Some practices can be engaged in for so long that we begin to confuse the ruts of tradition for the clear paths of scripture. "Extending the invitation" and "invitation songs" at the conclusion of sermons are examples of such. While our judgment may tell us that such an invitation and accompanying song may be appropriate, nothing in scripture demands them. And yet to conclude a sermon without such an invitation and hymn is, to some, tatamount to not observing the Lord's Supper on the first day of the week. Leave either one off on some occasion and you'll find out just how firmly entrenched the practice has become. Otherwise good students of scripture will insist, while admitting that such is not mandatory, that such a song must be sung by saying something like, "I know it isn't mandated, but...." It is one thing to demand that things be done because scripture dictates such; it is quite another to force my will and judgment upon others.

Another example of such a traditional practice is public confession of sins. There are probably a number of reasons why this practice got started and why it is perpetuated but, whatever the reasons, we need to re-examine our attitude toward this (and all other) exercises that have become a part of our tradition.

Public acknowledgment of sin has been engaged in and insisted upon for so long that one might think the scriptures very clearly teach such. The passage that is generally introduced at this point is James 5:16, but neither this text nor its context has anything to do with a public confession of sin before an assembly of a local church. Can you find in other scriptures a statement that suggests a public confession is necessary, an example of such that would lead us to conclude such is mandated, some compelling inference that would lead us to insist that it must be done, or a command which forces us to this conclusion? I sincerely doubt that such verses exists. So before insisting that someone publicly confess sins we need to remember that we have no right to require someone to do something unless there is very clear scriptural teaching that mandates such. Just because I think I should or would make such a confession, doesn't give me the right to impose my judgment on others.

Insistence upon such a tradition as public confession of sins has had its consequences.

Makes local churches intermediaries. We have, perhaps inadvertently, left the impression that unless one can make it to some local church and in some manner make, or have made, a public confession, one's soul is in jeopardy. But my soul being prepared to stand before God in judgment is not dependent upon "making things right with the church" but rather making things right with God, and there is a difference between those two concepts: there is no scripture for the former and plenty for the latter (1 Jo. 1:9; Acts 8:22; Ps. 51). Getting back to some local church so I can make my confession does not stand between me and God but my refusal to acknowledge my sins to God and seek His forgiveness does place my soul in peril. If a person should die before they can get to a local church and make their confession is their soul doomed? (And this is not analogous to the old, "What about the man who dies on the way to be baptized...?" argument: baptism is clearly commanded, public confession is clearly not.) Or, if the church they were a member of when the sin was commited has since disbanded and no longer exists, is that person doomed due to the inability to confess before that assembly? Those with the "sins must be confessed before the church" position need to think seriously about a philosophy that leaves people with feelings of hoplessness and despair with their insistence that unless they confess publicly they are without hope.

Implies public confession is all that's necessary. Another idea I'm afraid we've planted in the minds of many is that as long as we "go before the church" in some manner, we're absolved fom the responsibility of having to talk with God ourselves (Acts 8:22) about the sin or those who perhaps were sinned against in the process of my sinning (Matt. 5:21-26). It is easy to think that if I'll just make a statement, or have one made, before the church I'm discharged from further duty. Such, clearly, is not the case.

The unnecessary, unfortunate airing of private matters. The public confession tradition has led to some awkward and embarassing moments in assemblies when people confessed sins that were not at all public and that few, if any, knew (or needed to know) about.

Before making or insisting that someone make a public confession, consider the following

Such statements are not necessarily indications of true repentance. The reasoning seems to be that if a person makes a public confession they've repented and if they don't they haven't. Neither are necessarily true. I'm afraid that many times we have, with perhaps the best of intentions and not intending to, intimidated people into making public confessions when they either really didn't want to, think it was necessary, didn't want to face the person(s) sinned against, or weren't truly sorry for what they had done. And under such circumstances what have we accomplished? Absolutely nothing, except to make ourselves feel good and deceive ourselves into thinking that the one making the public acknowledgment has really had a change of heart. Other than that, the exercise is utterly meaningless.

The prominence of the sin. If most, or all, of the congregation doesn't already know about the sin why tell them? Those who already know about my sin don't need to be told what they already know, and those those who don't know don't need to be told. What would be the point? Some sins are public, yet no one else's business. For example, a number of years ago a friend of mine "came forward" and confessed that, on recent trip to New Orleans, he had participated in some Mardi Gras revelry. Public? Can't get much more public than that. Sinful? Absolutely. But no one back home knew it until he told it and no good was done by letting that be known. On another occasion a young man publicly confessed that he had cheated his way through the previous semester in school. Was the cheating sinful? Yes. But did everyone need to know about it? No.

Impressions left. It is possible to do more harm than good and make ourselves look worse than we really are by public statements of some things, especially when few, if any, know about the sin and little, if any, details are given in the confession. The above-mentioned "Mardi Gras confession" is an example. What did the man do? We don't know because we weren't told and we weren't told because the specifics were none of our business. And yet, the imaginations of everyone were left to run wild. Another time I was in an assembly when a woman publicly confessed, "I've had evil thoughts about one of the men in the church." There was no elaboration and we all wondered whether it was adultery, envy, jealousy, covetousness, greed, hatred...what? Avoid vague language. When confessions are couched in imprecise language they only fuel people's imaginations and leave them thinking things about me that may not be at all true.

True confessions begin with "I have..." not "If I have..." If a matter is serious and public enough to lead you to conclude something public must be said, don't insult people who already know what you've done by saying "if I've sinned, or offended..." Just apologize, and ask for forgiveness. Period.

A number of years ago, brother W.L. Wharton, Jr. made a statement at the conclusion of a sermon that I think expresses the matter well regarding public confessions of sin and we conclude with his sentiments:

If there have been in your life or in your heart promptings and overtures of sin that have led you to do things that have been a reflection upon brethren here in this community, you could go to all the brethren and apologize for your conduct and tell them you're sorry for the way you have acted and for the influence you've brought to bear upon the church...you could do that. Or you could just come publicly in one moment of time and say to all of them publicly, "I'm ashamed of it"...you could do that. But they can't forgive you of anything that doesn't affect them. There may be things in your heart and life that doesn't affect anybody but you and someone else. There's no point in you coming down the isle and talking to me or brethren about that. That doesn't concern me but it concerns you. And all of us can straighten that sort of thing out privately between ourselves and God and whoever else it affects. And we ought to make haste to do that.