Considering that a mishandling of sin puts our ministries, families, and own spiritual state at risk, how we respond to these issues may be as important as any decision we face in the ministry. There is much we can say about this subject, and subsequent articles by church leaders in this newsletter will say more. But here I want to focus on one critical observation: pastors are at far greater risk because they either do not have an outlet for confession, or they rarely utilize the outlets available to them.
In addressing the topic of sin, I want to exercise the greatest carefulness. I don’t wish to imply that sin is just another subject to be tossed around in a recreational manner. Sin is as serious as anything we can imagine. It is a powerful, dark force that kills and destroys, threatening our very lives; it calls for the utmost sobriety and prayerful consideration. In all the universe, I know of but one power for appropriately handling sin: that power is the blood of Jesus Christ. It is sufficient to break the power of sin—and without it, there isn’t a trace of hope for spiritual victory. That having been said, taking hold of Christ’s power over sin hinges on a proper exercise of faith as revealed in Scripture. When we sin, God has provided a way of tapping Christ’s power, and that way is the way of confession.
In light of the 68% of church leaders that indicated they rarely or never confess their sins to another, we get a glimpse of the unique dilemma pastors face. Even as they must confess their sins, pastors don’t feel they can confess their sins because of the risks it brings to their ministries. So the perceived catch is this: we can’t win.
·If we do confess, we may well lose it all.
·If we don’t confess, Scripture says it’s just a matter of time that our sins will be revealed. (1 Timothy 5:24; Luke 12:2)
The trap that says, “we can’t win either way,” stems from bad thinking. The “don’t confess” option must be eliminated from the list—it’s a path guaranteed to bring greater travesty. (Our dear brother Ted Haggard has paid a great price to demonstrate that to us.)
We are left with but one compelling choice: by all means, we must confess! So the question is no longer “if” we must confess but “how.” Here are guidelines I’d offer for “effective confessing.”
