Should a Christian Repent or Confess?

What is a Christian supposed to do when he/she sins?
The typical response is: “Repent!”

That would certainly make sense if you were using one of the English definitions of repent such as, to feel sorrow or to change behavior. Even a new Christian should know that God is opposed to sin. It is God’s holy nature that defines goodness and righteousness. Sin stands against the character of God. For that reason, it seems obvious that a Christian would feel sorrow for sinning against God. It seems obvious that a change in behavior is necessary.

If you have been keeping up with my series of articles on repentance, you might be scratching your head and wondering, “How does the biblical meaning of repent, to change one’s mind/perception, apply?

My objective is to find meaning. I want to know what the 1st Century Christians understood when they heard the scriptures read. So, let’s break it down.

First, when a person responds to the gospel message of Jesus Christ, he is instructed to repent. In general, repentance is in reference to the way he has perceived Jesus Christ. He changes his perception from not believing to believing that Jesus is the Son of God and the Christ. From that point forward, his behavior will undoubtedly change because of his changed perception. Or we might say that his behavior will change because he has repented.

Once a person becomes a Christian, he should not change his perception about Jesus. That would be going backwards; back to a time when he did not believe Jesus was the Son of God. So, according to the biblical meaning of ‘repent,’ a Christian should not repent of Jesus.

Maybe we need to rethink our response to the leading question: What is a Christian supposed to do when he/she sins?

Not surprisingly, the answer is found in scripture and it is clear and simple. The Apostle John addressed sin and the Christian. Two verses are of great importance to our question:

I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 
—1 John 2:1

This verse tells us two vitally important things about sin:

• God does not want Christians to sin; and
• If a Christian sins, there is still a solution.

The second verse is also found in 1 John, a letter which was a letter addressed to Christians:

If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness. --1 John 1:9 

Does that mean that a Christian can sin and then simply admit it and be forgiven?

Yes, but we must not look at sin in a casual way.

Confession is more than verbally admitting sin. A rebellious sinner might openly admit sin...while shaking his fist toward God in anger. That is not confession.

To confess sin to God is to admit the sin, but also to be in humble agreement with God about sin. A person who confesses his sin but keeps on sinning is living a contradiction. His mouth is saying that he agrees with God about his sin, but his heart is not in agreement; otherwise he would stop sinning. So, his confession is a lie. Confession in the Bible is seen when the lips tell the truth and the heart agrees with God.

So, it is God’s desire that we stop sinning! Yet, if a Christian sins, Jesus is still the remedy. When we confess our sin God has promised to forgive!

Mark Stinnett 

January 6, 2020