Tag: James 5:16

Confession

What comes to mind when you hear the word “confession”? Perhaps it’s the caricature of a stern-faced member of the clergy listening to you through a screen. Or maybe it’s a criminal breaking down and admitting his crimes under the interrogation of a shrewd prosecutor or a tenacious police detective. For most of us, the notion of confessing our sins doesn’t conjure up the expectation of deeper intimacy with God and others. But if we’re serious about maturing in our faith, it’s critical that we understand the importance of confession.

Scripture reveals that sin breaks our fellowship with the Lord and can only be restored through confession and repentance. So, we’re urged to confront and confess our sin not just to God, but to one another: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” (James 5:16, NIV) As we continue our journey through John Mark Comer’s Practicing the Way, we’re encouraged to practice confession in Session 06 of the Reading Reflection Guide.

Comer explains, “Confession is a core practice of the Way, and contrary to what many think it’s not at all about beating yourself up in public. It’s about courageously naming your woundedness and wickedness in the presence of loving community as you journey together toward wholeness. It’s about not only confession of sin but also the confession of what is true—who you are, who Christ is, and who you truly are in Christ. It’s about coming out of hiding into acceptance, leaving behind all shame…confession is our part in dealing with sin. God is the physician; we’re the patient. All we can do is set our sin in his light. His job is to deal with our sin; our job is to confess our secrets. It’s to live in a way that is open, true, and laid bare before God in community.”1

While that might sound intimidating at first glance, confession is the conduit to healing and restoration in our souls and our relationships. It also fosters deeper intimacy with Jesus. I first experienced this as a teenager when a regular pattern of sin kept me from connecting with the Lord. Although I loved God and called Jesus my Savior, my choice to stay stuck in sin prevented me from growing and thriving in my faith. No one knew how much I struggled with the weight of guilt and shame. I was so entangled in the negative and worldly influences that were forming me that I couldn’t imagine breaking free of them. Confessing my sin to God felt futile and insincere because I didn’t have the strength or courage to change.

A pivotal opportunity came during some time away from home with people who were passionate about following Jesus. Being in a new environment away from my usual influences enabled me to discover and experience God in deeper and more personal ways. Surrounded by people who were growing in faith, I realized how my sin had been holding me back . Confession spilled out of me unexpectedly one afternoon during an honest conversation with a new friend. Although it felt awkward and vulnerable to admit my sin aloud, I also felt profound relief. Instead of condemnation or judgment, I received love, grace, and compassion. The pattern of sin took a while to break altogether, but that moment of confession was the turning point for me.

As we continue on the journey of spiritual formation, we will likely encounter areas of our lives where we’ve been deformed by sin—whether it’s sin done by us, to us, or around us. Unearthing sin may  tempt us  to put up a false front, withdraw from healthy community, or hide in shame. But choosing to confront it and practice confession will lead to freedom, connection, and growth.

Consider these words written by, John, one of Jesus’ most devoted apprentices: “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:5-10, NIV)

Did you know this practice is meant to be a regular part of our faith journey? Exposing sin by confessing to a fellow believer moves us from darkness into the light of fellowship with Christ and others. Consider praying this week and inviting the Lord to search your heart and reveal where sin and brokenness need to be brought out into the light. Ask Him to lead you to a wise and mature disciple who can listen well and speak Jesus’ love, forgiveness, and grace over you. Let this practice open the door for continued opportunities to be with Jesus, become like him, and do as he did.

*This post is part of a series based on Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer and weekly practices described in the eight-session study guide. Order your copy of Practicing the Way using this link or buy it anywhere books are sold.

If you’d like a digital PDF to download Reading Reflection Guide, please reply in the comments.

If you’re participating in a group in person at CPC Danville, copies of the Reading Reflection Guide are available at Focused Living AM and PM and in the church office.

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  1. John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way, Waterbrook Press 2024, 95.

Seeking Shalom

Her long, tangled hair hung like a curtain in front of her face. With eyes downcast, she wrapped her arms around her chest, shivering in the early morning light. The thin tunic she’d thrown on a few minutes earlier wasn’t meant to be worn in public, but it was all she could find when the men had burst into the room to drag her from bed. Standing before a disapproving crowd, she wondered why the man she’d been with wasn’t there next to her. She may have ignored the commandments about adultery, but she knew both people should be stoned to death according to the laws in Leviticus. 

