James 5:16 “Confess your sins to one another”
In Ephesians 2:19-20 we are given a description of “the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.” It’s talking about the spiritual temple in which God dwells. The foundation in this description points to the Word of God that came through the men mentioned. It’s on the basis of what God’s Word says that one enters God’s temple and it is by obedience to Jesus, “in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:21-22).
Then, in Revelation 21 we get a further description of the foundation, but here the temple is referring to heaven, the eternal dwelling place of God. Listen to the apostle John’s vision: “The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.” Taken together with the Ephesians passage, we can surmise that, like these precious jewels, the Word of God has many beautiful facets, with any one passage containing multiple wonderful truths depending on the perspective from which it is viewed.
Which brings us to the short passage above from James 5:16. For some reason I found myself meditating on this passage this morning, and the more I’ve thought about it, the more facets of truth seem to emanate from it.
First, it is very noteworthy that James’ letter is written to Christians. There are certain Christian dominations that teach that it is possible in this life to be free from sin in any form, i.e., perfect on this side of heaven. In fact, I’ve heard people say that they do not commit sin – ever! However, if that is true, why does James say what he does to Christians? How can one Christian confess his or her sins to another Christian if those believers have no sins? The command would be meaningless. You see, while the Scriptures do teach that every believer has been cleansed from sin and clothed with the very righteousness of Christ positionally, in a practical sense, sanctification is a process that is worked out each and every day for the rest of our earthly lives. It is as we walk with the Lord, day by day, that we become in our thoughts and actions what we already are as a result of God’s work in our lives. In Philippians 2:12-13 the apostle Paul describes it this way: “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” And confession of sin is a part of that process. The apostle John reiterates this in the following words from 1 John 1:9-10: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” And then we recall that Jesus instructed His disciples to pray, “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).
But then another facet. To “confess” our sins, literally means “to say the same thing” that God does about them. In other words, it’s to call our sin for what it is, disobedience to God. It’s not something to take pride in as some people are so prone to do. It’s not something to rejoice in, for as we are told in 1 Corinthians 13, “Love . . . does not rejoice in wrongdoing.” It’s not something to talk about with ambivalence, as many do who will profess that they are Christians while at the same time speaking freely of their life lived out of wedlock, the way they’ve cheated on their taxes, or other forms of sin. Rather, to confess our sin is to talk about it in a way that is consistent with what it is in God’s eyes. It’s a sin, first and foremost, against Him, and it grieves Him. If we say that we love Him then, sin should also grieve us. And we should realize that “whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). In contrast, the one who sins presumptuously will find no mercy, for to sin in such ways is the opposite of confession.
May confession of sin be something that marks our life, for it is this attitude toward disobedience to God that will mark the lives of true Christians.
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