Confessing Our Sins to One Another

This article was originally published here, on July 21, 2009.

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working" (James 5:16).

This Scripture was driven home recently when I witnessed people in a twelve step program confessing their "regrets" to individuals they had hurt. I had heard that many recovery programs had a step in which the person who was recovering had to make amends to the people they had injured, but I hadn't actually witnessed it.

I have to admit it was very moving to witness people confessing their sins to one another. Although they spoke of regrets, it was really sin they were naming. It was refreshing to see people deal with their sin in an unmasked, frank, and humble manner. Yet, I kept wondering why we don't see this kind of honesty in the church. Why are we ashamed to confess our sins before each other in the church? Why is it a rare thing to witness brokenness and repentance within the corporate meetings?

The Church was created to be a hospital for the spiritually sick, not a resort for the spiritually fit. Granted, as we grow and mature in Christ we also grow in spiritual health, but we are still sinners saved by grace. We still struggle with sin throughout our lives on earth. We are all in continual need of repentance and faith. The kind of thing I witness should be practiced frequently within the context of the church community. However, we are so disconnected from each other that we often mention "unspoken" prayer requests. We play "catch-up" on Sunday mornings, because we haven't seen each other throughout the week. And more often than not we play the part of one who is unbroken, when deep down inside we are shattered and yearning for healing.

In reality, the church is full of fractured people. They have been broken by sin, yet they are not discarded. Christ, the Master Craftsman, is transforming them into a masterpiece designed to showcase his grace and glory. As with any construction project, it is easy to find debris in our lives during the ongoing work of sanctification. Life in community is messy. You have to live with (and love) people who are broken and sinful, just like you. Their sins may be different, but the cure is the same: Jesus.

James tells us we should be the kind of people who confess our sins to one another and pray for one another. Sin flourishes in the darkness. Confession brings it into the light. By sharing it with another we enable them to aid us in bearing the load through the process of intercession. James states, "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." Repentant confession opens the door to healing.

There is some good in recovery programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, but they were not created by God to liberate the captives. The captives can only be liberated by Christ.  The Church has been given the task of aiding the liberation of captives through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The root problem for every addict (and all humanity) is sin. The only lasting solution is the mighty Savior, Jesus. It's time for the church to step up and be what it was created to be. It's time for us redeemed sinners to start shining the light of the gospel far and wide, so that unredeemed sinners can find salvation. Then maybe, by God's grace, our churches will become the kind of place where people say, "Hello, my name is Randy and I'm a sinner saved by grace. Have you found freedom in Christ, yet?"