Confess Your Faults to One Another

This morning I read a Bleacher Report article about Ken Caminiti, a baseball player I cheered for growing up as a San Diego Padres supporter.  The article spoke of how after finishing his career Ken was transparent and confessed steroid use and drug abuse.  There is little doubt his candor cost him dearly.  Instead of cheers for his honesty, he was ostracised by many both in and outside of baseball circles.  Some of his fellow players felt betrayed, and fans were angry their hero had been a cheat.  The fallout from his admission freely provided created a fire-storm of controversy.  Quoting the article:

Two years later, in 2007, Caminiti appeared on the baseball Hall of Fame ballot for the first and only time. A record 545 voters cast ballots. Two people voted for Caminiti.  "I took a lot of crap for that vote," says Gwen Knapp, then a sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and, of course, one of the two who voted for him. "I think he did a service to the game. I had covered so many doping scandals in the Olympics. Everyone doesn't tell the truth until they get caught. And people who do tell the truth are ostracized, as I believe Ken was.  I don't know if he did it for noble reasons. But I'm sure baseball wouldn't have implemented testing that quickly without him. I think that was a big motivating factor. He went on the record, which maybe wasn't the wisest thing for him to do for himself."

I wonder:  why do people sometimes feel the need to punish others for simply being honest?  Some might say Ken was ostracised because of his poor decisions, but then he made another mistake to admit it.  You know what?  I am more a fan of the late Ken Caminiti for his honesty than the fact he switch-hit homeruns in a single game, or the fact he was the league MVP.  When Ken passed away from a drug overdose, I was deeply saddened.  As I read the article, I again grieved for him and his family.  Like everyone, Ken had his flaws.  The fact that he freely admitted them publically should not provide cause for his memory to be tarnished.  No one knows how many baseball players are in the Hall of Fame who cheated and said nothing, happy to receive praise, millions of dollars, lifetime status, and job security with a smile.  Men hate to see their idols come crashing down.

One reason why I found this article so compelling is the tendency of people in church to hide their struggles and cover up their sins because they fear what happened to Ken will happen to them.  Maybe it has already happened so they have told themselves, "Never again!"  Every church where people gather in Christ's name has people who are hurting and struggling.  More are mired in sinful habits than you know.  Some are afraid they will be punished and pushed away if they admit they had an affair.  People are scared to be transparent or vulnerable because they have exposed their issues and others were offended or spread the word behind their backs.  There are people in ministry right now - in full-time service to God and the church - who know if they reveal they are not perfect and struggling with sin in some area, they will be rejected, fired, or hated.  A culture can exist in a church that a cry for help through confessing sin is cause for hypocritical indignation and punishment.  My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be!

Should a church deal firmly with fellow Christians who are overtaken by sin?  Yes.  But a sinner who freely admits their guilt should be loved and shown grace and mercy - not ostracised.  Should a sinner walk into church off the street and confess his sins and receive Christ, his admission of sinfulness and repentance would be celebrated.  But if a professing Christian or leader should admit struggles with sins, man's judgmental streak flashes brilliantly.  We feel we need to "teach them a lesson," thinking that conviction and consequences God allows are not enough!  Or we feel compelled to "protect the ministry" by making a statement through harsh discipline that we do not in any way condone such behaviour.  How common is our tendency to see the sins of others as personal betrayal!  If we are personally offended and angered by the revelation of sins of others beyond the initial shock, and not grieved for the sake of God and the glory He has been robbed of through sin, our hearts are likely not pure before God.  In love we are to seek the restoration of such a one who has fallen.  Galatians 6:1 says, "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted."  James 5:16 says we ought to confess our faults to one another and pray for each other that we may be healed.  When is the last time you obeyed this command to confess your faults to someone at church?  I'm talking to you, Christian, ministry leader, fellow servant.  Likely it's been quite some time, but hopefully this will change.

In all things, Christians are called to live according to God's Word.  If we are in sin, we must confess our sin before God and those we have wronged.  When someone confesses sin to us, we are to pray with them, bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.  We are called to give mercy and grace to sinners, to those downcast souls who have wandered.  Let us not forget that the social or church culture we might despise or criticise has been at least partially formed by our own hands.  God has given all people the power to be an influence for good or evil.  Will you go on the record as someone who will speak the truth, even if it costs you something?  In obedience to God, are you willing to confess your sins to a brother or sister so you might pray and be healed?  God isn't asking us to air our issues in national publications or on a blog that reaches across the globe:  He tells us to confess our faults to one another - personally, discretely, and honestly.  Then we can have true accountability and discipleship.  Then we will begin to grow in love and grace.  Then there will be healing and deliverance.  Then we will become a church that promotes health, growth, fitness, and victory - not one that cuts off its own hands, fingers, toes, and feet whilst ignoring the fact we have cancer, heart disease, and we are dying.