We have a “call to confession” as a regular part of our corporate worship service, which is normal for some but strange to others who come from different church backgrounds. I want to offer an argument and reminder for why we have this as a regular component of our corporate worship.
I do this because we want to avoid the error of just going through the motions and the way to do that is by impressing on ourselves the meaning and significance of why we do what we do.
So here are three reasons for this practice:
First, we do this as a way of acknowledging the ongoing presence of sin in our lives. Never confessing sin, according to 1 John 1:5-10, is a form of lying, which ironically is a sin. The day you stop sinning is the day you can exempt yourself from participation in this component of worship. But until then, honest ongoing confession of sin builds humble ongoing dependence on the Savior.
Second, we do this as a way of becoming fluent in the habit of confession. Like the process of learning a foreign language, corporate worship is a means of training our hearts to be fluent in the foreign language of humble honest confession of sin. Our native language is to excuse, hide, and minimize sin but God wants to learn a new language in which we draw near to Him and are honest about our sin.
Third, we do this as a way of breaking the power of sin. Sin loves and thrives in the darkness. When we excuse, hide, and minimize sin we are essentially pouring miracle grow on it. As we leave sin in the darkness to grow it will slowly but surely choke out the fruit of the Spirit, like weeds in a garden bed. But when, through confession, we expose sin to the light it withers away, giving room for godliness to grow in its place.
So in light of that, I commend to you not only this weekly rhythm of corporate confession of sin but the daily rhythm of personal confession of sin in your daily prayers.
