About "Public Confession" Of Sin
GOSPEL MINUTES is a weekly publication from Ft. Worth, Texas which I have read for the past ten or twelve years with a great deal of profit. Brother Dillard Thurman is the editor of the paper, and does some fine writing. Several times in recent years he has had somewhat to say about public confession of sins, and in the August 29, 1969 issue he has five paragraphs in his "Questions and Bible Answers" column on this subject. He has strong feelings against "public confession" of sins, or anyone teaching or desiring "to get up and confess to the congregation." He declares he does not know where the practice originated, but says "it was not in the early church! You can find no apostolic example or inference, much less any direct command." (I certainly appreciate his wanting either a command, apostolic example or necessary inference for whatever is practiced.) And, he may be right when he says, "I am certain the church would be much stronger if saints were taught to 'confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another' (Jas. 5:16), rather than teaching people to 'get up and confess to the congregation.' " I have been preaching the gospel for twenty years and have never taught brethren that they should get up and confess to the congregation every time they sinned. Furthermore, I have heard and met a few preachers, maybe not as many as brother Thurman, and I have never met or heard one who preached that brethren could not pray for themselves, but must come and let the preacher pray for them.
I think brother Thurman in his objection to a "public confession" of sins has allowed himself to go too far when he says: "Brethren, I am strenuously opposed to any preacher standing before an intelligent audience and asking God in prayer to forgive the sins of one who has `asked for our prayers.' "How he can take such a position in view of Acts 8:18-24; I John 5:16; James 5:16 and I Pet. 3:12, I do not understand. I often call upon one of the elders to lead the prayer on such an occasion, would he oppose an elder praying for a brother under such circumstances, or does he just oppose preachers praying for the forgiveness of others? Would he oppose Peter? Peter told Simon, "Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee . . . . Then answered Simon, Pray ye to the Lord for me." (Acts 8:22, 24) He must either oppose Peter, or say he did not pray for Simon, or contend that it was not before an intelligent audience. Which? I know he would not oppose Peter, or say Peter did not pray for Simon, but he does contend that Simon was not before the church when he asked Peter to pray for him, for he said, "So far as we know, the congregation never learned of this attempted bribery" but he "confessed his sin to Peter and John." Then he would be willing to pray for a brother who "asked for our prayers" providing there was only one other brother present, but he would not pray for the same brother if he asked for our prayers before an intelligent audience. It appears to me that he is opposed to the number of people who are present when he asks for the prayer rather than for the praying for another who has asked for our prayers. Tell us, how many brethren could be present and you still be willing to pray for one who "asked for our prayers?" Three could be together, for Simon, Peter and John were together. Could four? How about ten? Could twenty-five? I know where that would constitute the whole church.
When a penitent comes confessing his sins and asks for our prayers the following exists:
1. A penitent confessing sins before the whole church.
2. A penitent who has "asked for our prayers."
3. A brother praying for a penitent before the whole church, or the whole church praying for the penitent and one brother leading the prayer.
What is wrong with this? Is it wrong for a penitent to confess sins before the whole church? Is it the number of people who are present? Could a penitent ask for our prayers if there were two Christians but could not ask for such if there were two hundred? Is it the place? Could the penitent ask for our prayers if we were not at the place of the general assemblies of the church? Or, is it the fact that a brother prays for another brother in public? Frankly, I do not see any wrong in it. We are commanded to confess our sins one to another and pray one for another. (Jas. 5:16) James did not restrict this to a particular time or place. We have an example of a penitent asking for the prayers of another brother, who incidentally was a gospel preacher. (Acts 8:24) To contend that this was not done before the whole church would be to argue that the number present makes it wrong, not the practice, so why oppose the practice? Why restrict such to a certain number when God did not restrict it?
Untying A "Tent-Rope"
Brother Thurman says, "You can tie your 'tent-rope' to this: if those sins were not forgiven before the penitent reached the front of the assembly, nothing is going to be done there to effect a pardon!" Let's see if we can "untie" his tent-rope. Suppose brother Thurman is preaching to an assembly of God's people. He preaches that they must walk worthy of their calling, come out of the darkness of the world, lay aside the filthiness of the flesh, etc., that all will sin (Rom. 3:23), and when we sin we have an advocate with the Father (I Jn. 2:1, 2), that we must repent of that sin (Acts 8:24), confess it to God and beg his forgiveness (I John 1:8-10). The word which he preached pricked the heart of some brother who had been walking after the flesh, and when the invitation was extended he determined in his own heart that he must make things right with God, so he steps into the aisle and starts to the front. Now, according to brother Thurman the man's sins are now forgiven, for he says, "if those sins were not forgiven before the penitent reached the front of the assembly, nothing is going to be done there to effect a pardon!" Let's grant that the sinner has repented when he starts down the aisle. (So had Simon when he asked Peter to pray for him.) But he has not confessed his sins to God, he has not asked God to forgive him. These are conditions of pardon. Must he confess his sins to God and pray to God before he reaches the front of the assembly? What did Peter do for Simon after he repented? Can't we do that for this man?
