Should you confess your sins?

Fisherman

Confessing to a crime lands a person in jail or worse. There is a very interesting out of context commentary in a law book under the topic that describes the role of a child advocate that explains how humans intrinsically want and need to be free at all costs without encumbrances. (In Germany for example, the government recognizes this basic need and doesn't penalize jail escapes.) a Defense attorney will do EVERYTHING to win his client’s freedom “within the bounds of law” in other words everything he can get away with and everything he can get away with without getting caught. So confessing to a crime doesn’t help because the State doesn’t want to help you, they want to hang you.The difference with confessing to a minister is that he is supposed to HELP a sinner in s spiritual way. A person’s conscience has a way of disturbing the person to the point that he would want to confess sins to feel better. Not every religious system practices confession like Christianity (and I use tge term loosely). In some religions, they don’t have confessions. JW religion teaches that God can forgives sins when a person feel guilty and not the religious tribunal that adjudicates repentance but confessions are required because a person may not qualify any longer to be a fellow sheep of the herd. But generally speaking, should a person confess his sins to his church or is it between God and the person at the non office level. Of course, when appointed to a spiritual position, a person that commits a serious sin should resign from office even if he doesn’t want to confess. A Christian should not go around flagrantly sinning but humans sin all the time in one way or another and when that happens and confesses, people won’t respect the person anymore . He doesn’t have freeness of speech anymore and has to go around as a third class member and never ever recover. He is ruined in relation to how he is viewed and dealt with. A person of integrity would not hold office if he has sinned. Even if the church forgives him people won’t have a high regard for him. I would like to know people’s feelings on this from interpretation of the Bible. Must a person confess his sins to the church? Is confession mandated by God?

BoogerMan

(Matthew 6:14, 15) “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; 15 whereas if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

(2 Peter 3:9) "Jehovah.....desires all to attain to repentance."

Seems pretty clear exactly who a Christian should confess their sins to and ask for forgiveness.

Haven't found a scripture yet which says a Christian should ask 3 elders for forgiveness - still looking!

TonusOH

I think that, for Christians, the issue comes down to what is the greater cost. There are social (and potentially legal) costs to be paid if you confess, and you might avoid these if you do not. But if you sin and do not seek forgiveness, your eternal soul may pay the cost. And that can be far greater than whatever would have happened during your life.

An adulterer who confesses faces shame, loss of prestige, and changes to their relationships with their family and friends, and possibly more. But an adulterer who keeps the act a secret could lose out on an eternity in Heaven. If enough secrets have been kept, he may be hell-bound. Confession seems the only rational option.

enoughisenough

I am thinking the confession would be to the person you have harmed by your action. Jesus said at Matt 5:23,24 that if you are taking your gift to the alter and remember someone has something against you ( so you sinned against them???) to go and make peace with your brother. In the case adultery, the mate may not realize they have been cheated upon...they have the right to know ( so I am thinking if people have the right to know, they should be told. This thing of confessing to the priest or 3 elders for judgement doesn't make sense. Confess to the ones you need forgiveness from ( which would include God )who can really forgive. That is my opinion.

punkofnice

I would like to know people’s feelings on this from interpretation of the Bible. Must a person confess his sins to the church? Is confession mandated by God?

Well, that's me out of the thread. I have no belief that the Bible is other than a load of stuff bunged together carelessly by some blokes. Nothing to do with a God, if one even exists.

As a society, we live by 'social contract'. 'Sin' is an abstract load of religious nonsense IMHO. A tool to control the sheeple.

Others will disagree, but there it is.