Confession of Sin to Those We Have Offended
Is it necessary to confess sin to those we have offended in order to be right before God? The simple answer to this query is, “Yes.” A few additional thoughts may, however, be helpful.
I. Sin is essentially a “causing offense”. It may be seen as:
A. transgression (Heb. “pasha”, Grk. “paraptoma”), as
B. wickedness (Heb. “rasha”, Grk. “adikeo”), or as
C. falling short (Heb. “chata”, Grk. “hamartano”)
II. The offense may be against God, against our fellow man or both.
A. Against God (Joseph, Gen. 39:9; David, Ps. 51:4; etc.)
B. Against men (Jacob w/ Laban, Gen. 31:36; a bro. against you, Mt. 18:15; cf. 1 Sam. 2:25; 1 Kings 8:31; Lk. 17:4). Not every offense against others is an offense against God (i.e., a sin).
III. Consequences of offending God or men include distance in the relationship.
A. Distance from God
- Separation in the relationship, Is. 59:2
- Loss of good from the relationship, Jer. 5:25
- Death, Ezk. 18:20
- Punishment, Hos. 9:9
B. Distance from men
- Separation in the relationship, Mt. 18:15
- Loss of good from the relationship, e.g. Joseph and his brothers, Genesis 37ff.
- Endurance of the consequences, e.g. David and the death of a son, 2 Sam. 12:14
- Loss of unity in the body of Christ, Phil. 4:2; cf. Jn. 17:21
IV. Genuine repentance for sin against God must include concern for the sin that has offended others. If not, one’s worship of God is not acceptable.
A. “So, then, if you bring your gift to the altar, and if you there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go, and first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” Mt. 5:23f.
B. “We are more likely to remember when we have something against others than when we have done something to offend others. And if we are truly concerned about our anger and hate, we shall be no less concerned when we engender them in others.” (D. A. Carson)
C. “The Jews were quite clear that a man had to do his utmost to put things right himself before he could be right with God.” (W. Barclay)
D. “Yom Kippur atones for a person’ transgressions against God, but it does not atone for his transgressions against his fellow-man until he appeases him.” (Mishna, Yoma 8:9)
Conclusion:
When we are aware that we have sinned against a fellow believer (i.e. offended him or her) and especially so when we know that this believer holds offense toward us, we must make effort to heal the relationship. This likely means a confession of wrong, an apology, and perhaps restitution. Our refusal to do this constitutes further sin toward God.
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” James 5:16
Copyright © Donald Reigstad, 2004