The Power of Confession
- Richard Selke
- Aug 6
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 2
August 7, 2025
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At a church conference, the first speaker walked to the podium and said, “I need to confess to you …” before diving into his topic. The second speaker began the same way, “I want to confess to you …” And then the third speaker, “I have something to confess …”
By that point, I thought, “This is getting really old really fast!“ I do not remember what any of those three speakers said after their opening lines. They all expressed a need to confess – but none of them seemed particularly sincere.
Then the fourth speaker stood up. With a grin, he said, “I ain’t confessin’ nothin’!” He went on to say that confession was between him and the Lord, and that they had been having a conversation regarding his sins for a long time. His honesty and humor lit up the room – and his theology was right on point.
The Bible encourages us to confess: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16, NIV.
Why confess? Because we all fall short. We all miss the mark. We don’t become sinners by sinning – we sin because we are sinners. It’s our nature. And while we may hide our sins from others, or even from ourselves, God knows. Scripture is quite blunt: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he [Jesus] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9, NIV
Confession starts with admitting that there is something to confess. That requires humility, honesty and a willingness to confront our own brokenness. But what exactly is “sin”? Here are a few definitions that might resonate with you:
Jim Jackson defines sin as, “anything that separates us from God, other people, or the true self that God created us to be.”
Dwight Edwards stated, “the genesis of all sin is the deep suspicion that God is not enough and that we can manipulate our world into filling in for Him.”
J. D. Walt explained, “Sin is not believing God. All kinds of bad actions come from that.”
C. S. Lewis said, “From the moment a creature becomes aware of God as God and of itself as self, the terrible alternative of choosing God or self for the center is opened to it. This sin … is the fall in every individual life, … the basic sin behind all particular sins: at this very moment you and I are either committing it, or about to commit it, or repenting it.”
The apostle Paul described his own struggle with the double mindedness of sin in brutally honest terms: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do … Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being, I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law in my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work in me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7:15-25
Confessing to God can be hard. And confessing to another human being can be even harder. Why? Fear. Guilt. Shame. Embarrassment. The risk of judgment or betrayal. Sometimes we’d rather stay stuck than expose our sin – even if it keeps us from healing. But there is power in confession. Grace-filled confession leads to healing. It breaks chains. It quiets shame. It reminds us that we are not alone.
So how do we confess, and to whom? We start with Jesus. He alone has the power to forgive. And we ask Him to lead us to someone who is safe, someone who is trustworthy and mature in faith.
When we confess, the hold sin has on us begins to loosen. Through the power of Jesus we find love in place of fear, mercy instead of judgment, grace instead of guilt, forgiveness instead of shame, healing instead of sickness, purification from unrighteousness, restoration of dignity and freedom from captivity.
Salvation begins with confession and continues with a transformed life. Paul writes, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8, NIV. Phillip Yancey reminds us, “God loves us because of who God is, not because of who we are. That is grace.”
God does not wait for us to become perfect before He uses us. He meets us where we are. Eugene Peterson, in his Introduction to Judges, in The Message says, “God … does not require good people in order to do good work. He can and does work with us in whatever moral and spiritual condition he finds us.” This gives me hope. A lot of hope. God allows me to serve Him in spite of my sin. He doesn’t require me to be 100% sin-free before He lets me play on His team. I’m not perfect, and I never will be. I sin. I confess. I try again. I fall. I get back up. And through it all, Jesus is with me. He hasn’t given up on me. And He won’t give up on you.
We are all sinners. Jesus is our Savior. We will continue to stumble. But He will continue to save. We can be thankful that, no matter what we do, in His love, mercy and grace, the Lord forgives us. As we confess, we can go forward to serve Him with boldness, courage and confidence that He is with us and He is for us.
Thank You, Lord Jesus!
REMEMBER & BELIEVE
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
In the meantime, we are all sinners - and His grace is sufficient!
QUESTION
What is holding you back from confessing to God or to someone you trust?
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, You know us better than we know ourselves. You see every hidden place in our hearts – every thought, every failure, every fear. And still, You love us. We confess that we have sinned – in our actions, our thoughts, our deeds and our silence. We have chosen ourselves over You. We have doubted Your goodness. We have tried to carry burdens that only You can lift. Forgive us, Lord. Thank You that Your mercy is greater than our problems. Thank You that, in Your grace, we are not defined by what we’ve done, but by what You’ve done for us on the cross. Wash us clean. Set us free. Heal what is broken in us. Restore what shame has tried to steal. Give us the courage to confess, the humility to repent and the faith to believe that Your grace is truly enough. Lead us into the light of Your love, that we may walk in truth, live in freedom and serve You with boldness, gratitude and joy.
Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil and the evil one. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Amen
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24, ESV
God bless you!
Richard
Christ Worshipper | Disciple Maker | Hope Giver
Welcome to In the Meantime. I'm glad you're here! We are living in the time between Christ's ascension into heaven and His promised return to earth. In the Meantime is a collection of stories about God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and His presence, love, mercy and grace in my life. In the Meantime, Jesus is Lord! Hallelujah!
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