Conclusion

Confession of sin means, then, to say the same thing about your thoughts, motives, and behavior that God thinks of them. This includes admitting that your sin as yours alone and not related to anything anyone else did, said, or thought. You may not blame your sin on the perceived motives of what anyone else did. You were not being controlled by anyone or anything else. You chose to act the way you did, and you must own it. When confessing sin to others, you must be very careful not to mention their sin. This is a time when you are confessing your sin, not accusing someone else of their sin. You also must be very careful not to accuse the other person of putting a stumbling block in front of you. This comes across like a ploy to redirect whose fault your sin is. When confessing sin, only mention your sin and your choices.

As part of the confession of sin process, you need to make a plan for restitution. You need to make right anything you did in your sinful state. If you stole anything, broke anything, hit anyone or anything, destroyed anyone or anything, you need to make arrangements to repair the ruins.

Also, as part of the confession process, repentance needs to be present. You must confess your sin, but also make provisions for turning away from the sin, for doing what is right. You must renounce your claim to yourself as lord of your life, and submit yourself to Jesus as Lord of all. Repentance means to turn from your way to God’s way. This begins in the heart and mind and comes out your finger tips. You must “put off the old man” and put on the new (Eph. 4:22, 23).