Whenever we speak of confession, we should understand the difference between merely admitting a sin and truly confessing it. There are those who, when their sins are pointed out, try to find an excuse and blame circumstances, persons, and anything else but themselves. Frequently it happens that a person acknowledges a sin committed and supposedly confesses it, but at the same time he is trying to justify himself.

On the other hand, we also find cases where someone commits a sin and his guilt is revealed, he denies it just because there were no witnesses to testify. He conceals his sin from everyone until he is caught in a corner where he cannot deny it any longer. Then he admits it. This admission is not a genuine confession. If he had not been caught, he might never have confessed anything at all.

There are also confessions which are not acceptable because they are made too late. Examples of these are found in the cases of Lucifer, Esau, and Judas.

Admissions and confessions are often generalized. We might ask forgiveness for anything and everything for which we may not even be guilty, without specifying the particular sins which have been committed. But the Spirit of Prophecy teaches us how proper confessions should be made:

“True confession is always of a specific character, and acknowledges particular sins. They may be of such a nature as to be brought before God only; they may be wrongs that should be confessed to individuals who have suffered injury through them; or they may be of a public character, and should then be as publicly confessed. But all confession should be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty.” 1

There are sins which are committed secretly where no other person is involved, sins that only God knows. These may be sins committed by thoughts, by a look, and so on. Such sins should be confessed only to God, and to no one else:

“I have been shown that many, many confessions should never be spoken in the hearing of mortals; for the result is that which the limited judgment of finite beings does not anticipate. Seeds of evil are scattered in the minds and hearts of those who hear, and when they are under temptation, these seeds will spring up and bear fruit, and the same sad experience will be repeated. For, think the tempted ones, these sins cannot be so very grievous; for did not those who have made confession, Christians of long standing, do these very things? Thus the open confession in the church of these secret sins will prove a savor of death rather than of life.” 2

In the Gospel of Jesus written by Matthew we receive special instructions on how we should proceed when we offend our brother or sister, or our neighbor.

“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established” (Matthew 18:15, 16).

Here Jesus is speaking about an offense committed by one person against another person. If I offend my brother, and I realize that he is hurt, I should come to him and solve the problem between him and myself, and the matter is settled. If he will not hear me, I should call for a witness or two, to testify that I apologized to him and that he has not forgiven me. And if he does not listen to me even in the presence of the witnesses, then, and only then, the members of the church should be informed about the matter. And even if the church members are informed of the fault or offense of the brother in question, the matter should not be made public.

Before we bring our offerings of thanksgiving and supplication to the Lord, any problem that might exist between two brethren should be settled. “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Matthew 5:23, 24).

“Then there are confessions that the Lord has bidden us make to one another. If you have wronged your brother by word or deed you are first to be reconciled to him before your worship will be acceptable to heaven. Confess to those whom you have injured, and make restitution, bringing forth fruit meet for repentance. If anyone has feelings of bitterness, wrath, or malice toward a brother, let him go to him personally, confess his sin, and seek forgiveness.” 3

“If I have sinned against my neighbor in word or action, I should make confession to him. If he has wronged me, he should confess to me. So far as is possible, the one who has wronged another is to make restitution. Then in contrition he is to confess the sin to God, whose law has been transgressed. In sinning against our brother, we sin against God, and we must seek pardon from Him. Whatever our sin, if we but repent and believe in the atoning blood of Christ, we shall be pardoned.” 4

If a member openly violates the law of God and his transgression becomes known, the church should deal with his case. Although church discipline should be applied, if he repents, he may be readmitted in the membership after a reasonable time. He should show the fruit of repentance:

“Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We shall not renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart, there will be no real change in the life.” 5

Faults, mistakes, and grievances are not to be made public, to be known by everybody everywhere. There are clear instructions in the Spirit of Prophecy that show the procedures to be followed in such cases.

“If there are things of a disgraceful nature that should come before the church, let them be brought before a few proper persons selected to hear them, and do not put the cause of Christ to open shame by publishing abroad the hypocrisy that has existed in the church.” 6

“There are many professed Christians whose confessions of sin are similar to that of Achan. They will, in a general way, acknowledge their unworthiness, but they refuse to confess the sins whose guilt rests upon their conscience, and which have brought the frown of God upon His people.” 7

It may happen that a brother commits a transgression of the law of God. For instance, he transgresses the seventh commandment. He confides his sin only to one brother, a good friend of his, and pleads that his guilt be kept secret. What should be the attitude of that brother, the friend of the guilty? Should he keep it to himself? Perhaps he may reason that because he is a good friend, he will keep the “secret.” If he does that, he is a partaker of the same evil. When a sin is committed that involves another person it cannot be considered secret, especially if the guilty one reveals his sin to a third person. The Bible clearly states that he should not cover up sin: “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him” (Leviticus 19:17). “When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers” (Psalm 50:18). What is the duty of the church? She should act and “cleanse the camp.” And if the camp is not cleansed, how does God consider the church itself? We read:

“God holds His people, as a body, responsible for the sins existing in individuals among them. If the leaders of the church neglect to diligently search out the sins which bring the displeasure of God upon the body, they become responsible for these sins.” 8

“When existing evils are not met and checked, because men have too little courage to reprove wrong, or because they have too little interest or are too indolent to tax their own powers in putting forth earnest efforts to purify the family or the church of God, they are accountable for the evil which may result in consequence of neglect to do their duty. We are just as accountable for evils that we might have checked in others, by reproof, by warning, by exercise of parental or pastoral authority, as if we were guilty of the acts ourselves.” 9

The servant of the Lord makes it clear what should be done in case of open transgression of the seventh commandment.

