Topical Bible: Prayer: Confession In

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Confession in prayer is a vital aspect of the Christian faith, serving as a means for believers to acknowledge their sins before God and seek His forgiveness. This practice is deeply rooted in Scripture and is essential for maintaining a right relationship with God.

Biblical Foundation

The concept of confession is prominently featured in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, confession is often associated with repentance and the acknowledgment of sin. Leviticus 5:5 states, "If someone incurs guilt in one of these ways, he must confess the sin he has committed." This verse underscores the necessity of confession as part of the process of atonement and reconciliation with God.

In the New Testament, confession is further emphasized as a crucial element of the believer's spiritual life. 1 John 1:9 declares, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." This passage highlights the assurance of God's forgiveness and cleansing when believers confess their sins.

Theological Significance

Confession in prayer is not merely an admission of wrongdoing; it is an act of humility and submission to God's authority. It acknowledges God's holiness and the believer's dependence on His grace. Through confession, Christians recognize their need for a Savior and the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.

The practice of confession also fosters spiritual growth and maturity. By regularly confessing sins, believers are reminded of their ongoing need for God's grace and are encouraged to pursue holiness. James 5:16 instructs, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail." This verse suggests that confession not only brings personal healing but also strengthens the community of faith.

Practical Application

Incorporating confession into daily prayer life can be transformative for believers. It involves a sincere examination of one's heart and actions, followed by an honest acknowledgment of sin before God. This practice can be done privately or in the context of corporate worship, where communal confession can unite believers in their shared need for God's mercy.

Confession should be specific and heartfelt, reflecting genuine remorse and a desire to turn away from sin. It is also important to remember that confession is not a means of earning forgiveness but a response to the grace already extended through Christ's sacrifice.

Examples in Scripture

Several biblical figures exemplify the practice of confession in prayer. King David's prayer in Psalm 51 is a profound example of heartfelt confession and repentance. After being confronted with his sin, David cries out, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions" (Psalm 51:1). His prayer reflects a deep awareness of his sin and a sincere plea for God's mercy.

Similarly, the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15 illustrates the power of confession and repentance. The prodigal son, upon realizing his waywardness, returns to his father and confesses, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you" (Luke 15:21). This act of confession leads to reconciliation and restoration.

Conclusion

Confession in prayer is a foundational practice for believers, enabling them to experience God's forgiveness and maintain a vibrant relationship with Him. Through confession, Christians are reminded of their need for grace and are empowered to live lives that reflect God's holiness.

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Leviticus 5:5
And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he has sinned in that thing:
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Leviticus 26:40
If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary to me;
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Numbers 5:5-7
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
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Judges 10:10,15
And the children of Israel cried to the LORD, saying, We have sinned against you, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.
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1 Samuel 12:10
And they cried to the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.
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1 Kings 8:47
Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land where they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication to you in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;
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Ezra 9:6,15
And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to you, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up to the heavens.
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Nehemiah 1:6,7
Let your ear now be attentive, and your eyes open, that you may hear the prayer of your servant, which I pray before you now, day and night, for the children of Israel your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against you: both I and my father's house have sinned.
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Nehemiah 9:2,33-35
And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
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Job 7:20
I have sinned; what shall I do to you, O you preserver of men? why have you set me as a mark against you, so that I am a burden to myself?
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Job 40:4,5
Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer you? I will lay my hand on my mouth.
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Psalm 31:10
For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones are consumed.
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Psalm 32:3,5
When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
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Psalm 38:4-8,10,18
For my iniquities are gone over my head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
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Psalm 40:12
For innumerable evils have compassed me about: my iniquities have taken hold on me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head: therefore my heart fails me.
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Psalm 51:3,4
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
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Psalm 69:5
O God, you know my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from you.
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Psalm 106:6,7
We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.
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Psalm 119:176
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant; for I do not forget your commandments.
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Psalm 130:3
If you, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
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Proverbs 28:13
He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy.
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Isaiah 6:5
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the middle of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
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Isaiah 59:12,13
For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;
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Jeremiah 3:13,25
Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the LORD your God, and have scattered your ways to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed my voice, said the LORD.
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Jeremiah 14:7,20
O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do you it for your name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against you.
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Lamentations 1:18
The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.
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Lamentations 3:42
We have transgressed and have rebelled: you have not pardoned.
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Lamentations 5:16
The crown is fallen from our head: woe to us, that we have sinned!
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Daniel 9:5-15
We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from your precepts and from your judgments:
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Library

Confession and Prayer. December 13, 1776
... FAST-DAY HYMNS. Hymn 65 Confession and Prayer. December 13, 1776. John
Newton 8,8,8,8. Confession and Prayer. December 13, 1776. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/olney hymns/hymn 65 confession and prayer.htm

The Persecution which Occurred at Antioch, on the Orontes. The ...
... The Place of Prayer in Edessa, called after the Apostle Thomas; the Assembly
there, and Confession of the Inhabitants of Edessa. ...
/.../chapter xviii the persecution which occurred.htm

Confession and Absolution
... in my case, for my disease is of such a nature, that none but an Almighty Physician
ever can remove it." So he directs his confession and his prayer to one ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/confession and absolution.htm

In Fine, Supplication for Pardon, with Humble and Ingenuous ...
... Of Prayer. ... In fine, supplication for pardon, with humble and ingenuous confession
of guilt, forms both the preparation and commencement of right prayer. ...
/.../of prayer--a perpetual exercise of faith/chapter 9 in fine supplication.htm

I Suspect I have Been Allotting Habitually Too Little Time to ...
... resolves: "I ought not to omit any of the parts of prayer"confession,
adoration, thanksgiving, petition and intercession. There ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bounds/purpose in prayer/chapter vii i suspect i.htm

The Lack of Prayer
... all are willing to make confession; and that the difficulties in the way of deliverance
are such as to make a return to a true and full prayer-life almost ...
/.../murray/the ministry of intercession/chapter i the lack of.htm

The Baptist Confession of 1688.
... I present here only the distinctive features of the Baptist Confession, which my ...
church itself, and solemnly set apart by fasting and prayer, with imposition ...
/.../the baptist confession of 1688.htm

The Orthodox Confession of Mogilas, AD 1643.
... us from our true sister, the Church of Lesser Russia, entitled "The Confession of
the ... books of the Old and New Testaments; Hope into the Lord's Prayer and the ...
/.../ 16 the orthodox confession.htm

Triumphant Prayer
... fuses together into one indistinguishable and yet not confused whole, confession,
and pleading remonstrance and also the confidence of triumphant prayer. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/triumphant prayer.htm

Confession and Penance.
... fall on his knees before the beloved of God; to enjoin all the brethren to bear
the message of his prayer for mercy"all these things does confession that it ...
/.../killen/the ancient church/chapter iv confession and penance.htm