Confession is not for the weak

Ben Matlock was the king of getting a confession out of a witness in the courtroom. By the end of each episode he had somehow figured out who the true killer was, tricked them into taking the stand, and wrestled an emotional confession out of them for the world to hear. However, I don't think the type of confession seen in Matlock's courtroom is the type of confession the Bible teaches us to practice.

The first chapter of 1 John exhorts us to "walk in the light" and "confess our sins". Of course, this is only one of the many passages of scripture that teaches - no - commands us to confess our sins. It's supposed to be something Christians do whenever necessary - which is often, because v. 10 tells us that we're liars if we claim to be without sin.

Confession isn't supposed to be only after someone like Ben Matlock has left me with no other dark corner in which to hide my dirty secret. Confession is supposed to happen before everyone finds out - before the "jig" is up. Not as an "ok, you got me...I did it." And since we're supposed to not only confess our sins to God, but also to each other, each of us should not only be prepared to confess our own sins; we should be prepared to receive confessions from others.

I think there's an important perspective we should have on any situation where we are approached by someone who is making a confession: This person is being obedient. This person is actually doing what they're supposed to do! Sure, they sinned, but we all do. But this person is doing the first thing you're supposed to do after you sin. I need to view this person as someone who is courageous, spirit led, and Godly. Sure, they sinned. Sure there are consequences to sin. But the fact that this person didn't wait until I caught them to confess means something very important. They are truly repentant. If I catch someone in a sin how can I know if they're truly sorry? How can I know whether they only regret their sin because they got caught, not because it was just a plain bad thing to do? I will most definitely deal differently with someone who confesses than with someone I catch.

Confession is not for the weak. It's for the strong. It's for those who say "No more!" to their sin. It's for those who take life seriously. It's for those who truly want to answer the call of God. I think God would say to the person who confessed their sin, big or small, "Well done. Welcome to the light."

Grace and Peace