ON CONFESSION by George I. Butler

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 21, 1869

ON CONFESSION.

By George I. Butler

The Bible says much about confession. It makes very positive promises to those who will confess and forsake their sins. Thus we read in Prov. xxviii, 13, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy.” And John says, “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John i, 9. In the old dispensation, confession was insisted on as a necessary preliminary to forgiveness. When a man made an offering to God for his sins, he must confess them over the head of the animal. The confession was always expected. On the day of atonement the high priest confessed all the sins of the people, over the head of the scape-goat.

The idea of confession is reasonable as well as scriptural; but it is very hard to the natural heart. It seems strange that a person should not be too proud to do wrong, and yet be too proud to confess it. Yet thousands are in that position. Not too proud to bring guilt upon themselves; to grieve the God of love; to bring ruin upon their souls; but too proud to take God's appointed way to remove them. Why should it be thought hard to confess our sins before our fellow-men, which have been committed before them? Nothing but wicked pride would hinder us from doing so—a desire on our part to appear better than we really are.

A confession may be defined as an acknowledgment of wrong committed on the part of the person committing it. The first step after we are made acquainted with our sin, should be to confess it. In most cases the endeavor is, to cover it up. A frank confession is demanded of us, first to God. His word requires it. The sin committed was mainly against him. Confession is the first outward act by which the individual shows to God, or man, that he is conscious of having done wrong. An unwillingness to make it, manifests a desire to receive pardon for something that we are not willing to admit we are guilty of.

Confession is the first step by which we manifest a sorrow for sin. When we pursue a course of conduct contrary to the will of God, our Creator, or wound his cause, and thus stand in the way of the salvation of others, or injure our fellow-men in any way, it is necessary before we can gain God's approbation, and be on the road to salvation ourselves, that we should realize it, and feel it. The first way we can manifest this is through confession to the party grieved by our course. This always includes God, as every sin is against him, and often includes our fellow-men. We may wrong them pecuniarily. Of course restitution must be made, and will be made, if we are truly penitent; and we shall desire to restore what we have gotten wrongfully, to the rightful owner. We shall not desire to have it in our hands, in the day of Judgment, to sink us to perdition, as it surely will, if we persist in keeping that which we know belongs to another.

We may wrong others by our evil example. Example is powerful. Its influence can scarcely be realized. The great mass of mankind live by the influence and example of others. This is the foundation of custom and fashion, which we all know is mighty. It is the duty of every person to live so that his influence will be salutary and right. When we become aware that ours has been injurious to others, the first step is confession. Reason and Scripture say so. It is due to those who have been injured, private persons, or the community. If we propose to cease to do wrong and commence to do right, if we realize the iniquity of our past course, is it not right, and a duty, that we should say so to those who know what that course has been? Most certainly, and the Scriptures make it obligatory, and make forgiveness contingent upon it.

Why should it be thought a hardship? It seems to strengthen us as we try to carry out our resolutions of amendment, and closes up the avenues of approach to the enemy. It should be esteemed a privilege to confess, and would be, but for wicked pride, and a cunning adversary, as it is God's appointed way by which to remove that wrong, the condition of pardon being to acknowledge and forsake. Both are necessary; and we have no right to say one is good for anything without the other. We should esteem it a privilege to confess, and then remove as far as we can the effect of our example upon those liable to be injured by it, and not pass along in silence while the inevitable conclusion of observers would be, that we approved of our wrong course in the past. Confession sets us right in our words, and reformation, in our actions, and both should always be in harmony. We shall be judged by our words and actions. The words precede,

the actions should follow to show them true. The same as in the commencement of a religious life; the profession comes first; the religious life should follow to show the profession genuine. Both are required.

When a man has sinned, how reasonable that he should go with an honest and sincere heart to the party against whom he has offended, to God and man, and, so far as words can do it, take it out of the way; then, by a changed life, manifest his sincerity therein. It is astonishing that this can be considered a hardship. A desire to have people think we are better than we are, hinders many of us from doing it.

If this were not so serious a subject it would be almost amusing to see the dodges and turns people take to excuse themselves from making a square statement of their own fault or sin. How many we hear in meeting or in church trials: “If I have done anything wrong, or injure the feelings of anybody, I am sorry for it, and I want you to forgive me.” That little word, if, becomes very important in the confession. It is very small, only composed of two letters, but it is large enough for self, pride, and a sin-polluted conscience, to dodge behind, and screen themselves. What is the use of such confessions? I have heard so many of them that I have become sick, even to nausea, at hearing them. After laboring long and hard to make people see their wrongs, the anxiety of all wrought up to the utmost for the good of the individual, it seems almost insulting to have the person get up and shield himself behind an if. It looks like trying to get credit for a confession where none was made. The if spoils it. It becomes no confession at all. That little word covers the very point desirable to be brought out in a confession, viz., whether there was any sin committed at all. If there were, how much more manly and sensible to say so, plainly. How much more respect would a person command in the eyes of all sensible people than to leave it in such a shape. If there were no sin committed, why insult the common sense of the hearer by pretending to make a confession, and really not doing it. Better keep still, than appear to confess with an if.

