Don't Fear Confession

I recently heard an encouraging homily. The deacon proclaimed God’s truth with kindness and hope and reassurance. His theme was our need for confession, to see our sins wiped clean from our conscience. 

The homilist suggested it is usually our fear of God that keeps us from the confessional. And that confused me.

Why would anyone be afraid of confession? It’s not like God doesn’t know where we’ve been and what we’ve done and how often we’ve done whatever it is we did. But that’s precisely why God gave us the gift of confession so we might be reconciled again to Him. That we might be forgiven. A spotless slate. Not a molecule of any confessed sin remaining to stain our soul. 

Forgiveness is why Jesus died in our place – so we could forever trust God’s vow to forgive the penitent sinner: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) 

Forgiveness is why the Holy Spirit moved the apostle John to write: “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.” (1 John 2:28) 

Are you abiding in Christ to the best of your human ability? Then you have nothing to shrink from, nothing to fear by coming to Him in honest confession. Do you sometimes fall back into bad habits, or stumble in your walk with Jesus? 

God’s promise of forgiveness is inviolable. No one has anything to fear by coming to Him in honest confession.

Our Father in heaven loves you. He demonstrated that love toward you in that while you were still sinning, Christ died for you (see Romans 5:8 below). And He continues to demonstrate His love toward you because when you come to Him in honest confession, He removes your confessed sin as far as east is from west (see Psalm 103, below). 

Please don’t be afraid of confession. By faith, simply receive God’s gift to us to be once again reconciled to Himself and enter into the joy of our salvation.

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Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”



Psalm 103:8-12 “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."