Confession of Sin
One of the most important things to do, in order to be forgiven by God, is that you confess your sin. If you do not confess your sin, it’s like you do not acknowledge that you have failed, which is necessary to be forgiven and to be cleansed by God.
Read the bible text that describes how confession and forgiveness is related.
Purification by confession – 1 John 1:5-10, NET©
5 Now this is the gospel message we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.
6 If we say we have fellowship with him and yet keep on walking in the darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.
Sin is more complex than we generally understand. It can be in several different modes in our heart. Unconscious sin. That is trespasses that we are unaware of. Conscious but secret sin. Sin that we have knowledge about, but have not confessed. Revealed and confessed sin. Sin that we where aware of and now have confessed.
Unaware Sin
12 So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned– 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin when there is no law. Romans 5:12-13, NET©
A person who has no concept of what righteousness is, has no idea that they are sinning. They live their lives as if everything was fine and hopes for the best in the end. The bible says that where there is no law, there is no sin. No law, no accountability!
But because all are descendants of Adam, all have died a spiritual death, and have lost all hope of eternity. The sins are unknown to the individual. In order to have a chance to deal with their sin, they must become aware. Here they are dead before God.
Secret Sin
20 For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. … 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:20, 23, NET©
God gave his law through Moses to Israel. The purpose of the law is to teach mankind about sin, righteousness and judgment. No one becomes righteous by keeping the law in their own power. The law can be seen as a ruler, by applying the law, it reveals the distance between the righteousness of God and the condition of man. The distance in between is called self-righteousness and constitutes the definition of sin. Now sin has been revealed to them and they understands their guilt. Here they are judged before God.
Forgiven Sin
16 So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness. James 5:16, NET©
In order to have the forgiveness at work in your life, it is important that the sin you are aware of in your life is revealed and becomes known to you as sin. If you realize that you have sin in your life, and you have light about it, but keep it a secret, you are wandering in the dark and remain judged by the law. Thereby you are without the grace of God.
If they confess their sin, in the light of Jesus. Confessing their sins to one another (to someone trustworthy), God is faithful and forgives them their sin and cleanses them. Here they stand righteous before God.