Here is this week’s quote from the book Pure Grace:
Christians are not required to confess their sins to God in order to be forgiven, we already are forgiven. There is no Biblical basis for believer to confess sins to God for forgiveness. To each other for healing, yes; but not to God for forgiveness. (Page 20 Pure Grace).
Let’s Talk Grace
Notice I said Christians. Our sins were not only forgiven by God but removed from us. We were cleansed of our sins–all of them! The only reference in the New Testament that refers to a Christian confessing sins is James 5:16 and that verse tells us to confess our sins to one another. 1John 1:9 refers to the unbeliever confessing sins to be saved. When a Christian confesses sins to God it is not for forgiveness but for healing! It is for us not for Him.
While there is no requirement for Christians to confess sins to God, that does not mean it is forbidden! In any and all relationships the “agreement” about sin or offense is necessary at times for healing. We must remember, however, that we are already forgiven and cleansed of all sin and therefore the confession of sin to God is only for us to be healed and helped. Another aspect of our healing is the freedom to confess our sins to one another according to James 5:16. All of this should and can take place in an atmosphere of love, acceptance, forgiveness, with the goal of becoming healthy and maintaining healthy and life giving relationships.
Sharing Grace
We are asking for your help in sharing the Pure Grace quotes to your social networks (Email lists, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Blogs … etc.) each week. We are also asking that you share your own reviews of the book or thoughts concerning the quote of the week with your friends as well.
The “Let’s Talk Grace” questions in these posts are simply suggestions on how to spark personal reflection and/or online conversations. Feel free to cut and paste them to start your own discussions among your friends. This week’s action point is to encourage you all to add a book review to the Amazon purchase page for Pure Grace. To add your review please click here.
Thank you!
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You can purchase Pure Grace here.
interesting. I would like to know more about healing in confession.