Do we need to confess our sins to those we’ve hurt?
Here's the answer:
We need to always confess our sins to God, but we are not always called to confess our sins to others.
The Bible tells us that we are to confess our sins to God, and He will forgive us (1 John 1:9). God is fair, and He will never hold unforgiveness against us. Whenever we sin, we sin against God (Psalm 51:4). This is why we always need to confess our sins to God and ask for His forgiveness. After we have done this, we need to repent and turn away from our sins.
While we are always told to confess our sins to God, we are not always called to confess our sins to other people. The only time we are told to confess our sins to others is in connection with the church elders praying for the sick (James 5:16). Now, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t ever confess our sins or apologize. We should confess our sins and apologize in the right circumstances.
Many people in the Bible confessed their sins and asked for forgiveness from others, such as Joseph’s brothers (Genesis 50:17–18). If we have done something outright to hurt someone, we need to confess our sins to them and apologize. For example, if we lied to somebody, we need to tell them the truth and ask for their forgiveness. However, if we only thought about a lie, but didn’t act on it, then we only need to confess to God and ask for His forgiveness.
Bible Truth
"Anyone who hides their sins doesn’t succeed. But anyone who admits their sins and gives them up finds mercy" (Proverbs 28:13).
"Turn away from this evil sin of yours. Pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart" (Acts 8:22).
"Be kind and tender to one another. Forgive one another, just as God forgave you because of what Christ has done" (Ephesians 4:32).
