Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Plough Quarterly • Summer  “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” —James 5:16 R ecently, a couple from our church returned home after a mission trip. They met many seeking hearts in their travels–people who felt the need to change and who wanted something new. But when they talked with people about the forgiveness Jesus offers through the confession of sins, they were met with mixed reactions: “God has already forgiven me.” “Do I really have to confess my sins in order to be forgiven?” “Isn’t God’s grace sufficient?” God’s grace indeed abounds, but this is especially so when we unburden our lives before another person. Sin and guilt always work in secret. Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes: In the confession of concrete sins the old man dies a painful, shameful death before the eyes of a brother. Because this humiliation is so hard, we continually scheme to avoid it. Yet in the deep mental and physical pain of humilia- tion before a brother we experience our rescue and salvation.* Confessing one’s sins to someone–even someone we trust–is never easy because it means becoming vulnerable; it means admitting we need help. In a world that exalts individual achievement and despises weakness, revealing one’s sins to another feels extremely uncomfortable. Then there is the Confessing to One Another The Uncomfortable but Liberating Gift of Openness JOH N N Y F R A N SH A M