James 5.16 commands Christians confess their sins to one another. In the same verse that commands Christians pray for each other comes this command to confess to one another; we do well at the former but mostly ignore the latter.

The benefits of confessing our sins to each other are numerous.

First, confession makes us humble.

Too may Christians act as though their life is nearly perfect when in fact it is really a facade. We originally came to Jesus because we were broken and needed a Savior. The forgiveness of our past sins is not the perfection of our future life, we are still broken and still sin and still need both forgiveness and restoration. Certainly God’s pardon for our sin is appropriated for all time but daily we need God’s forgiveness and the forgiveness of others. It takes humility to ask men to forgive us.

Second, confession keeps us accountable.

When I reveal my weakness I admit to where I struggle and need encouragement. Too many Christians are surprised to find one of their own filing for divorce or getting caught in some major scandal. This happens because the small things leading to this big thing were not confessed to a brother so that the brother could encourage us to victory and keep us from falling.

Third, confession leads to peace.

Rather than living in fear and despair over the dark secrets locked in our closet confession brings them to light allowing us to unload them from our souls. The vacuum created in our hearts through confession is filled by peace and joy. If we would be free from the burden of living a lie we must confess our sins to one another.

Confession is good medicine that brings great healing but taking that medicine seems hard in the moment.