Part 1
the inner circle
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
The “righteous person” James is talking about, is not a person who does not sin. The righteous person is the one who confesses their sin and is restored. For this to happen, we need an inner circle of people we trust.
The individualism of western culture creates a serious threat to the followers of Jesus Christ. Our culture takes pride in being “connected”, but this is a false connectivity that leads to isolation, and isolation is the breading ground for hidden sin.
The inner circle is a different kind of connection. It is a place of trusted community that exposes sin, and with the confession of sin, we can be healed.
We may be tempted to think that by remaining in isolation, we can hide our sin, but Jesus said,
“Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. ”
Sin will always prefer the darkness, but the Spirit of God brings light and life. The inner circle is a place where we can confess our habits of sin, our tendencies toward sin. And by confession, we begin to break sins hold on us. Confession breaks the cycle of sin that spirals ever downward.
Paul writes,
“Walk as children of light . . . Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
It is by exposing our sin that the forgiveness of Christ brings healing. Things that are not confessed remain in the dark, and therefore cannot be healed.
