An ABC of Faith

Confession

Confession within the context of the Christian life can have two distinct meanings: 1. a formal statement admitting that one is guilty of a wrongdoing. 2. a statement setting out essential religious doctrine.

The first often forms part of our opening prayers in the context of Christian worship. It is said that confession is good for the soul, but how and why? Psychologist would say that when you do something wrong, there are two typical reactions that pull in opposite directions. On the one hand, you might want to hide what you have done. If nobody finds out, then it may feel like you didn’t do it at all. On the other hand, you might just want to confess what you have done wrong. That gets the problem out into the open and helps people to move forward. So it is in the spiritual context.

However, closely allied to confession is the action of repentance; for example Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.”

If we are serious about our confession of faith then we too must be just as serious about our confession of sin and confession of sin can also mean that we should be serious about our need to repent. Repentance in Christianity means a sincere turning away, in both the mind and heart, from self to God. It involves a change of mind that leads to action—the radical turning away from a sinful course to God. A person who is truly repentant recognises God the Father as the most important factor of his or her existence.

It was John Wesley who prayed, “O merciful Father, do not consider what we have done against you but what our blessed Saviour has done for us. Do not consider what we have made of ourselves, but what He is making of us for you our God. O that Christ may be “wisdom and righteousness, sanctification and redemption” to every one of our souls. May His precious blood may cleanse us from all our sins, and your Holy Spirit renew and sanctify our souls. May He crucify our flesh with its passion and lusts, and cleanse all our brothers and sisters in Christ across the earth. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.”