing Jesus as the Son of God, Lord, or Christ (Acts 8:37; Romans 10:9,10), but not once will you read of the Lord telling a non-saint to confess his sins before or to others.
Sometimes a whole nation or entire congregation of God's people needs to confess sin and repent. Through the prophet Ezekiel Jehovah told all the house of Israel to turn from its sins (Ezekiel 14:6; 18:30). Jesus told the church in Ephesus, "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent" (Revelation 2:4,5). Yes, there are times when a congregation needs to repent and confess some sin in which it has been involved. Such is not easy, and is not a pleasant affair to consider, but it must be done to please the God of heaven. The Bible also teaches that all children of God as individuals need to confess their sins. What does the Lord say about a Christian who claims that he has no sin, or that he has not sinned? "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us ... If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (I John 1:8, 10). But what is the promise of verse nine? "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." This promise of forgiveness of sins is God's promise to His children, but did you notice the condition of receiving such forgiveness? The condition is confession of our sins. In this case confession must be coupled with repentance and prayer. Why do we make this conclusion? Because in Acts 8:21-23 it is written that Peter told Simon, "Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee." The instruction of James 5:16 must also be considered: "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed . . ." If we have sinned and only God knows about it, then we need to confess our sin to Him. If we have sinned in private before others, then we need to confess our sins to them and God. If we have sinned in public or in such a way that it is generally known by others, then we need to confess our faults before the church and ask it to pray for us.
Many times brethren say, "If I have sinned in any way. . ." Why add the word "If?" Let us be honest with ourselves. Most of the time we know when we have sinned. Let us admit it and ask forgiveness of it, and not try to hide our guilt by saying "if." It is also essential that we understand that if one confesses sin, this does not necessarily mean that he has repented. Remember, Pharaoh confessed his sins, but surely did not repent. A person might confess his sin if he is caught stealing something, but in his heart still have a desire to steal, so he has not really repented. Some confess that, yes, they divorced their first mate, and yes, it is true that they did not divorce him/her because of the mate's fornication, and yes, they are now "married" to a second person, and yes, they understand that such is called adultery. But, they already confessed that it was a sin to enter the second so-called marriage, so what is the problem? Are all of these admissions good? Absolutely, but such confessions do not give this person the right to go on having sexual relations with this second "mate." If one is in a so-called marriage with a second person when his own first mate is still living, the Lord Jesus Christ calls this relationship adultery (the only exception is when the person's divorce was truly because of his mate's fornication, Matthew 19:9). A person can confess his sin of taking an unlawful mate twenty times each day, but it will all be in vain as long as he is still living with this person (with whom he has no right before God to be joined together) as husband and wife. Real repentance requires that he/she quit having those relations.
Sometimes people admit their sin, but try to justify themselves, saying, "I know that what I did is wrong, but I only did it once." How many times does one have to commit murder before it is counted a sin? What about fornication? Lying? Do we not see that any time we break God's law, that it is a serious matter of which we need to repent and confess our wrongdoing? On some occasions those who have committed a number of sins think that if they will confess just one of those, then God will forgive them of all of them. Brethren, if one has sinned publicly and makes public confession of such, then the congregation needs to know specifically of what he has repented. God is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, but only when that unrighteousness is confessed and forsaken (I John 1:9).
What is God's reaction when His children confess their sins and turn from them in genuine repentance? Consider the message of the three parables recorded in Luke chapter fifteen: a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. In each case there was joy when that which was lost was found. How moving it is to read of the father running to his son, having compassion on him, kissing him, and saying, "And let us eat, and be merry. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found" (Luke 1 5:20,23,24). This action of the father shows the response of the God of heaven when one of His children has fallen away, but came to himself and returned home. Jesus said, "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15: 1 0). Brothers and sisters, if we have sinned against God or our fellow man, we know it. God knows it, too. If we have committed such a sin, then let us not delay, but confess it today while we still have the opportunity.This item originally appeared in Truth, #49; 27 February 1998
