True Confession

If someone incurs guilt in one of these cases, he is to confess he has committed that sin. - Leviticus 5:5

What does it mean to "confess" your sin, and at what point should you do it? Unfortunately, I fear that too many might respond, "When you get caught!" and still others might say, "When it becomes no longer possible to lie your way out of it!"

While these methods might seem practical in a worldly sense, God seems to say that it is best to confess your sin immediately after you recognize that you have committed it. When caught by a Spirit-controlled conscience, you should immediately confess, but what does that mean?

To confess a sin is to see it as God does, through His eyes, through the perspective of pure holiness. It is not just admitting sin or saying that you are sorry. It is understanding your sin as an affront and offense to the blood of Christ, which then results in a godly sorrow that leads to true repentance.

Confession is only good as long as it is true.

The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy. - Solomon (Proverbs 28:13)