Scripture

So own up to your sins to one another and pray for one another. In the end, you may be healed. Your prayers are powerful when they are rooted in a righteous life. James 5:16 (VOICE)

The Gist

We don't talk much about confession in the protestant church. James isn't saying we should confess every fault/sin to every person, but instead to certain situations:

• Where reconciliation is needed
• where your heart/conscience is burdened
• where a trusted friend can listen and help us receive grace and gain power over shame/guilt.

We avoid confessing for several reasons: exposure/shame, loss of control, lack of safe listeners, and theological confusion, but there is a lot of good that comes out of confession. It heals the body and soul, sin loses its power, authentic relationships happen, prayers become specific, and we experience the Gospel physically through being fully known and not rejected from the listener.

Digging Deeper

Is there something you would confess to God privately but can't imagine saying out loud to another person - what does that gap tell you?

Bonhoeffer said, "If the demon that is named is the demon that loses its power." What in your life needs to be named?

Who are you performing wholeness for, and what would it cost you to stop?

These questions are meant to clear the ground and create the conditions for confession, not demand it.