Another very troublesome habit often seen in attempted confessions, at the present time, is the endeavor to bring in all the mitigating circumstances and excuses that can be thought up that have the least relation to the subject, and many that have none; so that the statement intended for a confession really becomes a full justification, and therefore no confession at all. It is the effort of poor self, covered with sin and pollution, to make itself appear all right after all. Confession is an acknowledgment of wrong committed. Now if a long list of circumstances, brought in to justify, amounts to anything, it shows that no confession is needed, and if they do not amount to anything, they certainly are out of place. So, in either case, they should be left out.

Yes, it is worthy of being remembered that excuses, and the why we did so-and-so, are entirely out of place in a confession. They are only presented before our minds at the time by the devil, and seized on by us to keep poor self from the death it must die if we ever get into the kingdom of God. We need not fear about the extenuating circumstances, God has nowhere commanded us to talk about them. He will make all the allowance they deserve. But he has told us to confess

our faults one to another. Let us be sure to do that. There is no danger about the other.

Another common habit with those who have confessions to make, is to bring in just as many as possible to keep them company. It is generally the case where there is a trial or difficulty, that more than one is at fault, and when churches are cold and backslidden, many are to blame, and sometimes the wrong course of another may lead us to sin. But when we confess, we have nothing to do with the sin others have committed. That don't help us any, nor answer for the one we have committed. Our confession is but to acknowledge our fault, and crave forgiveness for the same, and leave it for others to do the same with theirs. I consider it decidedly out of place to refer in our confessions to the others who have sinned, especially if they have sinned against ourselves. That course will never heal difficulties or trials between ourselves and others—to refer to them and say, if they had not done so-and-so, I should not have done so-and-so. We have nothing to do in confessing their sin for them. Their sin was a hundred times more against God than against us, and it will in nowise clear us. We are, however, especially interested in having our sins confessed before the Judgment shall sit upon our cases. That must be done, or we are lost. Whenever a person will follow this course in a complicated church difficulty, it will straighten one of the tangled threads, and have a great moral influence in helping others to straighten theirs. This desire to bring in others into our confessions, all arises from the tenacity of life there is in the old man of sin. Self hates to die, and if he can shoulder quite a portion of the guilt off upon others, he has to take so much less himself, and how he struggles to do it.

Another point that looks objectionable in confessions, is winding up with an exhortation. An exhortation is an excellent thing in its place. It is well to exhort our brethren and sisters to faithfulness and perseverance, to speak of the glorious reward, the joys of Heaven, the golden city, the society of angels, the plan of salvation, and many other interesting themes; but somehow they always seemed to me out of place in a confession of sin. The spirit of confession and exhortation hardly seem akin to one another. When we have wrongs to confess, calling for sincere contrition, and heart-felt penitence, and a broken spirit, a lively exhortation don't seem to harmonize well with it, and the time to call upon the brethren to arouse and be more earnest for God, hardly seems to be when we are standing in the attitude of a wrong-doer craving forgiveness for our sins. We are hardly standing then in the proper position to exhort or encourage others. Many poor souls don't realize it, of course; but it is only the effort of poor self to have the blame rest as lightly as possible upon it, and have the attention of the observer drawn away to a more pleasing subject, and thus prolong life as long as possible. Self hates to die. Self hates to be blamed. When shall we all realize it?

A confession of words, with no real sorrow for sin in it, of course is entirely useless, and even hateful in the sight of God. But a confession coming from a broken, contrite heart, direct, straight to the point, covering our own sins with no excuses, or self-justification in it, is a mighty means of grace to ourselves and to others. There is rejoicing in Heaven at the sound. Angels rejoice. It is certain to bring the tender Spirit of God in return. The strong man bends before it. Enemies are made friends by it. In short, it is not in the heart of man to stand before such a confession, and hold a grudge or feeling of animosity. Every sensible man can but respect that person who, when convinced of wrong, makes a humble confession of it. It is a work of honesty, and true manhood. None but fools think otherwise.

Every true confession will be followed up by an effort to reform. The heartier the confession, the more earnest the effort. “He that confesseth and forsaketh shall find mercy.”

GEO. I. BUTLER.