Becoming Like Jesus

I was asked last week, "Why should I confess my sins to someone else? I've already confessed to God. That's all that matters." We discussed the practicality of James when he writes of the "Prayer of Faith" in chapter 5.

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:13-16)

James is writing of two different kinds of "sick" - one of physical ailments, the other, being spiritual. It was common among Jews in the ANE to believe all sickness was caused by sin. For this reason, James encourages readers to "come clean" and confess everything that is hindering spiritual growth.

Many Christians like to talk about accountability but the practice of confessing sins is much less popular. Case in point: the conversation last week was between myself and a person who has believed for decades. "I've confessed to God. That's all I need to do."

What's our issues with true accountability? More on this later...