Confession! The word conjures up many images, not all of which are positive! Confession is not telling God what he doesn’t know. That’s impossible. Confession is not complaining. If I merely recite my problems and rehash my woes, I’m whining. Confession is not blaming. Pointing fingers at others without pointing any at me feels good but it doesn’t promote healing.
Confession is so much more. Confession is a radical reliance on grace. A proclamation of our trust in God’s goodness. What I did was bad, we acknowledge, but your grace is greater than my sin, so I confess it. If our understanding of grace is small, our confession will be small– reluctant, hesitant, hedged with excuses and qualifications, full of fear of punishment. But great grace creates an honest confession. Honest confession clears the way for God’s radically amazing grace.