After so strenuously opposing the public confession brother Thurman says in the next paragraph: "There are sins publicly known which can best be cleared by a public acknowledgment and a statement of sorrow for the sin." Isn't that a public confession? And he goes on to say, "This may well be done during a meeting of the church." Well, that is what we all say brother Thurman. If this is done where he preaches would he pray for the one who comes making the public statement of sins, or would he get up and teach the whole church that the brother who has come is a priest before God and can pray for himself? Who can believe it?
He says, "If those sins were not forgiven before the penitent reached the front of the assembly, nothing is going to be done there to effect a pardon!" I cannot agree. The penitent must confess his sins to have pardon. If his have been "sins publicly known which can best be cleared by a public acknowledgment and a statement of sorrow for the sin" is he forgiven before the acknowledgment of the sin? If not, then he must make acknowledgment of the sin before he reaches the front of the assembly, according to brother Thurman. Are his sins forgiven before he asks God's forgiveness? If not, he must pray to God before he reaches the front of the assembly, according to Thurman. Suppose the penitent has neither acknowledged the sins nor prayed before he reaches the front of the assembly, is there anything that can be done before the assembly to effect a pardon? I think so. He can make the public acknowledgment and pray to God. We could pray for him just as Peter prayed for Simon and it would not matter whether there were three, twenty-five or two hundred present. Certainly the man could pray for himself, or he could lead a public prayer on his own behalf, but if a woman she could not. Would brother Thurman advise that everyone sit while she prays a silent prayer for her forgiveness, or, would he tell her to wait until she gets out of the assembly then pray for forgiveness? (We know he would not pray for her forgiveness before an intelligent audience, for he is strenuously opposed to any preacher doing that.)
What possible harm can be done by a brother publicly confessing sins and asking other brethren to pray with and for him? Does it harm him who confesses the sin? Should we be ashamed to let others know we have sinned? Does it harm the other brethren and encourage them to go out and sin? Does it make God unhappy for us to confess our sins and ask his forgiveness? Is God made to sorrow when many brethren pray to him? Just what is harmful in such?
None of us teach that one must make a public confession of every sin before it can be forgiven. Private sins can be confessed privately and we can pray privately for forgiveness. Gospel preachers, elders, Bible class teachers whom I have known and whose writings I have read teach:
1. That every Christian is a priest before God.
2. That Jesus Christ is our High Priest and Mediator.
3. That we, as disciples, should confess our sins to God and ask for forgiveness.
4. That this confession and prayer can be made at any hour of day or night.
5. That one does not have to make a public confession of every sin, but in his private life confess his sins and beg forgiveness.
6. That when we sin against a brother we should be reconciled to that brother, asking his forgiveness and making things right with him.
7. That we must forgive our brother who trespasses against us as oft as he asks forgiveness.
8. That we should confess our sins one to another and pray one for another.
9. That "there are sins publicly known which can best be cleared by a public acknowledgment and a statement of sorrow for the sin."
10. That "such public acknowledgment and statement may well be done during a meeting of the church."
11. That the general rule governing confession is, make the confession as public as the sin.
In my judgment this is what the word of God teaches, and this is what brethren teach and practice. I do not think this justifies brother Thurman's opposition to "any preacher standing before an intelligent audience and asking God in prayer to forgive the sins of one who has asked for our prayers.' " I certainly do not agree with brother Thurman's position, "if those sins were not forgiven before the penitent reached the front of the assembly, nothing is going to be done there to effect a pardon!" I hope he will reconsider some of the statements he has made and correct them.
The Lord said if a brother trespass against thee and you go to him but he will not hear you, then take two or three with you and if he will not hear them, tell it unto the church. (Matt. 18:15-18) Suppose such a brother is brought before the church and this third act causes him to repent and he makes a confession of his sin before the whole church, can prayer be made for him? I say yes. Does brother Thurman say no?
Brother Thurman says there is no command, example or inference of this being done. But there is a command to pray one for another (James 5:16), with no restriction as to the number present. There is an example of a penitent asking a preacher to pray for him (Acts 8:24), with no restriction that this be done only in private. The fact that some may desire to make a public confession when others would not choose to make one does not justify opposition to public confessions per se.
While we should not encourage people to make a public confession of private sins, neither should we make restrictions where God has made none.