CONFESSION AND SALVATION

   They say “confession is good for the soul” - and they’re right. Confession is a very important for Christians. But what exactly is it we’re supposed to confess? The answer may surprise you.

   First – the Bible NEVER says we must confess our sins to become a Christian. I know it’s a very popular thing in evangelical circles, to have folks recite a prayer where they “confess” their sins to be saved - but that’s not in the Bible.

 The only verse that tells us what to confess to become a Christian is found in Romans 10:9 which says “… if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Notice, this verse says nothing about confessing your sins - we’ll talk about that later in this article). This verse focuses only on confessing Jesus as “Lord.” But what does that mean?

   In the days of Jesus, if you called someone your “Lord” it meant that they were the master, and you were the slave. They owned you. Thus, to confess Jesus is your Lord is to proclaim that Jesus will now own you and everything you possess.

  I often explain it this way: I take out my wallet and show them the cash I have… which usually isn’t very much. And I say, “when I called Jesus my “Lord,” I basically gave Him everything in my wallet. Everything in my checking account. Everything in my 401K, etc.” Thus, God owns my house, my car, my clothing, my loved ones, etc. etc.

  And once I give all that to God - if I ever lose those precious things - they didn’t belong to me in the first place. Their loss will cause me pain. Sometimes great pain. I may weep and I may mourn, but in the end I will be able to handle that grief easier because they didn’t belong to me to begin with. That which I lost belonged to God. That’s kind of what Paul was saying when he declared: “…I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” (2 Timothy 1:12)

  So, to become a Christian, I must be willing to surrender everything I have to Jesus. He must become my Lord and Master for me to be saved.

   But what about confessing my sins to God? Well, there is a verse that talks about that too. It’s I John 1:9, which tells Christians (who are already saved) “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
 Once we’ve been saved (brought out from the “dark side”) we still stumble and mess up. We sin. When that happens, God promises to help start over again. All we have to do is admit that we were wrong. Now that might seem simplistic, but it’s actually one of the hardest things for people to do. But when we are willing to humbly confess to God that we did something that caused Him pain, God makes us a promise that all our sins will be wiped away – over and over again.

   So confession is good for the soul: the soul of the lost to confess that Jesus is now going to be their Lord and Master – and the soul of the saved to confess our sins to God for forgiveness.

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