Discipline of Confession

1) Introduction

The Discipline of Confession is the first Corporate Discipline. A key point for the Discipline of Confession is that it helps us understand what forgiveness means, and to accept it from God. 

While forgiveness is a free gift from God, we need to accept it for it to have an effect on us. Confession is a method that helps us to be willing to accept it.

2) What is Confession?

3) Why should we confess?

The first point to make is that while confession is the path to understanding forgiveness, it is not required to try to confess every sin for it to be forgiven.

What is necessary is seeing that you need to be forgiven and that you can not actually "earn" your forgiveness by being "good enough". This effectively requires being willing to confess your failings to God.

Growing spiritually requires drawing closer to God, which is facilitated by the Discipline of Confession. 

4) Who should we confess to?

5) Confessing to God

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus
   1 Tim 2:5

6) Confessing to Others

Some wonder, given that it is God who forgives, why we should confess to others. We begin by pointing out that God himself expects us to confess to each other:

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed
    James 5:16

7) How to Confess

8) Taking a Confession