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[Note: This MS is available in larger font on our Brief Articles 3 page.]
The New Testament plainly teaches that we sometimes sin as Christians. To children of God, John wrote: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us…. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:8, 10). As much as a child of God might desire to live in absolutely perfect harmony with Divine Law, these verses remind us that we will fail to do so due to weaknesses of the flesh, resulting in sin (1 John 3:4).
Some sins are private in nature (Mat. 5:28), and some are public sins (1 Cor. 5:1). It logically (and practically) follows that there are, between these extremes, “semi-private” sins, known by only one or a few others.
The Bible teaches us to confess our sins: “If we confess our sins, he [God] is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins…” (1 John 1:9). To “confess” a sin is to acknowledge or admit that we have sinned to the one(s) sinned against and/or to the one(s) who has/have witnessed our sin. Further, there is at least some implication of repentance in a confession of sin, assuming the confession is genuine. An impenitent person does not confess sins.
What about public confession of sins? Such is likely the setting of James 5:16: “Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” My understanding of the healing here is the forgiveness of sins confessed, thus the “healing” of the soul.
What sins should be publicly confessed? The obvious answer is those that are publicly committed or known. A sin of thought needs to be confessed only to God, for He alone knows it, besides oneself. A sin in the privacy of one’s home, known only to his family, should be confessed to and corrected with only those few. However, when one has shamed the whole church, whether by neglect, immorality, dishonesty, drunkenness, false doctrine, or otherwise, he/she should publicly confess such sins. Of course, “gutter-language” and/or sensitive details, should (and can) be avoided in announcing such confessions.
Related to the above, many of the Lord’s finest people respond to the invitation from time to time, asking for prayers from the church for a particular need, weakness, or trial. Is this good or bad? I desire for the whole church to pray for me, and I am greatly encouraged to hear my name called in the prayers of our assemblies. I dare not begrudge anyone else this source of strength. While requests for such prayers may be made other than by an invitation response (e.g., through public announcements), I know of no Scriptural precept or principle one violates by making such requests known by responding to the invitation.
[Note:I I wrote this article for and it was published in The Lighthouse, weekly bulletin of Northpoint Church of Christ, Denton, TX, October 10, 2010, of which I was editor.]
Attribution: From The Scripturecache.com, owned and administered by Dub McClish.
Dub, I appreciated your article and agree with you completely. This thought should be widely distributed today. Chuck House
Dear Chuck,
Thanks for dropping by The Scripture Cache and for posting the kind and encouraging note. Godspeed.
Yours in the Cause,
Dub McClish
Dear brother in Christ Dub.
Your article is very informative you have written wonderful truth of the Word. I have a suggestion what if I translate your written articles in other languages as I am preacher of one of the Churches in Christ in Pakistan. My wife and I are already working in translation and editing of the New Testament teaching Truth for the World.
Blessings
Preacher Shahid
Dear brother Shahid,
Thank you for visiting The Scripture Cache. I am very pleased that you found my article helpful, and I appreciate your offer to translate my articles and MSS. I will be most pleased if you would do this, but I must tell you that I am unable to pay you or your wife anything for such work, although I know that it is tedious and time-consuming work that deserves reward. If you wish to do this work without pay, you have my full permission to do so, for I wish to make my writings available to as many people as possible. Presently, Spanish is the only other language in which any of my writings are available. A Mexican brother is graciously volunteering his translating efforts to make this possible.
I have two questions: (1) Should you wish to do this work, will you be able to take my material directly from my Website? (2) You mentioned “other languages.” Does this mean you might translate my works into more than one language? Again, thank you very much. I look forward to hearing from you. If you wish you may contact me by email: dubmcclish@gmail.con.
Yours in the Cause,
Dub McClish
Hello brother. Dub, I appreciate every effort of you in posting all this very informative articles that can help us to work worthy to the Lord, this messages and lessons are very helpful indeed and i have used all your topics here in spreading the good news in our area. Thank you very much brother. I will print it out and saved in my USB so that i can make a Xerox or copy for the other Truth seekers.. I can also make it posible with the help of the Lord and your prayers, The Sound congregation here in our Mountainous village will gladly enjoy the message.. God bless you and indeavor..
Your in Christ,
bro. Jaymark U. ramirez..
Dear Jaymark,
Thank you for visiting The Scripture Cache and for taking time to make your very gracious comments. I rejoice that you find the material on my Website helpful and that you are able to use it in you preaching and teaching efforts in the Philippines. I pray God’s blessings on your work.
Yours in the Cause,
Dub McClish