Why Harbinger Gospel Church Practices Public Confession

Intro

Good morning, dear family! For the next four weeks, we’ll have some ad hoc teachings on various topics I’ve discerned through prayer and reflection. For the sake of time, these won’t be in-depth, academic lectures, but I’ll aim to give us an outline with clear and practical insights that will help further unify us as a church.

On December 1st, we’ll begin our Advent liturgies, which will carry us through the four weeks of the season. Then, on December 29th, we’ll start a 14-week study in 1 John.

Today, we’re focusing on why Harbinger Gospel Church practices public confession. We’ll explore the history and theology behind public confession, clarifying its importance and purpose. This will also allow us to make a few adjustments to our weekly practice, enhancing our liturgies in the weeks to come.

History of Practicing Public Confession of Sin

One reason we practice public confession is that it aligns our worship not only with millions of Christians around the world today but also with the very first followers of Christ. Public confession is an ancient practice, rooted in the same traditions as baptism and communion—it goes hand in hand with these sacraments. Some of you may be familiar with the Didache, a revered Christian text believed to have been written as early as 65 AD. This ecumenical work, a collaboration between several authors who were personally taught by the twelve apostles, records and preserves the teachings of the earliest church in a literal sense.

For centuries, the Didache was a lost work, known only through references by church fathers in their writings. However, it was rediscovered in 1873 and published in 1883, giving us an unparalleled window into the life and teachings of the earliest Christian communities. Though it was not included in the New Testament canon, the council that compiled the canon deemed it part of the “ecclesiastical” or “useful” books. In the Didache, Christians are exhorted, “On the Lord’s Day, come together to break bread and give thanks, having first confessed your transgressions so that your sacrifice may be pure. Let no one who has a dispute with a fellow believer join you until they are reconciled, ensuring that your sacrifice remains undefiled. For this is what the Lord spoke: ‘In every place and time, offer a pure sacrifice in my name, for my name is great among the Gentiles.’”

Another passage reads, “In the congregation [speaking of church], you shall confess your transgressions, and you shall not come to your place of prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life.” So, you see, Christians have been confessing sins publicly together since before 65 AD; as we do this, we join in unity with them.

In the earliest churches, public confession was generally a communal practice, but not every sin or transgression was confessed openly before the whole congregation. Instead, confession had different levels of public exposure, depending on the nature and impact of the sin. Not unlike how we have been practiivng this, the early church had private prayers and personal confession where believers were encouraged to confess their sins to God individually, especially sins that were personal and did not directly affect the community. This private confession was between the individual and God, often taking place within the context of congregational prayers. Also common were public confession for community-impacting sins— When a sin had a direct impact on the community or was of a serious nature, it was often confessed openly before the whole congregation. For instance, if someone’s actions caused division, scandal, or harm to others, they might be called to confess and seek forgiveness publicly. This public confession enabled communal reconciliation and restoration. These practices of confession were often tied to the Eucharist, as believers would confess their sins before receiving communion, ensuring they approached the sacrament with a clear conscience.

For our liturgies, I want to make a slight adjustment to how we practice confession. I will lead us in a pastoral prayer for corporate confession, after which we’ll enter a quiet time for silent reflection and personal confession of sin, where each of us will confess privately to God. Finally, we will provide space for any community-impacting confessions, allowing an opportunity for restoration. To put it practically: if I am confessing a heart’s inclination toward greed, I would confess this privately to God. However, if my greed caused me to withhold something from one of you, this would be confessed publicly.

Biblical Landscape of Public Confession of Sin

From ancient Israel to the early Christian church, God’s people have practiced confession as a means of accountability, healing, and reconciliation with God and with one another. In the Old Testament, Leviticus 5:5 and 16:21 provide some of the earliest examples of confession as a communal act. In Leviticus 5:5, confession is part of the atonement process: “If someone incurs guilt in one of these cases, he is to confess he has committed that sin.” On the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the high priest would “lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the Israelites’ iniquities and rebellious acts—all their sins” (Leviticus 16:21). This ritual symbolized the removal of the people’s sins, demonstrating that sin affects the entire community and that confession and repentance restore the community’s relationship with God.

Psalm 32:3–5 gives a powerful example of how concealing sin can lead to spiritual and emotional turmoil, while confessing sin brings relief and forgiveness. David writes, “When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long… Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” While David’s confession here is personal, it serves as a model for the power of confession. In the context of the congregation, public confession acts similarly, helping believers find freedom from hidden guilt and inviting the community’s support in experiencing God’s forgiveness and grace.

In James 5:16, believers are encouraged to “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.” This exhortation suggests that confession is not only a personal act but a communal one, where members of the church participate in one another’s spiritual growth and restoration. Public confession in this context allows the community to pray for each other, fostering a culture of humility, accountability, and shared healing. In Matthew 18:15–17, Jesus outlines a process for addressing sin within the community, moving from private to increasingly public interactions if necessary. The context is a little different, but this model illustrates the church’s role in guiding one another toward repentance and reconciliation. If a sin affects the community, Jesus’ teaching encourages believers to address it within the body, emphasizing that unresolved sin and broken relationships should be brought into the light so the church can restore unity and purity.

