Accountability and Confession

Today there is much said on the subject of being accountable. There are those who think it is their job to make their fellow church members answer for themselves to one another. They seem to think that being accountable to God just is not enough and that they need to help their fellow church members feel a sense of fear for having to answer for what they do. But is this right? Should we be expected to answer to another sinful mortal? Is God’s judgment not enough to make one choose to do right? Should we do what is right because someone is watching to catch us? Will that make a person do what is right? And if so will he do right from the right motives? Who should confession be made to anyway?

Let’s start by looking at what the Bible says about who should be our confessor.

When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house: 1 Kings 8:33

Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. Neh. 1:6

I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. Psalm 32:5

For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. Romans 14:11

And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. Romans 15:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Notice here that it is God that is faithful to forgive us our sins. Not man. He is the one to whom we should confess. He is the one that we are answerable to.

And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. Joshua 7:19

And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the Lord: and they did eat throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings, and making confession to the Lord God of their fathers. 2 Chron. 30:22

Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives. Ezra 10:11

And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; Daniel 9:4

Here we see that confession was made to God and not to man. But why should we make our confession to God and not to man?

But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7

God knows what is in the heart. He knows whether we have good motives and He knows if we are telling the truth. He is our judge and it is He who knows how to judge righteously. We cannot know for sure what another person did when no one was looking but God knows and He is the one we are accountable to. We may hide a sin from our family and friends and our fellow church members but we cannot hide them from God.

O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee. Psalm 69:5

The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deut. 29:29

Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. Psalm 19:12

Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. Psalm 90:8

For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Eccles. 12:14

Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. Jeremiah 23:24

Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: Ezekiel 28:3

He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. Daniel 2:22

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:6

For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. Mark 4:22

"But," you may say, "what about all those references in the Bible about forgiving our brother?" There are things we do that hurt other people that we need to make right. When we see that we have hurt them we need to go to them and ask their forgiveness. Look at these texts. The following ones point out that our sins should be repented of to God and our forgiveness comes from God.

Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers. 1 Kings 8:34

Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) 1 Kings 8:39

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chron. 7:14

For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Psalm 86:5

It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin. Jeremiah 36:3

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:12

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15

What about these texts?:

Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? Mark 2:7

And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? Luke 5:21

But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. Matthew 9:6

The Jews had a right understanding of the fact that God only can forgive sins but what they either failed to understand or refused to understand was that Christ was God and therefore had the right to forgive sins.

So what is the Bible talking about when it speaks of us forgiving each other? Take a look at these texts:

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:12

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15

So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. Matthew 18:35

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. Mark 11:25-26

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Luke 6:37

And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Luke 11:4

Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. Luke 17:3

Notice that these texts speak of both forgiving a brother and being forgiven by God. These are two different types of transgression. One is against another person the other kind is against God. The ones against God are to be confessed to Him and the ones against our neighbor are to be confessed to that person. Adam and Eve transgressed against God. Therefore there confession would have been made to God.

So when we come to this text we see that the confession here mentioned is not speaking of a confession made concerning those things against God but against our brother. Then the brotherly relationship that should exist between Christians can be healed.

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16

We are not to go on as if nothing happened and expect the other person to forgive us. But when we hurt them perhaps by what we say or do we have a responsibility to go to them and humbly ask there forgiveness. When that happens then the wound in the friendship can heal. Notice that it doesn’t say confess your faults to one another so you can watch each other but rather it says to pray for one another.

But what about this text?

I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; 1 Tim. 6:13

Another way of saying this text would be to say that Pilate had nothing bad to say about him or Christ obtained good account from Pilate. Would it be safe to build a doctrine on this one text?

But even IF this text did speak of Christ hearing a "good confession" as some use the term, let’s remember that Christ was God and was therefore able to forgive sins. We as failing sinful humans cannot assume that job.

Consider this verse:

And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men. Acts 24:16

This is how we should endeavor to live. If we are honest and study to live like Jesus we can have a clear conscience and will be ready for His soon return.

God has a judgment soon to come on the world. Are we ready for that day? Let each of us prayerfully consider these texts: