How to Confess Your Sins to God (and Others)

To be reconciled to God the Father through Jesus Christ, we must (1) turn from our sins and (2) trust in Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38; Gal. 2:16), which are two sides of the same coin. That is how someone becomes a Christian.

But turning from our sins and trusting in Jesus, viewed together, is also how Christians restore intimacy with God when they sin. This does not mean that Christians can lose their salvation; God assures us otherwise (John 10:27–30; Rom. 8:29–30; Phil. 1:6; Jude 24). However, our sins dishonor God and disrupt our intimate communion with him. Therefore, we need to confess our sins to God as they arise. Confession is something we will do until we are free from sin altogether and with Jesus face-to-face (1 John 3:2).

Below I explain how to confess your sins to God. Confession is the act by which we agree with God that we have sinned against him, simultaneously turning from that sin and turning back to him by faith in Jesus. However, much of the material below is also relevant as we confess our sins to other Christians—not as a means of securing forgiveness from God but to reconnect with other Christians, to seek insights about our lives, and to pray for one another moving forward.

1. Identify Your Sins

Scripture is the ultimate, authoritative guide for clarifying God’s will for our lives, not our conscience or church tradition or social norms. As we read the Bible and listen to others explain it, we learn more about God’s expectations for our lives and more about how we turn away from him. For example, read Galatians 5:16–26 and Colossians 3:1–17.

Confession is the act of agreeing with God that we have sinned against him, which includes turning away from sin and turning back to God by faith in Jesus. Much of the material below is also relevant as we confess our sins to other Christians. We do not confess our sins to others as a means of securing forgiveness from God, but to reconnect with other Christians, to seek insights about our lives, and to pray for one another. How do we confess our sins to God?

As we read the Bible and listen to others explain it, we learn about God’s expectations for our lives and how we fall short of his standards. The first category below identifies sins of commission (what God forbids us to do) and sins of omission (what God wants us to do but we don’t). The second category below identifies common idols—people and things that we often value more than God.

Category #1

a. Sins of Commission: selfishness, greed, vanity, pride, lust, sex outside of marriage, hatred of God & others, godless worrying, self-indulgence, ingratitude, etc.

b. Sins of Omission: lack of faith, lack of hope, lack of love, lack of worship, lack of love for his Word, lack of gathering in Christian community, lack of gratitude, etc.

Category #2

a. Relational Idols: self, parents, siblings, friends, dating relationships, spouse, children, grandchildren, other relatives, pastors, politicians, professors, celebrities, etc.

b. Non-relational Idols: food, entertainment, popularity, appearance, health, seduction, sex, safety, drugs, alcohol, education, work, money, possessions, retirement, etc.

And so this process begins with our admission that we have sinned. We say to God: “I will not blame others. I was the one who did that.”

2. Confess Your Sins

Simply identifying our sins is not enough. Confession also includes agreeing with God that his Word outlines for us what is morally right and that we are morally wrong when we deviate from his expectations. As we confess our sins, there may be significant feelings of regret, sadness, and even anger over our own sins. However, true confession always includes an internal resolution of the heart to turn from our sins and to turn back to God through faith in Jesus Christ. If there is not a resolution to change, then we are merely reporting our sins to God.

When I confess my sin, I often incorporate a physical movement into my prayer. I imagine that I am grabbing my sin from my stomach (since that is often where I feel the awareness of temptation and sin). I then push the temptation and sin away from me, flexing my arms firmly as I do it, crying out to God to forgive me and asking him to empower me to live differently. Using physical movements when we pray is certainly not a requirement. But it is my way of telling my heart and my mind to wake up, to fight, and to run to God. In my life, the alternative is to let temptations and sins wash over me, localize in my stomach, and run right up my chest. I can feel it happen.

Whatever you do, don’t simply report your sins to God and wallow in the mud: “…oh, God…here I am again…struggling for days…wishing that something would change.” Instead, cry out to God in repentance. Cry out to God in faith. And cry out for the strength to change.

3. Where Necessary, Make Things Right

“If we confess our sins, he [God the Father] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). When we confess our sins to God, he assures us that he forgives us, based on what Jesus accomplished at the cross (Rom. 3:24–26). That is how God is both faithful (to his promise to forgive) and just (since Jesus satisfied God’s justice). But confession also restores our intimacy with God so we can listen to him more clearly, talk to him more openly, and serve him more effectively.

As you confess your sins, don’t be surprised if God wants you to do something after your confession to him. This is not a way of earning your way back into his presence but a way of making things right. Is there someone to whom you need to apologize? Does God want you to rid yourself of certain temptations in your life? Is God calling you to some other act of obedience? In brief, God forgives, but he always calls us to live differently moving forward.

For Reflection and Discussion

  1. What does it mean to confess your sins to God? How is that different from merely acknowledging what you have done?

  2. What specific sins do you want to confess to God? What strategies will help you turn from your sins and turn to God?

  3. In what ways is it wise to confess your sins to other Christians? How might you incorporate that practice into your life more consistently?