Confession

​I don’t think many of us Christians take confession seriously enough.  If we did, our lives would be radically different.  When you’re totally honest about your sins, something happens.—Bill Hybels in Too Busy Not to Pray

“Sorrow” is necessary to a good confession. Sorrow as it relates to confession is not primarily an emotion, though emotion may be involved.  It is an abhorrence at having committed the sin, a deep regret at having offended the heart of the Father.  Sorrow is an issue of the will before it is an issue of the emotions.  In fact, being sorrowful in the emotions without a godly sorrow in the will destroys the confession.—Richard J. Foster in Celebration of Discipline

For a good confession three things are necessary: an examination of conscience, sorrow, and a determination to avoid sin.—St. Alphonsus Luguori in “A Good Confession”

Why not now, in a humbling sense of confessed sin, bow down under the mighty hand of God that where sin abounded, He may make grace much more abound.—Oswald Chambers in Christian Discipline

For when I am wicked, confession to You simply means being displeased at myself; when I am good, confession to You means simply not attributing my goodness to myself: for You, O Lord, bless the just man, but first You turn him from ungodliness to justice.  And so my confession, O my God, in Your sight is made silently: and yet not silently, for if it makes no sound, yet it cries aloud in my heart. For whatever good I utter to men, You have heard from me before I utter it; and whatever good You hear from me, You have first spoken to me.—St. Augustine in Augustine Confession

A false idea of confessing makes us tell secrets that should never be told, they are between God and the soul.  There are affinities of heart and of life that are dealt with by God in secret and we must never say a word about them to others.—Oswald Chambers in So Send I You 

Confession is not for the sake of other people, but for our own sake.  Confession means we have trusted God for this thing and we believe on the ground of His Word that the work is done.  We realize by confessing that we have no one except God to stand by us.—Oswald Chambers in As He Walked

Behold me, O Lord God, falling down at thy feet! Behold me pleading guilty in thy presence, and surrendering myself to that justice which I cannot escape! I have not one word to offer in my own vindication, in my own excuse.  Words, far from being able to clear up my innocence, can never sufficiently describe the enormity and demerit of my sin.—P. Doddridge in Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul

A generalized confession may save us from humiliation and shame but it will not ignite inward healing.—Richard J. Foster in Celebration of Discipline

Do not feel worried if you do not remember all your little peccadilloes in confession, for as you often fall imperceptibly, so you are often raised up imperceptibly.—Francis de Sales in To Any Christian

Never allow anyone to get by with confessing another person’s sin in front of the group.—Dale Galloway in 20/20 Vision

Full exposure of each sin by the offender prevents greater harm from occurring to the body of Christ.  Confession of sin grounded in sincere repentance is the most effective weapon of spiritual warfare.  There is no place for hidden sin among partners of the gospel.—Tom Capps in Pray and Plan

Even if we make the confession of faith, it gives us no title to any special claim upon Jesus.  We can never appeal to our confession or be saved simply on the ground that we have made it.  Neither is the fact that we are members of a Church which has a right confession a claim to God’s favour.—Dietrich Bonhoeffer in The Cost of Discipleship

Lenin himself admitted “I made a mistake.” . . . My living nightmare is to find myself lost in an ocean of red with the blood of innumerable victims.  It is too late now to alter the past, but what was needed to save Russia were ten Francis of Assisis.—Marxist scholar sharing with Philip Yancy in Rumors of Another World

Confessions simply establishes the proper ground rules of creatures relating to their creator.—Philip Yancy in Prayer Does It Make Any Difference?

​“God, if these people knew about me what you know about me, they wouldn’t listen to a word I said.”—Haddon Robinson