Risking Much, Part II

Dear Reader, I know that the posts are out of sequence, but the latest post was actually part one of this post. It was long, so I thought I'd break it up into two.

Ultimately, one needs to gain a proper understanding of confession. Dallas Willard says that confession, "Is both a grace and a discipline." What he means is that it is a grace because confession is founded in the cross. Without the gift of God's grace, we have nothing here. Yet, it is also a discipline because as we work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12), we see that we need to practice the discipline of confession to grow in a deeper relationship with God. Proverbs 23:12 states, "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper; but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (ESV) Additionally, confession is both and individual and corporate discipline (see 1 Timothy 2:12 and James 5:16).

As we learn and grow in our understanding of confession, we learn the place of community in confession. As you know, I like reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In his beautiful treatise on community called Life Together, Bonhoeffer helps us to understand this role. He states, “He who is alone with his sin is utterly alone. It may be that Christians, notwithstanding corporate worship, common prayer, and all their fellowship in service, may still be left to their loneliness. The final break-through to fellowship does not occur, because, though they have fellowship with one another as believers and as devout people, they do not have fellowship as the undevout, as sinners. The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner. So everyone must conceal his sin from himself and from the fellowship. We dare not be sinners. Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among the righteous. So we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy. The fact is that we are sinners!” This fact can be horrifying to most if we are not intentional in our pursuit of God and loving each other as he commanded (Mark 12:29-31). Brennan Manning puts it this way, "God loves you are and not as you should be." 3) As we mature in Christ and learn to intentionally love each other, we learn that, just as God wants you, so we should learn to love another the same way. Confession helps to strengthen community because we learn to remove the veils from our faces.

Dear Reader, I must leave you with these thoughts. Hopefully this pacifies your need to know what's happening. As Numbers 6:24-26 says, "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."