Bible Studies

When, Why, Where, And How Should We Confess Sin Part 4

by Doug Laird 
09/19/26
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 The grace of God (Eph. 2:8), eternal security (Rom. 8: 1), and His irrevocable gift (Rom. 11: 29) of eternal life is not a license to sin. While salvation cannot be lost, there are other forms of divine discipline (Heb. 12: 6) that are the result of post salvation sin that we commit.

The confessional that God established for the Church Age is intangible, are is not attended by human clergy. Tangible confessionals that are staffed with clergy are the products of religious traditions of men.

“For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the Man Christ Jesus…(1Tim. 2: 5 NASB2020).”

God has given the authority and power to forgive sin to NO ONE. Even the Jews who opposed Jesus knew that much (Luke 5: 21). Their problem was their failure to see that Jesus was (and is) God the Son, Who had taken on the form of humanity (John 1: 14) at the First Advent (Christmas), in order to become the Lamb of God (John 1: 29).


The “binding” spoken of in Matt. 18: 18 refers to the blessings or the consequences of one’s INDIVIDUAL RESPONSE to the Work (Matt. 28: 19, 20) that the Church that He established was given to do. The ONLY part, if any, that clergy or an advancing disciple may play in the confession process, is to assist the confessor by pointing out what SIN is.

But the details and the confession itself is a private matter of PRAYER, between the confessor and God.

There is no penance required for a sin that has already been stamped PAID IN FULL by the atoning blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The desire to remain in fellowship with God, in order to be in a position to execute the post salvation spiritual life, requires the 24/7 means to confess one’s sin.

A born-again believer doesn’t have to go anywhere or see anyone to confess his or her sin to God. God, and the intangible confessional that He established, is available 24/7, to hear, and to respond to, our confessions made in prayer!

The ongoing and inexhaustible supply of forgiveness from God is not based on how sorry we are, penance, or on any vain promises not to ever do it again. It is based on the atoning blood that was shed by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, forgiveness, the cleansing of ALL unrighteousness, and the restoration of fellowship is based on the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ (1John 2 : 2) that has ALREADY paid the debt for the sin, now being confessed.

With people, we have no assurance of just how they are going to react when they learn of some of the sins that we have been involved. But this is not the case with God, as we already have His response on record (1John 1: 9). Furthermore, unlike with people, we are not telling Him anything that He didn’t already know!

God desires for us to be in fellowship with Him 24/7, so that among other things, we can be in a position to execute the post salvation spiritual life, and complete the individual work that He has given us to do.

Confession, for the purpose and by means of private prayer, should be a part of one’s ongoing, daily, walk with God, to be in, or to return to, such a position.

End of Part Four

End of Series