Shivering, she shifted from one bare foot to the other on the stone steps of the Temple Mount as the Pharisees questioned a young Rabbi from Galilee. She didn’t know this new teacher, but it seemed they had even more contempt for Him than they did for her. Soon she realized she was being used as pawn in their scheme to trap this man named Jesus. But they were no match for Him: “When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ’Go now and leave your life of sin.’” (John 8:9-11, NIV)

Jesus didn’t condemn the woman, but He also didn’t condone her sin. His compassion for her meant that He wanted more for her than the life she’d been leading. He aimed to restore her to the wholeness and harmony for which she was created. Kristi McClellan explains, “The Lord doesn’t hate sin because we broke a rule, law, or instruction. The Lord hates sin because sin disturbs our shalom. It disrupts our harmony, wholeness, flourishing, delight, and communion with God. It disrupts the way God created us to be—in relationship with Him and with one another. In encouraging the woman…to leave her life of sin, Jesus was inviting her into shalom—a renewed sense of the harmony, wholeness, flourishing, and delight the Lord wished for her to know and experience in her life.”1

Kristi explains that God’s laws are His instructions for how to live the abundant life He desires for us. That sounds a lot different than the check list of “do’s and don’ts” I tried to live by in younger years. I remember believing the lie that following God’s laws meant leading a safe, but dull life devoid of fun. I was drawn to the allure of sin and the false freedom it promised. I stayed stuck in a cycle of quiet disobedience for a long time, carrying guilt and shame all the while. I didn’t feel I deserved the Lord’s forgiveness until I was ready to clean up my act. Ironically, throughout this season I was participating in Christian community, attending church, and portraying myself as a “good” girl. Never did I consider sharing my struggles with a godly confidante or asking the Lord for help. The idea of confessing my sin horrified me. I was too worried about disappointing people I respected. I also wasn’t ready for the changes I’d need to make to repent with sincerity.

The world, the flesh, and the devil influence us to believe that God’s ways are rigid, strict, and unreasonable. They tell us that true freedom is found in flouting His commandments and breaking boundaries He sets for our good. It’s not until we’re mired in sin and unable to extract ourselves from it that we realize sin isn’t freedom, it’s imprisonment. David says it well in Psalm 32: “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin…Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.” (Psalm 32:3-5, 10, NIV)

Remaining stuck in sin robs us of strength, joy, and peace. It leads to unhealth on many levels– spiritual, emotional, mental, relational, and physical. The longer we carry the burden of sin, the more damage it does to us and those we love. The Bible speaks to this and offers a solution: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16, NIV) Confessing to God in the quiet of our hearts brings forgiveness, but we may also need to speak it aloud to receive the support needed for change. While this sounds scary, being honest about sin brings it into the light so we can experience deep cleansing and healing. If you’re carrying the burden of sin, ask God to help you lay it down and to lead you to a godly confidante who can walk beside you. 

Jesus longs to restore shalom to your life. Will you let Him do it?

“How Can It Be” by Lauren Daigle is a powerful song inspired by the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8. Listen now and let it encourage you to be honest and receive God’s grace and forgiveness. Click here to listen.

1. Kristi McClelland, Jesus and Women in the First Century and Now, Lifeway Press, 2019, 114.

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Staying Spiritually Sharp

Our faith journeys always involve sharpening one another with spiritual truth. Sometimes we do this through sharing and encouraging, other times we do it through challenging others to reach higher or to confront a hard truth they’ve been avoiding.

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Clutching the packet of paper-wrapped knives, I walked to my car. It felt good to get them sharpened—a task that had been on my “to do” list for far too long. As I’d chatted with the man who had done the work for me, I asked, “How often do you suggest getting knives sharpened?”

“Oh, I’d say every six months or so, depending on how much you use them and how well you care for them.” I smiled to myself realizing I hadn’t been quite that diligent. The last time I had my knives sharpened was sometime during George W. Bush’s Administration.

I’d heard for years that a dull knife was dangerous. With a little research I found out why this is true from the folks at America’s Test Kitchen. In a short demonstration video, kitchen tester Bridget Lancaster explains that a dull knife is “an accident waiting to happen.” She goes on to say, “A dull blade will require more force to do the job. That will increase the chances of slipping and missing the mark.”

Her use of the phrase “missing the mark” caught my attention since it is one of the definitions used for sin (taken from a term used in archery). The experience with my dull knives also reminded me of a favorite verse: Continue reading “Staying Spiritually Sharp”