Essential Element of Worship: Confession

"[Confession] used to be a necessary element in any genuinely Christian service. But it is not happening today because there is so little awareness of God. Instead of coming to church to admit our transgressions and seek forgiveness, we come to church to be told that we are really pretty nice people who do not need forgiveness. We are such busy people, in fact, that God should actually be pleased that we have taken time out of our busy schedules to come to church at all."

– James Montgomery Boice, theologian and pastor

How should we approach God? After we have given him the praise due his holy name, and acknowledged his true nature, in what way then should we continue into his presence. Isaiah chapter six and the Psalms give us insight.

Consider what attitudes are absent from the scriptural account of Isaiah’s encounter with the Lord: First, Isaiah was not simply unmoved or apathetic, sitting with his arms folded as the glory of God was proclaimed. On the contrary, he writes the experience, “…the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke” (Isaiah 6:4). A clear vision of the one, true God wasn’t a neatly packaged product for which Isaiah had false expectations and presumptions. The mere voice of the seraphim proclaiming God’s holiness shakes the heavens.

Second, Isaiah did not act as though being in the presence of God was a state of comfort and familiarity. The presence of God is disturbing to unholy creatures, because sin is not permitted in the presence of holiness, and indeed the very sight of God would be fatal to a sinner. Instead, Isaiah confessed his sin and the sin of his people. He was distressed at the truth of the presence before him and knew that he must confess this sin in order to even be there.

Scripture is abundantly clear on the necessity of acknowledging our sin before a holy God. Psalm 51 says, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.” Again, Psalm 130 pleads with the Lord, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!...If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” 1 John 1 gives us a wonderful promise along with a grave warning. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:9-10).

Apart from confession of sin, we as individuals have no claim to the grace of God. We have no righteousness apart from grace, yet we are commanded to worship in righteousness. This is the gospel message, and our corporate worship as the gathered church should be a representation of the gospel in its fullness. If, then, we are to truly worship, we, as a church, must approach God in a spirit of humility and confession of sin. We should sing and pray our confession together, acknowledging our sin—for it is through confession that the fullness of the power of God’s saving grace through Jesus Christ is realized. Then, and only then, may we rise as co-heirs with Christ and approach the throne of God boldly, eager to receive his word and willingly respond in service and sacrifice.