The Key Tenets of Biblical Confession

The core meaning of biblical confession is to agree with God, NOT to ask for forgiveness. This understanding is rooted in the Greek word for confession, homologeō, which literally means "to say the same thing as another" or "to assent."

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Key Tenets of Biblical Confession

• Agreement, Not Petition: Confession is an act of agreeing with God about a situation, primarily acknowledging the reality of one's sin and, more importantly, acknowledging the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

• Total Forgiveness: Because of Christ's sacrifice, forgiveness for all sins (past, present, and future) is a complete and established fact for the believer. Asking for forgiveness post-salvation is viewed as undermining the sufficiency of that single, finished work.

• Interpretation of 1 John 1:9: The passage "If we confess our sins..." is not interpreted as a conditional if that must be met for God to grant forgiveness. Rather, based on the Greek grammatical structure, it speaks to whether or not a believer chooses to agree with the fact that God has already forgiven and cleansed them. The forgiveness is constant because God is faithful and just.

• Logical and Scriptural Coherence: If confession as most understand it) were a prerequisite for forgiveness, it would logically require one to remember every single sin, which is impossible. Scripturally, this view contradicts the New Covenant promise that God "will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more" (Hebrews 10:17).

• The Nature of Agreement: For a believer, true confession is agreeing with God that:

1. They have sinned.

2. Jesus paid the complete price for that sin.

3. They are completely forgiven and righteous in Christ.

Summary of: The True Meaning of Biblical Confession