What this scripture does not mean is that we are to confess all of our sins to another believer. No! We confess our sins to God!
What this scripture does mean is that when I sin against my brother, go to him and confess that I have offended him and ask forgiveness from him for the offense…restoring that relationship, I am now in a restored righteous state and can be healed, and effective in prayer, and in my walk generally.
Look at he rest of the verse…”praying for each other so that you will be healed. For the fervent and effective prayer of the righteous avails much”.
So we see the idea here and the context. We are not to expose our sins to others. These things are between God and us. Other believers are not meant to carry that kind of burden. I don’t want to know your sins!!! And in the same way, I don’t want you to know mine!
But if I have sinned against my brother in some way, I had better not leave it hanging. God says if I do, then not only are my prayers not heard, but any worship I offer to God is worthless. It’s as if Ive given Him nothing at all…it is an unacceptable offering. Matthew 5:23-24.
We have weird things going on today in the Church and it is because most really have not studied the scriptures, and they go off on some tangent and create new doctrine, because they are spiritually lazy. It is all packaged up as “accountability”. We are told that you cannot walk successfully with Jesus if you don’t have an accountability partner. HOGWASH!!! And yes, I am yelling and that, with extreme prejudice! Add some malice aforethought in there.
Let’s examine why this is not only not sound doctrine but it is wicked doctrine. Let’s just look…
The very idea of confessing my sin to other believers (in the way I confess all of my transgressions to God) removes my relationship with God. It says I have to have some mediator. So now the friend or “accountability” partner takes the place of a catholic priest. This is ridiculous. You know what it also says? It says that there is no Holy Spirit in me to make me accountable. It is completely of the flesh and dead religion re packaged.
I would ask a believer who thinks he needs an accountability partner this: doesn’t God see what you do? Doesn’t He know what you think? Do you think you can hide that from Him? He alone is my accountability partner.
A believer only needs to walk in the Spirit, the word says, and he will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Thats it.
We cannot walk in obedience by trying to obey the law!!!! It won’t work friends! Haven’t we then become the very ones Paul warned of who were dead and insisted that we “don’t do this, don’t do that”?! Yes! It accomplishes nothing.
You can walk on the straight and narrow your whole life with your accountability partner, keeping yourself in line because you fear telling your sins to someone, and be unsaved. You have just ordered the flesh to be it’s best rather than become a new creature. So sad.
If I am truly saved, the Holy Spirit will make sure that I am accountable to Him. Period. This causes change.
Exposing false doctrine where ever it pops up… yours truly, with zero patience for spiritual ignorance and laziness,
Cheryl