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What Is Confession?

“And they were baptized by [John] in the Jordan, confessing their sins” (Matthew 3:6 MKJV).

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance defines the word “confessing” in this passage (Greek 1843) as “to acknowledge or agree fully: - confess, profess, promise.”

The very first one to whom you confess is yourself. Confession means you are getting honest; you realize you have something to confess, acknowledge, or admit to, fully. It is a heart transaction, not a mere movement of the lips or flippant thought of the mind. When we confess, we declare, we assert, we fully acknowledge in all honesty, that something is so, without doubt or ambiguity.

If the confession is earnest, we will also make it to God, admitting the matter to Him. When we unreservedly make that announcement to ourselves, we are in essence making it to God as well, for He knows, hears, and sees all, and we know He does.

Indeed, if you are honestly confessing fault and sin, or if you are confessing Jesus Christ as Lord (“confession” defined as Strong defines it, and not as others may define it), God has already gone before you to give you the faith, heart, and tongue to do so. Paul declares:

“Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says Jesus is a curse, and that no one can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3 MKJV).

Paul is talking to the Corinthian saints about a genuine confession of the heart, through the lips. (We know that many say that Jesus is Lord, yet don’t know or care about Him – in other words, a confession of the lips alone is not enough.)

A true, godly confession is substance, backed with manifest acts that demonstrate and prove the genuineness of the confession.

We must also personally, specifically, and directly confess to God our sin and fault.

Do we leave it at that? Is that good enough for God? Not according to the Scriptures. If the confession is sure, we will go all the way, making the job complete. God knows we like to keep dirty little secrets about ourselves. He knows we have an ego we carefully try to guard at all times, not to mention the gods we like to entertain, consciously or otherwise. He knows all our reasonings, justifications, and pretenses that must be dealt with. We like to deceive ourselves, reasoning that it isn’t really necessary to make our sins and problems public, or that if we confess certain things, we may hurt loved ones or ourselves.

If we confess adultery, we expect that our spouse is going to be hurt, deeply offended, or very angry. Who knows if perhaps a divorce may not soon follow? Or if we were to confess some theft or felony, it may be that we are faced with legal charges, prison, maybe even execution. “What will my wife and children do then?” we may ask ourselves. “I can’t confess this! If I do, I’m dead, and they will be without a husband and father!”

These are not thoughts of true concern for loved ones. No, they are thoughts of self-preservation disguised in a self-righteous concern for others. The confessor of sin deserves to die and must acknowledge, with all his or her life, that this is so. True confession is a death sentence, even if you don’t have the legalities of this world to face. It is a transaction within. It is a crossing over from darkness to light, from Satan’s rule to God’s Law and rule.

When the people came to John confessing their sins, they were immersed (baptized) in the Jordan waters, a depiction of death, burial, and resurrection. What they were doing externally and publicly would eventually become reality within. It was a preparation for entrance into the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!”

They were confessing that their lives were unsatisfactory to God as they were. They were confessing with their lives that God is true, that He is to be believed and obeyed at all costs - all pretense, social status and benefits, praises of man, and hopes and ambitions in this world be damned.

God knows our frame, that we are but dust, full of infirmity, and He knows He must deal with us in a manner that causes us to come into the light:

“And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who practices truth comes to the Light so that his works may be revealed, that they exist, having been worked in God” (John 3:19-21 MKJV).

To come into the Light, we must be open and honest – no secrets here, no hiding, no darkness, no excuses or “good reasons,” no cover up or tampering with the naked truth.

“Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him and said of him, Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile!” (John 1:47 MKJV)

A true believer (Israelite indeed) is one in whom is no deception, wile, craft, subtlety, or self-preservation. He is an open book, a child of, and in, the Light – you see what you get and get what you see.

The Light reveals all. And Jesus Christ is the Light; He said so:

“Then Jesus spoke again to them, saying, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12 MKJV).

“He shall not kill; he shall not steal; he shall not commit adultery; he shall not walk in darkness.”

Jesus is the Light of men (John 1:4). While God generally manifests Himself in all of His creation, He particularly manifests Himself in His Son and in His servants, those born of Him and called and chosen to serve Him:

“For the earnest expectation of the creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God” (Romans 8:19 MKJV).

It is commonly preached that we should confess only to God, not even to the one we have wronged. That is a lie, at least an error of the first order. That is the enemy speaking in all his “love” and “concern for others.” The master liar knows how to retain a child of darkness in his prison and chains. He knows how to persuade him or her to be “good” and not to hurt anyone’s feelings or endanger their social comfort in any way. He knows that self respect is important to them and persuades them to preserve it. He knows how to push all the right buttons.

