Confession Obsession

This article is about an often good intentioned, well meaning, albeit biblically errant understanding of the relation between faith and words. I am referring to the modern day obsession and over emphasis on the importance and power of confession. Of specific interest for this article is confession as it relates to healing and the Scriptural declaration that “by His stripes we are/were healed” (Isaiah 53:5, & 1 Peter 2:24).

Don’t get me wrong, I believe in Divine healing. Our God is a healer! (Exodus 15:26b) I have seen him heal the sick (Matthew 4:23), repair the injured (Luke 7:22), and even raise the dead (Luke 7:13-14). I have personally been the gracious recipient of his healing grace on several occasions myself. Indeed, Christ has provided for our healing (Psalm 103:3). However, if the popular notions of confession were so, and believers need only confess long and had enough “by his stripes we are/were healed” to otherwise be exempt from sickness, then it invalidates a whole lot of Scripture besides. It renders gifts of healing unnecessary and redundant (1 Corinthians 12:9). It makes the sick calling on the elders for prayer ineffective and useless (James 5:14). It diminishes prayer as an act of trust and seeking God to one rather more of self reliance and vain repetition (Matthew 6:7). Basically it makes expression more important than faith, and our words more important than His words and our belief in them.

Yes, we are healed in Christ. That is true. Yet the modern WOF spin on that is bunk. Something I heard several yeas ago that has stuck with me seems fitting to relate here, “a proof text without a context is a pretext for eror.” How often I have found that be true!

That is what happens when the WOF idea of confession takes hold of  ”with his stripes we were healed.” If such an understanding of Scripture were so, and we are already actually healed in Christ (in the way the hyper confessor means it), regardless of our present physical condition , then universalism follows. Sinners, non-believers, are already atoned for in the sacrificial offering of Him who is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Yet we know that is not the proper or rightly divided understanding of the atonement. Obviously then such an interpretation of Scripture is flawed, and that is so whether it be about propitiation or divine healing.

We are healed in Christ. We are whole in Him the same way we have eternal life in Him, are raised with Him, or are seated with Him, etc. It is positional. It is in Christ. We ourselves are not actually raised immortal and incorruptible, yet. In fact the emphasis of the prophecy concering our being healed by His stripes has more to do with the healing of our sinful condition and spiritual state than it does the needs of this temporal body, wherein (unless we’re alive at His coming — 1 Thessalonians 4:15) we are appointed to death (Hebrews 9:27) and dust (Genesis 3:19). Those are promises of God too!

Nevertheless God graciously heals, and the whole man at that — heart, mind, and body (3 John 1:2). In fact the full and complete realization of the truth (or doctrine) of healing in Christ is found in our bodily resurrection. However, our risen and ascended Lord (triumphing over sin, hell, and the grave) has poured out His Spirit, sharing the spoils of His triumph with us, including divine healing. Accordingly our Father above mercifully answers  in response to our faith filled petitions (Philippians 1:27), even for bodily needs.

How great, and good, and loving He is!

So, the next time someone over zealously insists you need to confess this or that, or misguidedly suggests you shouldn’t acknowledge the fact you are sick or not felling well because somehow your words make you well or ill, you can smile and thank them for their loving concern (which is honorable) without falling prey to the same verbal legalism as they, having an inward confidence that God is not limited nor confined by our words. It’s not the supposed correct articulation and confession that moves God. That is just ever so much more clanging cymbal and sounding brass. Rather, it is faith that moves and pleases God, and faith comes from hearing His word (Romans 10:17). Acknowledging you are sick or in need of healing isn’t contradictory to faith or His word at all. Rather it is part of His prescription — making our requests known unto God (Philippians 4:6), coming confidently before His throne to find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16), trustingly waiting on Him for the answer (Mark 11:2, & Luke 18:1), even if it’s no (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).

Saints, avoid the confession obsession.
Just be honest and real, while trusting Him in all things.