Verses from James

所以你们应当彼此认罪，互相代求，这样你们就可以痊愈。义人祈祷所发出的力量，是大有功效的。

我的弟兄们，你们中间若有人被骗离开了真道，如果有人使他回头，你们应该知道，那使罪人从歧途上转回的，就会拯救他的灵魂脱离死亡，也会遮盖许多罪恶。(雅各书 5:16, 19-20)

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. (James 5:16, 19-20)

One of the most difficult inner conflicts we have is our desire to be known versus our fear of being known. As beings created in the image of God we are made to be known—known by God and also by others. Yet due to our fallen nature, all of us have sins and weaknesses that we don’t want others to know about. We use the phrase “dark side” to refer to aspects of our lives that we keep hidden. And we use slogans like “put your best foot forward” to encourage others to show their best side.

One reason we are unwilling to risk being known is that we fear rejection and ridicule. But when we discover that God knows us, loves us, and is willing to forgive even the worst thing we have done, our fear of being known by God begins to fade away. And when we find a community of believers who understands the dynamic relationship between forgiveness and confession, we feel safe confessing our sins to one another (James 5:16).

The life of faith is not about showing only our good side. It’s about exposing our dark side to the light of Christ through confession to God and also to others. In this way we can receive healing and live in the freedom of forgiveness.

The voice of sin may be loud, but the voice of forgiveness is louder. —D. L. Moody