In my high school English class we read “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I remember learning that there are some sins are evident to all, and some are not. In the case of Hester Prynne, her pregnancy told everyone what she had done when she wasn’t married. They forced her to wear a red “A” on her chest to tell the world of her sun of adultery, but she wouldn’t tell anyone who the father was. His sin wasn’t evident to all. He kept it inside and it ate him up. When Reverend Dimmesdale finally confessed, he revealed a red mark on his chest. His unconfessed sin left a more lasting mark on his life than her scarlet letter.
In 2 Samuel 11, David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. When it was becoming evident she was pregnant, he sent for her husband from war, but he wouldn’t go home to be with his wife. David sinned again by having him murdered on the front lines. His sin went unconfessed until the prophet Nathan confronted him. Later in his life, he was reflecting on that time of his life in Psalm 32. In verse 3 he wrote, “Before I confessed my sins, I kept it all inside; my dishonesty devastated my inner life, causing my life to be filled with frustration, irrepressible anguish, and misery” (TPT). David’s candor here reveals what goes on inside of us when we have unconfessed sin. Like Revered Dimmesdale, it creates all kinds of internal issues. We become afraid that if people knew our sin, they wouldn’t like us, trust us or think the worst of us. We fear the thoughts of people more than God.
James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored” (AMP). When we confess to another believer, we find healing and restoration. When someone confesses to us, it’s our responsibility to gently restore them (Galatians 5:1). When we confess to God we find forgiveness. When we confess to another believer we are to find healing. That confession relieves the frustration, irrepressible anguish and misery that David described. You may not have to confess to the whole world your sin, but you do need a confidant in Christ with whom you can be accountable to. God’s method of freedom and healing comes through confession of sin.
Chris Hendrix
Chris is a lay minister who sees his corporate job as his fundraiser to do missions and ministry. He's a certified John Maxwell trainer, speaker, and coach who has experienced rock bottom in life and God's all sufficient grace. He writes encouraging devotions daily at www.DevotionsByChris.com.