It’s time for the church to reclaim the biblical mandate of confession.

For many Christians, confession is far from our minds. Church often seemingly requires everyone to put on a mask of perfection, hiding all our flaws and shortcomings. We smile politely, put on our best happy face, and push away all the heaviness of our week. But what if there’s a better way? What if we didn’t have to pretend to have everything in order and perfect when we gathered together with our fellow believers? What if church became a place where confessing our imperfections was okay?

I’ve seen many mighty men and women of God fall after deep dives into sin become public. But I’ve often wondered—what if these men and women of God had been offered a safe space to confess those sinful pulls and fleshly inclinations when they first revealed themselves? What if confession could have been made safely early on, bringing the sinful pull into the light before it became an all-consuming fire that caused a mighty downfall? Could it be that we’re all in need of a safe space to confess our sinful inclinations? What if church became a place where it was safe to confess? When James said, “Confess your sins one to another” (James 5:16) did he not mean Christian to Christian? When John said, “He who claims to have not sinned makes God a liar” (1 James 1:8-10), was he not speaking to Christians? Why then, is it so dangerous to confess our sins in the body of Christ?

Perhaps we’re missing something. Perhaps something needs to change. Perhaps we should live as if Paul’s verse in Romans 8:1 is actually true—there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Perhaps there should be less judgmental condemnation in the church, and a lot more honest confession.