Is corporate confession of sin biblical?

The apostle then presents the principle in general as the course for all, namely, to open their hearts to each other, in order to maintain truth in the inner man as to oneself; and to pray for each other in order that charity should be in full exercise with regard to the faults of others; grace and truth being thus spiritually formed in the church, and a perfect union of heart among Christians, so that even their faults are an occasion for the exercise of charity (as in God towards us), and entire confidence in each other, according to that charity, such as is felt towards a restoring and pardoning God. What a beautiful picture is presented of divine principles animating men and causing them to act according to the nature of God Himself, and the influence of His love upon the heart. We may remark, that it is not confession to the elders that is spoken of. That would have been confidence in men — official confidence. God desires the operation of divine charity in all. Confession to one another shows the condition of the church, and God would have the church to be in such a state, that love should so reign in it, that they should be so near to God, as to be able to treat the transgressor according to the grace they know in Him: and that this love should be so realised, that perfect inward sincerity should be produced by the confidence and operation of grace. Official confession destroys all this — is contrary to it. How divine the wisdom which omitted confession when speaking of the elders, but which commands it as the living and voluntary impression of the heart!

There are two applications of this word, one of which is apt to be overlooked. The one is the confession of sin. This was enjoined by the law, and if accompanied with a sacrifice it led to forgiveness. Lev. 5:5; Num. 5:7. It is beautiful to see how Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel confessed the sins of the people as if they had been their own. Ezra 9:1-15; Ezra 10:1; Neh. 1:6; Neh. 9:2-3; Dan. 9:4-20. When John the Baptist was fulfilling his mission, the people 'confessed' their sins, and were baptised, Matt. 3:5-6; and of the Christian it is said, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9: cf. Ps. 32:5. We are exhorted to confess our faults one to another. James 5:16.

161 It is fully admitted, that there may be imperfection in the act; but according to the principles of faith, there must be identification - a full confession before God. If I thought to get remission of sins (in the sense of removing chastenings) by partial confession, or without having felt their enormity, it is evident I should be mocking the just government of God; so that it is absolutely necessary, if I wish to suffer with Christ, for His church (and the case of the Jews serves morally for us), if I am led by His Spirit in love and care for His sheep, that I should humble myself, recognising the fallen condition of the saints, and confess all their sins. Just this did Daniel.

So Daniel brings "all Israel" (vers. 7, 11, 20) before God — the people as a whole. This was faith and love; for in fact only a remnant of Judah and Benjamin was in Babylon. Let us weigh too the righteous feeling, as well as the faith in God's compassion that pervades His prayer, "We have sinned" (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15). It is a mere cheat if we confess only some of our sins, and perhaps not the greatest. God will have all out in order to forgiveness. And oh! the sin and folly of making confession of our sins to man. Grace alone removes guile and imparts integrity.

This time it is the whole congregation of Israel who have sinned through ignorance, a much more serious event, not only one individual, but the sin that might have taken place in the whole company of God's people. This is a very serious thing indeed. We may take it down to ourselves and bring it down to small proportions, and apply it to a local company of God's people (not that the local company is the whole nation, it involves every saint of God), but it comes out in a collective way. If a whole company have sinned, come to some wrong judgment about something, they have to come to God and own to Him that they have come to a wrong judgment about that something, and offended against some or one of the claims of God.

Furthermore, instead of looking at the evil as that of the erring individual, the Assembly must take it up as their sin and in confession of common sin and shame. Paul wrote the Corinthians, "ye . . . have not rather mourned." It was their sin; they were all identified with it as a whole family is with the shame of one of its members.

It will be good for us to consider a little further the solemn subject of repentance, especially in its relation to ourselves. The principle of corporate responsibility throughout the dispensation is not as well understood as it should be. We may learn a lesson from Daniel as to this. Although personally a holy man, reverencing God and His Word above many, he felt keenly the guilt of the nation to which he belonged. Israel was God's chosen heritage. As a people they stood in a relationship to God such as no others have ever known. Upon Israel He lavished His favours; to Israel He entrusted His Word; and upon Israel as His vine in the earth Jehovah bestowed all the care that divine Wisdom could devise (Isa. 5). But it was all in vain. Thus we hear Daniel pouring out his soul in humble confession of guilt. "We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgements" (Dan. 9:5). In his Prayer the prophet traced the history of his people from the deliverance from Egypt until the destruction of Jerusalem and its sanctuary by Nebuchadnezzar. From first to last Jehovah had been faithful and gracious; but Israel had been persistently rebellious and evil. But Daniel, knowing something of the heart of God, nevertheless pleaded for mercy.

Each one would in his own conscience take to himself the share in this, for which he would feel himself responsible before God. The subject of our common humiliation would be the result we are all conscious of. I am ready for my own part to take the first and largest share in this. It is not a confession of others' faults I look for, but a common one of us all before God, each taking his part as the Holy Ghost may in sovereign grace shew it to him.

Such is the nature of this confession: simple, thorough, true, without excuse and without evasion. This confession acknowledges the faults of one and all starting from the beginning, it approves the judgment which is the consequence of these faults, but it also proclaims the inexhaustible grace and mercy of God, who had led them hitherto.

Let us add a remark which is important at all times for the people of God, when they have sinned. Three things are needed: humiliation, separation from evil, and confession; and they are needed in the order indicated to us at the beginning of this chapter. Humiliation without separation and without confession is an act which has no value. Separation without humiliation and without confession is an act of spiritual pride, and denotes nothing other than a sectarian spirit. Unrestricted public confession necessarily includes these two other elements; and that is why it is often the thing to which our proud and desperately wicked hearts have the most difficulty in consenting to. If confession does not take place, then separation lacks reality, and will be followed within a short time by backsliding, whether it is a case of individuals or of assemblies. Therefore may we take this poor, humiliated people, who "cried with a loud voice" (Neh. 4:4) to Jehovah their God, as an example!

First of all, and perhaps the most important, a true and contrite humiliation for all the failure of the past and present. Personal and collective failure must be recognised and confessed in truth. God appreciates wholesome confession and readily responds to it in blessing. Independency, individual and collective, replaced by corporate activities. Walking shoulder to shoulder with one objective Christ's honour and glory. Where this is done there will be blessing in the companies and more zeal for the unconverted.