Golden Nuggets

Confession Is Good for the Soul

Psychologists tell us that expiation of guilt may play a significant role in the mental health of an individual. It seems that internalizing or "bottling up" is bad for the psyche. "Catharsis" (Greek: "to clean or to cleanse") allows the person to rid themselves of the contaminants that have clogged their psychological sewage system creating a buildup of issues, pains and problems that are stagnating in the cesspool of their subconscious.

The "soul" (psuche, SC 5590) of man is comprised of the mind, will and emotions. These are aspects of the human, or natural, dimension of man. They are perceivable from birth and cease with death. There is no biblical or scientific evidence that the brain continues to function "post mortem." Therefore, the soul is a temporal or terrestrial entity that represents only the earthly segment of an eternal existence.

While God is interested in our souls, He is far more concerned with our "spirits" (pneuma, SC 4151). It is the spirit of man, not the soul, which Christ regenerates. It is the spirit, not the soul, which becomes the habitation of God. It is the spirit, not the soul, which will live forever in one of two possible destinations. It is the spirit, not the soul, which communicates and interacts with the Spirit of God.

It would then follow that, since God is more concerned with man’s spirit, man should be more concerned with his spirit than with his soul. One might ask, "If confession is good for the soul, then is it also good for the spirit?" The answer to that question is a resounding "Yes" but with qualifications. Let’s go to the Greek and see what it will disclose.

The New Testament records four categories of confessions (or professions). The first type of confession recorded is when John the Baptist commands the Jews to confess that they had broken the covenant God had established with Abraham (Matthew 3:5, 6). The second implementation of confession is where the sinner is told he must confess Jesus as Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9, 10) in order to be saved. The third application of confession is for the saint who sins and needs Christ to plead his case for forgiveness before the Father (1 John 1:9). The fourth type is the confession of the Word of God as the object of the believer’s faith (Hebrews 4:14; 10:23).

These all use essentially the same Greek word (homologia, SC 3670) with a slight variation in the Matthew text (exomolgeo, SC 1843). This compound Greek word means "to say or speak the same as someone else who has previously spoken" or "to speak with one voice." In the context of the Bible, it means that God is the original source and man is to say or quote what He has already said about the subject or the situation. It is translated "confession" or "profession." They are used interchangeably in Scripture, evidently without preference from the translators.

Spiritual confession differs greatly from the expiation and catharsis advanced by the secular behaviorists. God does not require us doing penance, atoning for or making amends for our sins. The Bible does not teach that internal cleansing comes just by disclosing our mistakes. Admitting to a problem is not the same as eradicating the problem. Spiritual confession accepts the claims of Christ as the Redeemer and Emancipator of the sinner and makes confession of those facts to God. Biblical confession is not about DISCLOSURE because God already knows everything. It is not about EXPOSURE because God doesn’t require us to air our dirty laundry or dastardly deeds before He will come to our aid. Biblical confession is good for man’s spirit because it is all about CLOSURE.

When you see what God sees and say what God says in the Bible, you will slam the door on doubt, fear and unbelief. Your confessions will close the entrances that Satan uses to debilitate, discourage and defeat the child of God. When you say what God says about you or your problems, your spirit will soar to new heights of faith as you fellowship with Him through His Word.

The psalmist uttered this plea in Psalms 19:14, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." What better way is there to find acceptance and approval with God than by repeating ("confessing") His words back to Him? There is no better way!

Scriptural confession is not to inform God of your problems but to remind God of His promises and provisions. It is not about your problems; it is all about His solutions. It is not about your maladies but His remedies, not about your needs but His provisions, not about your lack but His abundance, not about your fear but His faithfulness. Confession is not being self-centered. It is about being God-centered. Confession of God’s Word is good for the body, soul and spirit. You should try it!

Keep digging to find more confessions to soothe the spirit and soul. If you have trouble, feel free to contact our office. We will gladly email you a list of 300 Scriptures that provide a valid and valuable depiction of what God has provided for us through our Lord Jesus Christ.

****A Personal Word to Our Readers from Dr. Frazier****

There are great insights to be derived from the study of the Greek New Testament. Each month I will endeavor to share a nugget of truth from the Book of Truth, God’s Eternal Word.
These will be concise and should not intrude into your time or opportunity to explore the richness of the vein from which they were extracted. That is for you and the Holy Spirit to excavate together. These nuggets are just to let you know where to begin the digging, if you so desire. They are NOT designed to be an exhaustive commentary providing all the answers on the subject. The Spirit will guide you in how deep to dig. The Greek will be presented in a way that is easy to understand (transliterated) and easy to verify ("SC" refers to Strong’s Concordance). With a little help, you can check the assayers report for yourself. So, pull out this shiny, new nugget and see where it leads you. Please feel free to share your questions, observations or insights with our readers and me.

Website: http://www.donfrazier.com