Hunter was confused. He’d grown up hearing he should confess his sins to God and ask for forgiveness when he did something wrong. His Sabbath School teacher had made sure he knew 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
But Hunter had recently heard another take on confession. It went like this: Jesus forgave all our sins at the cross (see Hebrews 9:26), so we don’t need to confess specific sins. We just need to acknowledge what Jesus did for us and claim His forgiveness for our sins.
Maybe you’ve heard some of the same ideas. What does the Bible teach? Do you need to confess your sins? Or do you need God’s forgiveness?
The answer is: Yes! and Yes!
Both are necessary for our forgiveness and victory over sin. You can’t have one without the other. To understand why, we need to remember what Jesus did for us at the cross.
Full Provision
Jesus took our sins on Himself at the cross and died the death that we deserve so we can be forgiven. He’ll never need to die for our sins again, “for by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14; see also Colossians 2:13–15; Hebrews 7:27 and 9:26).
Jesus did everything needed so your sins could be forgiven. (If you’d like to understand more about what Jesus did for you at the cross, please read The High Cost of the Cross.)
Think of it this way: Imagine you hacked into a bank’s online accounts and stole millions of dollars from its customers. You deserve to spend a very long time in prison, right? But, to your surprise, the bank owner’s son offers to take your punishment. The owner restores the stolen money to his customers from his own account and asks that you be released from jail. There are only two conditions for your freedom. You must: 1) repent of your crime, confess what you did, and ask forgiveness; 2) believe you are forgiven and walk out of jail.
God has the same two conditions for your spiritual freedom.
1. Confess and Forsake Sin
Jesus provided your forgiveness at the cross, but the Bible clearly states that repentance and confession are necessary. “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).
We must be specific when we confess our sins (Leviticus 5:5). Vague, half-hearted apologies don’t work. Specific confession shows we fully understand what we did wrong and are willing to do whatever it takes to make things right.
God willingly forgives us when we confess our sins. King David tells us that before he confessed his sin, he was “groaning all the day long. … Your hand was heavy upon me.” Then, “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin” (Psalm 32:3–5).
2. Confession of God’s Forgiveness and Faithfulness
Once we have confessed our specific sins and asked for forgiveness, we need to confess God’s faithfulness to forgive our sins. Paul calls this the “good confession” of our faith (see 1 Timothy 6:12, 13).
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9, 10).
Believing We Are Forgiven
Sometimes, we get fixated on our mistakes. Even when we confess them to God, we have a hard time believing He truly forgives us. It’s like being acquitted of your crime but refusing to walk out of prison because you don’t think you’re forgiven. That’s why God invites us to confess His goodness and forgiveness (see Proverbs 18:21).
If you are having a hard time believing you are forgiven and saved, try this: Look up Bible verses on forgiveness, personalize them, and read them aloud. Ask God to help you truly believe that He forgives your sins.
For example:
“I do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with my weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as I am, yet without sin. Therefore, I will come boldly to the throne of grace, that I may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15, 16; personalization in italics by author).
“He has not dealt with me according to my sins, nor punished me according to my iniquities… as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed my transgressions from me” (Psalm 103:10, 12; personalization in italics by author).
Today Is the Day of Salvation
Are you burdened with guilt because of unconfessed sin? Then come to Jesus today and confess your sins. He will freely forgive you!
Then confess the biblical truth that God has forgiven your sins and set you free from guilt. Ask God to help you trust Him fully and overcome through His power so that sin will not overpower you again. And if it does, come running back to your heavenly Father. He will gladly forgive you again.
To learn more about confession of sin and how God can use it to transform your life, please check out Doug Batchelor’s presentation “Sincere Confession.”