“Cleanse the camp of this moral corruption, if it takes the highest men in the highest positions. God will not be trifled with. Fornication is in our ranks; I know it, for it has been shown me to be strengthening and extending its pollutions. There is much we will never know; but that which is revealed makes the church responsible and guilty unless they show a determined effort to eradicate the evil. Cleanse the camp, for there is an accursed thing in it.” 10

There are admissions made by some who have committed terrible sins, but they do not confess them; they only admit what they have done when they are caught is a corner. Remember the case of Achan. The curse of God rested upon His people, and the Lord commanded Joshua to search out the problem. Although Joshua and the other leaders of the people did not know it, this was not a secret sin, because Achan’s family knew about it. When he was caught, he had no other alternative but to admit his guilt. His was not a true confession, and for that reason the Lord punished him before all Israel.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

“We read that Daniel, the prophet of God, was a man ‘greatly beloved’ of Heaven. He held a high position in the courts of Babylon, and served and honored God alike in prosperity or trial; and yet he humbled himself and confessed his sin, and the sin of his people. With deep sorrow of heart he acknowledged: ‘We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments; neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. . . .’

“Daniel did not seek to excuse himself or his people before God; but in humility and contrition of soul he confessed the full extent and demerit of their transgressions, and vindicated God’s dealings as just toward a nation that had set at naught His requirements and would not profit by His entreaties.” 11

“Confession will not be acceptable to God without sincere repentance and reformation. There must be decided changes in the life; everything offensive to God must be put away. This will be the result of genuine sorrow for sin.” 12

“There are too many confessions like Pharaoh when he was suffering the judgments of God. He acknowledged his sin, to escape further punishment, but returned to his defiance of Heaven as soon as the plagues were stayed. Balaam’s confession was of a similar character. Terrified by the angel standing in his pathway with drawn sword, he acknowledged his guilt, lest he should lose his life. There was no genuine repentance for sin, no contrition, no conversion of purpose, no abhorrence of evil, and no worth or virtue in his confession. Judas Iscariot, after betraying his Lord, returned to the priests, exclaiming, ‘I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood.’ But his confession was not of such a character as would commend him to the mercy of God. . . . His confession was only prompted by a selfish and darkened heart.

“After Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit, they were filled with a sense of shame and terror. At first their only thought was, how to excuse their sin before God, and escape the dreaded sentence of death. When the Lord inquired concerning their sin, Adam replied, laying the guilt partly upon God, and partly upon his companion: ‘The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.’ The woman put the blame upon the serpent, saying, ‘The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.’ Why did you make the serpent? Why did you suffer him to come into Eden? These were the questions implied in her excuse for her sin, thus charging God with the responsibility of their fall. The spirit of selfjustification originated in the father of lies, and has been exhibited by all the sons and daughters of Adam. Confessions of this order are not inspired by the divine Spirit, and will not be acceptable before Heaven.” 13

“All the riches that the most wealthy ever possessed are not of sufficient value to cover the smallest sin before God; they will not be accepted as a ransom for transgression. An act of wrong or oppression, or deviation from the right way, will no sooner be tolerated in a man who possesses property than in a man who has none. Nothing less than repentance, confession and forsaking of sin is acceptable to God.” 14

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16).

There can be no greater happiness than to have the assurance that our confessions have been accepted and that our sins have been forgiven. But our confessions, though made by most earnest supplications, are imperfect. Before the Father could grant us His forgiveness, our petitions are to be perfected by our Intercessor, Jesus Christ:

“The religious services, the prayers, the praise, the penitent confession of sin ascend from true believers as incense to the heavenly sanctuary, but passing through the corrupt channels of humanity, they are so defiled that unless purified by blood, they can never be of value with God.” 15

After our confessions are accepted before God through the intercession of our Advocate, Jesus Christ, we must have the sweet peace in our hearts, believing that the promise of God is fulfilled. The word of God assures us:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

“If we would offer up acceptable prayer, we should realize that in our petitioning we are in the audience chamber of the Most High. . . . We come to make known our wants, to confess our sins, and to present to Him His own promises.” 16

“The conditions of obtaining mercy from God are simple and reasonable. The Lord does not require us to do some grievous thing in order to gain forgiveness. We need not make long and wearisome pilgrimages, or perform painful penances, to commend our souls to the God of heaven or to expiate our transgression. He that ‘confesseth and forsaketh’ his sin ‘shall have mercy.’” 17

“Confession of sin, whether public or private, should be heartfelt and freely expressed. It is not to be urged from the sinner. It is not to be made in a flippant and careless way, or forced from those who have no realizing sense of the abhorrent character of sin. The confession that is mingled with tears and sorrow, that is the outpouring of the inmost soul, finds its way to the God of infinite pity.” 18

Let us come boldly before the throne of mercy and confess our own sins, the sins of our families, the sins of our church. Let us have the full assurance of acceptance before God. Do not let go the arm of God. Be like Jacob, who said, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” Genesis 32:26. May the Lord bless us that this be our experience. Amen.