I loved this tidbit from the life of Martin Luther.
Luther’s overactive mind was constantly finding ways he had fallen short, and so every time he went to confession, he confessed all of his sins, as he was supposed to do, but then, knowing that even one unconfessed sin would be enough to drag him down to hell, he racked his brain for more sins and found more…Once, Luther actually continued confessing for six consecutive hours.
Metaxas, Eric. Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World
Six hours of confession is a lot, but I admire his sincerity before the Lord. We don’t talk about confession much these days, do we? Unless you’re of the Catholic persuasion, it’s hardly mentioned, but that doesn’t make it any less important in the Christian life.
Before any of the great revivals broke out, there was an intense time of confession in the church. When God wants to work, the Holy Spirit works first to spread conviction among the saints. The problem is, some of us think we’re on good standing in the sin department, though God’s Word is pretty clear about that:
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
1 John 1:10. (NIV)
We may be called saints when we confess Christ as Lord, but we don’t necessarily live like them thereafter. Sin has a way of hanging around, and if we are not fervent in our confession, we cannot maintain a clean slate before the Father.
It’s hard to imagine the great reformer Martin Luther having done anything to fill up six hours of confession, but that’s just it. It doesn’t take much, does it? One bad thought, one wrong word, one selfish act, and we’re off-kilter with God.
I’m so grateful for the redeeming work of Christ. No longer a slave to any act of sin, I can now, through confession, find cleansing and restoration.
Start your day with a little confession…or a lot. Your soul will be happy if you do.
Grace and Peace