Confession – Luke 11:1-4
In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus instructs us to pray, “forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us”,a prayer of confession. But contrary to popular belief, confession is not simply a reminder of our fallenness, but an assertion of our forgiveness. We confess not because God needs a verbal record of our wrongdoings, but because we need to cultivate brutal honesty about what we have done wrong in order to enjoy God’s abundant forgiveness.
Authenticity
The true irony of our current cultural moment: we crave authenticity but lack the foundation to admit that anything we do, think, or feel is really wrong.
In this environment, where many of us are craving authenticity, and honesty in our own lives, the lives around us, and even in the church, the practice of confession can be both refreshing and uncomfortable as most truly authentic things are.
This prayer becomes both a prayer we recite and a guideline or pattern for our prayers. It is where we go when we wonder, Jesus how do we pray?
The Lord’s prayer also reveals that prayer is both communion and collaboration with God. Oftentimes we view prayer as simply communication with God. But it is so much more than that. This prayer reveals that we commune with God the father. We take time to simply remember he is a father and then we collaborate with him. And thus, as Alex explained last week, we are not merely passive stage props in a prewritten cosmic drama. We are creative partners with God in the writing, directing, design, and action that occurs on the stage of history.
And finally, this prayer reminds us that the essential foundation of Christian prayer is that God is love and he likes us.
On Sin
First and foremost, before we jump into confession, I want to briefly define sin as the two concepts are so connected and often misunderstood.
God’s desire for us, as his creation, has always been a life of beauty, justice, and love. It’s important to understand that what God deems as sin is not bad because it is forbidden– it is forbidden because it is bad- it sits in opposition to his foundational desires for us. Lead-based paint isn’t bad because someone passed a law; someone passed a law because lead-based paint is bad for you.
“[Sin] is an unwillingness to trust that what God wants is our deepest happiness.” – Saint Ignatius
Psalm 51
Daniel 9
Mark 1
Luke 19
“He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” – Luke 18:9-14
If sin is not simply what we have done but also what we have left undone, then we are all sinners in need of forgiveness and therefore, God does not need our confession, we do.
Sin is not simply what we have done but also what we have left undone.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22: 37-40
Quite simply sin is not just what we have done- even though there is plenty of that to go around. It is also what we have left undone.
So sin is not simply what we have done but also what we have left undone.
We are all sinners in need of forgiveness.
“We must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.” – CS Lewis
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9
God does not need our confession, we do.
Confession is NOT a magical incarnation that controls God or forces his mercy to flow.
“[E]veryone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” It does not say they shall be saved if they confess 5 times a day- if they discover the magic formula. But all you have to do is call on the name of the Lord.” – Acts 2:21
Our admission of sin does not diminish God’s grace as repeatedly outlined in the scriptures
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9
Our prayers do not add to the redemption accomplished on the cross
Our prayers never add to God’s knowledge which is already complete.
If sin is not simply what we have done but also what we have left undone, then we are all sinners in need of forgiveness and therefore, God does not need our confession, we do.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
Confession is an invitation to approach the forgiveness of ourselves and others like that of the running father. In our sin, we are all one of the brothers, but in our forgiveness we have the love and give the love of an embarrassing, dotting, unabandoned, father with open arms.
So what do we do? How do we practice confession? We begin with the pattern Jesus has outlined for us in the Lord’s prayer:
Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. We confess. We take several moments to reflect on the actions of that day or the previous day and ask God to bring to moments where we were unlike him. Then recite the confession prayer just as we prepare to do so now.