In 1 John 1:8–9, we are reminded that “If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” John’s words highlight the importance of confessing sins openly as a sign of spiritual honesty. While this passage speaks to personal confession before God, it also implies that confession should be a regular part of a believer’s life, fostering humility and reliance on God’s mercy. Public confession within a community, by extension, affirms God’s faithfulness and provides a way for believers to witness God’s forgiveness in a visible, communal way. In Acts 19:18, we see that “many who had become believers came confessing and disclosing their practices.” In this account from the church in Ephesus, new believers publicly confessed their past sins as an act of repentance and commitment to a new life in Christ. This confession was not only before God but openly among the community, signifying a complete turning from sin and inviting the support and accountability of fellow believers. Public confession here allowed the transformative power of the gospel to be evident within the community, showing the sincerity of the believers’ repentance.

In 2 Corinthians 2:5–11, Paul addresses the need for communal forgiveness and restoration within the church after someone has sinned in a way that affected the whole community. He urges, “If anyone has caused pain, he has caused pain not so much to me but to some degree—not to exaggerate—to all of you… You should rather forgive and comfort him… reaffirm your love for him.” Paul’s words highlight how confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation strengthen the church’s unity and foster healing. Similarly, Proverbs 28:13 underscores the blessing of confession: “The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.” This principle applies to the church as well, suggesting that openly confessing sins, rather than concealing them, leads to spiritual prosperity and the experience of God’s grace.

Spirituality of Public Confession of Sin

Public confession is more than a physical ritual; it is a mystical participation in the life of God, a communal ascent toward the divine likeness. Confession is not simply about enumerating sins but about uncovering the depths of our heart in the presence of God and His people. Through confession, we expose the shadows within us to the healing light of Christ, allowing His transformative grace to work within us as we seek union with Him.

Public confession reflects our understanding of the church as the mystical body of Christ, in which every believer is profoundly interconnected. Sin is not merely a private failing but a wound to the entire body, separating us from the fullness of divine life that God offers to us in Christ. When we confess our sins openly, we step into the life of humility that Christ Himself modeled and the repentance that He called for, and in doing so, we invite the healing graces of God to flow within and among us. This is not a legal transaction; it is a deep, inner healing that reorients our soul toward God and draws us ever closer to His image.

The sacramental and mystical character of confession reflects our commitment to self-discipline and purification, in which we strip away the passions that distort our true nature. Public confession is part of this spiritual labor, an act of renouncing the self-deceptions and hidden darknesses that cloud the heart. In confessing before the community, we are reminded of the way of Jesus that requires us to abandon pride, vanity, and self-reliance, and to depend wholly on God’s mercy. Confession is a powerful step on the path of purification, illuminating our inner struggles and inviting the body of Christ to intercede for us in love and humility. We are not confessing simply for forgiveness but for transformation, seeking to be cleansed and restored to our original beauty in God’s image.

Public confession also manifests God’s healing therapy for the soul. As we confess, we participate in God’s work of restoring our heart to a state of health, wholeness, and peace. St. Isaac the Syrian speaks of repentance as “the gate of mercy through which we enter divine love,” and public confession serves as a communal doorway to this mercy, where each heart is uplifted by the prayers and presence of the faithful. Confession is a sacramental mystery, where the Holy Spirit is present, and is co-laboring with us in purifying and sanctifying us as we journey together towards greater union with God. The prayers of our brothers and sisters aid us, supporting us as we seek healing and growth into God’s likeness.

Through public confession, we fulfill the command to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2), not in a transactional sense but as an offering of love within the church as a sacred community of healing. In confessing before one another, we confront and surrender the burdens that prevent us from fully participating in the life of God. This act of humility binds us together in Christ and strengthens us on our collective ascent toward divine union. It is a mystical act of communion that calls us into a deeper awareness of God’s love and our shared calling to be sanctified as one body.

When we are walking in darkness, we walk with lamps hidden. Ultimately, public confession is where the veil of separation is lifted and we are drawn together into God’s transformative presence. Through confession, we acknowledge our imperfections, renounce the passions, and humbly open ourselves to the purifying fire of God’s love. It is an act of surrender, an offering of the self, and a step toward the eternal journey to becoming partakers of the divine nature.

Conclusion: the Forgivness of Jesus

As we wrap up, let us remember that In Jesus, we find the fullness of God’s mercy. Christ offers us a forgiveness that is complete, irrevocable, and freely given to all who come to Him. Through Christ’s sacrifice, God’s grace covers our deepest transgressions, lifting every burden and freeing us from condemnation. His blood is not merely a temporary remedy but a cleansing flood, purifying us and restoring us to right relationship with the Father.

Jesus’ invitation to forgiveness is one of complete acceptance; He meets us with compassion, never with condemnation. He is gentle and lowly in heart. In Matthew 11:28, He calls us, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Our sins, though heavy and sometimes shameful, do not shock or repel Him. He came not for the righteous but for sinners, to redeem us and to carry the weight we cannot bear alone. By His cross, He has removed every barrier, making it possible for us to approach God with confidence, knowing we will receive mercy and find grace.

The forgiveness Jesus offers doesn’t just erase our past; it transforms our future, inviting us to walk in freedom and holiness. As we embrace His forgiveness, we are not only cleansed but also empowered to live a life pleasing to God. Romans 8:1 reminds us, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” Our sins no longer define us; we are defined by His love and His righteousness. Through Jesus, we are welcomed into God’s family as beloved children, continually renewed by His grace and strengthened to live as His witnesses in the world. As His children, let’s come to him early and often, continually and always, and be nourished by his mercy and forgiveness that flows from His love for us. Amen.