Reconciliation

The goal of confession is complete reconciliation between two or more sinners. It’s wonderful when it happens. When two faulty Christians admit their faults to each other, uncover and stop hiding their tendencies and practices, pray together, and “make up,” the angels dance in heaven. Each is now greater than before, and the two are far more than the sum of their parts. God is a little more visible to the whole community to which they belong.

But it doesn’t always happen. Even Paul said, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace.” (Romans 12:18) There will not always be reconciliation. Some people were never taught how to forgive, are too angry to even consider it, or have confused forgiveness with excusing or condoning sin. And some people have been hurt so badly that even if they do forgive, they may not ever want to have anything to do with the one who hurt them. Like perfection, reconciliation is something to seek, as well as something we may have to live without. In that case, we can only cling to the forgiveness of God and go on, trying to let the Holy Spirit make real in us the new, abundant life God has promised.

Conclusion

Confession is tricky business. As we have learned, it is far more than simply listing infractions. “Today I cut in front of another car in traffic, stole paper from the office, yelled at my wife.” We couldn’t do it thoroughly, even if we tried! “I had a judgmental thought while watching the news.” Just how detailed do we want to get? We don’t even have a realistic view of what sin is. We may recognize that we have lost our temper and said hurtful things, but are we aware of all our sin? Can we trace back to the thought, and the temptation that led to the thought and the tiredness that made us pay attention to the temptation, and the childhood influences that made this a likely sore point for us? Do we know our whole brokenness? Only God knows. All we can do is open our hands and hearts and hold them up to Him. Well, there is one more thing. We can look left and right, take the broken hands of those nearby, and all hold them up together to Him. He is Faithful and Just. And He will forgive.