The Healing Balm of ConfessionSample

Confession is not only good for us as individuals and as churches, but it’s also healing when denominations speak into this discussion. The Southern Baptists, the Christian Reformed Church, the Wesleyan Church, the Pentecostal Church, and many other denominations have made bold declarations about reconciliation in recent years. In 2016 the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) confessed that, though their denomination wasn’t founded until nine years after the 1964 Civil Rights Act, many of their founding denominational leaders and churches actively worked against reconciliation. Those churches segregated worshipers by race, barred blacks from membership and black churches from joining presbyteries, participated in and defended white supremacist organizations, and taught that the Bible sanctioned segregation and opposed the inter-racial marriage. They also confessed to failing to “lovingly confront our brothers and sisters concerning racial sins and personal bigotry.”

They say that confession is good for the soul. I believe this to be true. I believe that it is good for us as individuals—and that it is good for the soul of the Church. But it’s not just good—it’s essential. It is essential if we are to be reconciled one with another. It opens the door for the healing balm of forgiveness to wash over us. Let’s go there together.

PRAYER  Lord God, help us to love you enough to humble ourselves before one another, confessing those things that we have said and done that have damaged our brothers and sisters. Help us to conquer the fears that have paralyzed us for generations; help us to wash one another’s wounds and become the healing community that you died for.

We hope you have enjoyed this plan in the John M. Perkins Devotional Series. In 1970, Dr. Perkins was tortured at the hands of the Mississippi police for his leadership in the voting rights movement. His radical forgiveness and tireless pursuit of biblical justice set him on a course where he would counsel six American Presidents, receive 16 honorary doctorates and bring healing to broken communities around the world. His life is a masterclass on purpose, friendship, and joyful endurance. At 91, he wants to pass the baton to the next generation and has created a six-part masterclass to help you discover your God-given purpose in life. To sign up for the free masterclass, visit johnmperkins.com.