I want to encourage my readers to take some time and read Jim Elliff’s recent blog post on a practice he calls “confessionism”. As a former independent fundamental Baptist, I still tend toward a legalism of sorts that stresses performance and action to a fault. And while I never reached the level of zeal and devotion Jim describes in his post, I can certainly relate to a confusion over how the requirement to confess relates with the Gospel’s free gift of salvation.
“Confessionism” takes 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” and turns it into a general maxim for Christian living. It goes like this: confession of every known sin is required for us to experience a relationship with God and to have growth in our sanctification. This can lead one into an endless cycle of continual introspection and a zeal to remember and confess each and every known sin. What’s missing is a realization of God’s grace. Jim discusses this in depth, and explains how the context of 1 John 1:9 actually stresses the complete forgiveness we have in Christ. It is a must-read post. Go, check it out.
This was a great and timely article for me. I was really convicted here and was wondering how this really plays out. Because I am continually being shown more and more sin that must be repented of.
Yet last night as I was praying and was about to start confessing my sins I was stopped for a minute and realized that the stance that the writer was advocating caused a desperate clinging to the Cross. It was the most beautiful thing I could have experienced the minute by minute reliance on the cross as my basis for salvation.
As a former IFBer this is a struggle for me.
Thanks David. That post helped me as well. As long as we appreciate our acceptance in Christ, confessing our sins is appropriate. When it is something we do to find acceptance with God, we are straying from the truth.
Blessings in Christ,
Bob