Words part 5 – confess our sins

A recent study of those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder found that 88.3 percent of those who participated in group therapy no longer exhibited PTSD symptoms, versus just 31.3 percent of those who received minimal one-on-one interaction.

There is also evidence that the act of confessing one’s faults to a few safe people—enshrined in AA’s fifth step—helps in changing addictive patterns. According to researchers, “Revealing one’s deepest flaws and hearing others do likewise forces a person to confront the terrible consequences of their alcoholism—something that is very difficult to do alone.”

Conversely, some research studies have shown how friendships can also lead us to adopt negative behaviours. For instance, a paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that a person is 50 percent more likely to be a heavy drinker if a friend or relative is a heavy drinker. Also, a study concluded that a person’s odds of becoming obese increase by 71 percent if he or she has a same-sex friend who is also obese.

The Church continually needs to ask the question: what do we do with sin? Simply because it is inside and outside the Church. Politics, private agendas, whisperings, plans, stubborn refusal to move forward, to listen and learn, to change, criticisms, manipulative abuse, I see it every week and so do you. Worse, we have partaken in this.

James is closing down his letter and he does so by looking at the words we use. He has called us to pray, to sing, to call upon the leaders of the church and ‘to confess your sins’.

“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5 v 14-16)

See how the whole point of confession is to be healed. The result is that you are free from that what you have confessed about.

I know someone who had an old life-time friend but only hears from the person every few years when that ‘friend’ has sinned badly. They will phone up and confess and ask for prayer. However, they will then continue to live their sinful lifestyle as usual and that will be the last this person hears from them for a long time. This is not the confession James speaks of.

The need to find people you can walk with is huge. Those you find make sure you can be as open as you possibly can. If they knew the very worst of you, your deepest flaw, would they still be your friends? If you can find such a friend, then walk openly and honestly before them and then not only will you survive but you will thrive and be healed of that which is the burden of your life. This is the power of confession.