The enemy also knows that if you come clean, you win your freedom and he loses his subject. The chains are broken and the prison door flies open; the captive is released in his soul; the truth has made him free! That’s not something the destroyer of souls wants, not at all. He comes not to give life, but to steal, kill, and destroy.

James says to the saints:

“Confess faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous one avails much” (James 5:16 MKJV).

[The word “faults” (G3900) in James 5:16 means, “side slip (lapse or deviation), that is, (unintentional) error or (willful) transgression: - fall, fault, offense, sin, trespass.”]

Along with confession of faults, saints are to pray for one another. How will they know to pray for you, if you keep your faults to yourself? And how will you be healed if they don’t pray for you? God uses the members of His Body to minister salvation and healing to one another. He brings them forth to be one with each other, to be open and flowing - there is no room for independence. A branch separated from a tree will not live; so it is with those who keep secrets from God and man.

Confession is an open act, an earnest, sincere, honest declaration of something, not just by the lips, but by the life. Confession of sin or fault is an admission of guilt or failure to all concerned - to one’s self, to God, to the one(s) wronged, and to those ministering the salvation or deliverance of God by speaking the truth to them and praying for them. The Jews that came to John at the Jordan knew what they had to do; they were moved of God to do it.

But not all. The Pharisees also came, and they were not about to confess their sins. After all, they were the “righteous ones,” ruling over sinners. Righteous ones have no sins to confess, do they? But what do the Scriptures say about that?

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8 MKJV).

And: “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us” (1 John 1:10 MKJV).

But what happens when we confess our faults to one another?

“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 MKJV).

Do you want to be cleansed, sinner? Then do what God tells you to do. Do what He says works, and not what men, who would keep you in your darkness and bondage, tell you to do, giving you false hope and security. Let God be true and every man a liar. Confess; fully, openly, honestly acknowledge your sins and faults to those who stand by, ready to serve God.

Understand again: Acceptable confession is one of the life, with substance, not just of the lips, of form. God knows the hypocrite and liar, and He knows honesty and sincerity. You can’t fool Him.

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he also will reap” (Galatians 6:7 MKJV).

The cleansing of your unrighteousness will be according to your honesty and faith and the completeness of your confession. Blessed is the one who practices truth and comes to the Light so that his works may be revealed, that they exist, having been worked in God.

Now Paul and I have a confession to make:

It is repeatedly reported at Palabra Revelada in Tegucigulpa, Honduras by its leaders, Bernardo and Mirna, and by their underling pastors and devoted followers, that we, Victor Hafichuk and Paul Cohen, with the help of Edwin and Delia Romero, his mother Maria Luisa (Mery), and others, are contaminating souls and deceiving them.

To those charges, we say:

If by “contamination,” they speak of our leading souls to wholeheartedly confess and repent of their sins and faults, make apologies and restitution to their fellow man, and thus get right with God, then we are guilty.

If by “contamination,” they speak of our bringing forth the Gospel of Jesus Christ without charge, without calling upon our hearers to pay us for our work, then we are guilty.

If by “contamination,” they speak of giving people hope and faith in God, then we are guilty.

If by “contamination,” they speak of our teaching people how to live holy and righteous lives before God, obeying Him, putting away all filthiness of the flesh, and doing good to one another, so that it may be well for them, then we are certainly guilty.

If by “contamination,” they speak of souls being made free through genuine repentance and confession of sin, and faith in the shed blood and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Lord of lords and King of kings, the Resurrection and the Life, then we are most certainly guilty.

Before God and man, we confess it, are unrepentant, and make no apologies.

If those at Palabra Revelada know of sin in our lives, if they see fruits that lead away from God, according to the Scriptures, then let them say so. If not, let them forever hold their peace, because God will no longer tolerate the wagging of evil, envious, covetous, irresponsible tongues against Him and His children. Our God is a jealous God and nobody to despise or fool with.

God is finished winking, and those who believe will see that what we say is true concerning the end of false apostles, prophets, teachers, accusers, and all who oppose God’s people and murmur against what He is doing.

Finally, Bernardo and Mirna Simonson, how clean are your lives? What do you do in secret, and what do your people hide from one another and presume to hide from God? How are your families? What are the activities of each of the members of your families? Do you know?

And if you know and conceal these matters, are you so deceived as to suppose that the One Who made the seeing eye does not see? Have you not red in your Bible how there is nothing hid that will not be made manifest? Can you deceive your fellow man forever? We think not.

Consider, for your lives, consider. It is time for you to repent and confess, or perish. And you will answer for the souls you have caused to perish with you.

Victor Hafichuk

Confession of Sin

A sure sign of the work of God is confession of sin and restitution. The Kingdom of God has come on earth when you recognize your wrongs and do what He requires about them. This paper will tell you more about this blessed event.