He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.

    Proverbs 28:13

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

      James 5:16

We now move to the practical side of following Christ, admitting our guilt. And yes, there are instructions regarding this issue in the old and the new. First, the Proverbs, where we read, “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper…” Pretty straightforward. When it comes to sinning, there are two types of people, those who sin, admit what they have done, repent, and move on in God’s forgiveness and power and those who sin, keep it concealed, and hope that it will never find them. For the latter, sin will always find us out. What destroys people, spiritually, is hidden sin that is unconfessed, not repented of, and taken lightly. It matters not what the sin is rather it is how we deal with it that dictates whether or not we are able to move forward. Paul reminds us that no sin, any of us will encounter, is foreign to everyone else rather all sin is quite common to all. Consider his words:

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

        1 Corinthians 10:13

You can bet that with whatever you struggle, there are other people around you that are struggling with the same thing. I first learned this reality when attending a discipleship class where we were allowed to share our own experiences as it related to the material. The enemy wants you to think that you’re the worst Christian on the planet and that everyone else around you has their life all together. But if you can work up the courage to share your baggage with other believers, you will find out that others share in struggles just like you. However, a word of caution is necessary here: make sure that you can trust those in whom you are sharing some of your darkest secrets. It saddens my heart to say, but not all churches are equal. If you share in a legalistic, judgmental environment, bent on making sure that you carry as much shame and guilt as possible, you may want to precede with caution. However, there are churches, full of Spirit-filled, born again believers in Jesus, that will walk with you through your struggles. These people are bent on seeing your restoration and healing, so that you can put the past behind and move forward in the power of God’s forgiveness and the power of His Spirit that lives in all true believers in Jesus. 

So hiding our sin is not the answer. Rather, listen to the rest of the Proverb: “but he who confesses and forsakes them (their sin) will find compassion.” There are two things at play in this remedy for hidden sin. First, we are to confess our sin. A good principle to remember here is that the confession should only be as wide as is necessary. In other words, if the sin is against God only and harmed no one else (which is rare but possible), the confession should be made to God. If the sin affected others, we need to confess to God but also go to those in whom we have injured and, as far as it depends on us, make peace with those individuals as well. If your in a position of leadership and you fail, the confession needs to be made publicly. So to review:

1. All sin is confessed to God first, asking for His forgiveness.

2. Sin that affects others should be confessed to God and then we are to approach the injured parties, being sensitive to the prompting and leading of the Spirit.

3. Lastly, if you’re in a position of leadership (pastors and other church leaders), the sin should be brought out and confessed publicly.

Some additional comments need to be made here:

Confession of sin is for the Christian. Every principle mentioned above is to be applied to born again believers in Jesus. These instructions are not for the unbelieving world. The privilege of confessing sin comes as we surrender our lives to Christ. 

Confession means bringing our sin directly to God. Jesus is our mediator. If someone feels that they need some counseling from someone in the ministry, then they should seek that counsel but confession of sins is done directly to God. As Christians, we have no need for a human mediator. Consider the following:

For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

          1 Timothy 2:5-6

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:14-16

Obviously, not all sin affects those around us. The sin could be a thought and thus should be handled as a matter between God and ourselves. Be discerning as to what you bring to the public eye, all the while, not forgetting what the word of God says about hiding our sin. 

But secondly, the Proverb tells us that we are to forsake the sin. This is the essence of repentance. The promise for those who confess and forsake their sin is that they will find compassion. It’s important that we not only confess our sin but we need to take sin seriously as it greatly affects our relationship and walk with Christ. Jesus reminds us of the seriousness of sin:

If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

Matthew 5:29-30

Jesus is not promoting self-mutilation rather He is warning us to take sin seriously and understand the destructive power that it can have on our lives. “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.”

Now let’s look at what the New Testament says about admitting guilt. Listen to the words of James:

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

      James 5:16

There it is again. We are to confess our sins but this time the instruction is for us to confess to one another. In addition, we are to pray for one another. The promise given is that we will find healing in not concealing our sin. Again, remember that each person has to discern what needs to be brought out and what does not. Also, remember that all audiences are not equal. Adherence to this instruction requires being a part of a group of Spirit-filled believers who understand the value of promoting spiritual growth and health. 

And what comes right on the heels of this verse is the truth that our prayers are powerful when we pray with a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith (1 Timothy 1:5). Remember that our righteousness comes through our faith in Christ (Romans 4:4-6). But when we are right with God, our prayers, when coupled with faith, are very powerful (Mark 11:24). 

To hide our sin or to confess and forsake it, receiving God’s forgiveness and moving on in the power of the Spirit within us…this is the decision that all of us have to make!