Confession

Confession in evangelical circles I've witnessed has been diluted to an acknowledgement of wrongdoing. This is not entirely wrong - but I believe skips a significant part of the dictionary definition of "apology" - which includes "regretful" in the definition. Often, I believe we fail to see and recognize the sadness that we bring to the Lord when we sin.

Proverbs 28:13 tells us: "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." - we are not owed forgiveness of our sins. That forgiveness is the mercy of the Lord paid for by the blood of His Son, Jesus. That is no small matter! We are also to "forsake the sin", to abandon and renounce.

I think the gravity of these tasks and their implications are lost in some of the current teachings of the church. If we sin, and confess without a regretful spirit intending not to perform the sin again, the sin remains. I believe that confession directly to the Lord is appropriate in all situations, but some warrant confession to the person wronged.

This is supported in James 5:16, telling us to "confess our sins to each other", but David, John, and others mention confessing directly to the Lord. There is room for both, depending on the situation. I'm personally uncomfortable with the injection of priests into the equation by our sister denominations, making it the role of humanity to allow the forgiveness of sin. I personally have fallen into the situation of confessing sin against someone else to only the Lord, and letting it continue to live on in me without confessing to the person I wronged.