There are certain things in the life of the Christian that we deem to be vital. Prayer, reading Scripture, and worship are practiced and preached and presented as absolute necessities of the Christian faith. However, one aspect of the Christian life that often is not as highly prioritized or emphasized is confession. But what does it mean? How is it done? When and why is it necessary? To better understand this vital aspect of the Christian life, it best serves to start in the Old Testament to see the importance of confession that was revealed by God long before the first church sat down to break bread or before the Lord Jesus ever set foot upon this earth.
What Does It Mean?
When we think of the word confession, several applications may come to mind. We may have heard of a church or a denomination having a Confession of Faith. As Christians, we regularly speak of the need to confess Jesus Christ to others. There is also a confession we tend to avoid – the confession of sins. When we look back into the OT, we find the Hebrew word yâdâh used for the confession of sins. While this is one translation of the word, it is also translated several times with the meaning of a gesture of praise towards God, often with the hands, therefore “confessing” Him. It is translated directly “to praise” several times, mostly in the Psalms. “I will praise [yâdâh] You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works” (Psa 9:1).1 The other primary translation of the word, which we are considering here, deals with the confession of one’s sins, either individually or nationally, as seen several times in the OT. It means an acknowledgement or admission of one’s deeds. It is important to understand that confession of sins is not a new revelation to the NT Church but is something that God has desired from even before Mount Sinai, since our very creation.
The Lack of Confession
No doubt in the heart of God in Eden, He desired confession for the first sin committed, but sadly He did not find genuine confession. He asked an ashamed Adam, “Who told you that you were naked?” Instead of true confession, blame was passed on. Adam said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Gen 3:12). God moved on to Eve, desiring true confession when He asked her, “What is this you have done?” (v13). But once again, there was no true confession, but Eve deflected blame and responded, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (v13). From the very first sin, God was seeking an acknowledgment of the deed, a confession of the transgression.
The book of Proverbs warns us of the danger and damage that can be done from a lack of confession. “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Pro 28:13). Scripture is clear that lack of confession leads to a lack of prosperity. This may not necessarily be material but is most definitely spiritual. However, genuine confession and a forsaking of the sin leads to mercy, which is a rich spiritual blessing.
The Law of Confession
Many years after Eden, Moses and the people of Israel received the Law, which reflected what God desired from them when it came to confession. With the institution of different offerings for sins, when a trespass occurred, the Law stated that “it shall be, when he is guilty in any of these matters, that he shall confess [yâdâh] that he has sinned in that thing; and he shall bring his trespass offering to the LORD for his sin which he has committed” (Lev 5:5-6). There had to be an acknowledgement first – a confession of sin – before the offending party could bring the necessary offering to the Lord.
It was not just required for individual sins but every year on the Day of Atonement (or what could be termed the National Day of Confession). It was prescribed in the Law that “Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man” (Lev 16:21). Once again, before the necessary proceedings of an offering took place, confession first needed to occur.
Near the end of the recording of the Law in the book of Leviticus, God gave a summary to the children of Israel about what would be necessary for their continual blessing. God knew that Israel would not always be faithful but that they would sin and at times turn their back on Him. But in His mercy and long-suffering, He provided a path for reconciliation which was always to begin with confession. “But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me … if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt – then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and … with Isaac and … with Abraham” (Lev 26:40-42).
The need for confession did not stop with Moses and the children of Israel after Sinai, but we see the continued need for confession individually in the life of David. “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess [yâdâh] my transgressions to the LORD’” (Psa 32:5) Also, in the life of Daniel we read his great words, “I was speaking, praying, and confessing [yâdâh] my sin and the sin of my people Israel” (Dan 9:20). There’s also the need at times for collective confession like in the examples of Ezra and Nehemiah. “Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed [yâdâh] their sins and the iniquities of their fathers” (Neh 9:2).
May we learn from these OT examples that without confession [yâdâh] there will be a loss of the true and heartfelt praise of God. “I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High” (Psa 7:17).
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the NKJV.
