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Fellow Christian Proclaiming Forgiveness Pastors may provide another form for individual confession and forgiveness Upon hearing a person s confession a fellow Christian announces God s forgiveness God loves you He promises to be merciful to you and strengthen your faith Do you believe that God s promises of forgiveness given in the Bible are written for all God s children including you I do Then hear and believe what God s Word promises you use one or more Bible verses including those on the following page In 1 John 1 9 God promises If we confess our sins God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness Through Romans 8 1 the Lord declares There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus In 1 Peter 2 24 God assures us Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness By his wounds you have been healed Therefore _____________________ name believe this Good News For Jesus sake God forgives you all your sins Amen If the person confessing has also asked for forgiveness from the one hearing the confession these words should also be spoken As God through Christ has forgiven both you and me I also forgive you your sins against me Amen The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus Philippians 4 7 Amen A prayer of thanksgiving may follow Psalms 30 31 32 34 103 and 118 are also appropriate The one hearing confession may know additional Scripture passages with which to comfort and strengthen the faith of those who have great burdens of conscience or are sorrowful and distressed He or she may include some of the passages listed under God s Word Proclaiming Forgiveness from the following page God s Word Proclaiming Forgiveness When proclaiming God s forgiveness comfort the person with the assurance of God s love by reading Bible passages that proclaim God s grace Personalize the promise by inserting in the verse the person s name and personal pronouns as noted in the brackets below Proclaiming God s Forgiveness Go and Be Reconciled What Does This Mean Be Reconciled to God Blessed is Name whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered Blessed is Name against whom the Lord counts no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit Psalm 32 1 2 Remember Whose You Are For as high as the heavens are above the earth so great is his steadfast love toward Name who fear s him as far as the east is from the west so far does he remove your transgressions from you Psalm 103 11 12 Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification Therefore Name since we have been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God Romans 4 25 5 2 Therefore there is now no condemnation for Name who is in Christ Jesus Romans 8 1 Name for your sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him you might become the righteousness of God 2 Corinthians 5 21 Name He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness By his wounds Name you have been healed 1 Peter 2 24 Name the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses you from all sin 1 John 1 7b Ambassadors of Reconciliation P O Box 81662 Billings MT 59108 1662 USA 406 698 6107 www HisAoR org 2016 Ambassadors of Reconciliation All rights reserved Ver 1 18 Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible English Standard Version ESV copyright 2001 by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers Used by permission All rights reserved Download our FREE App Proclaiming God s Forgiveness Be Reconciled to Others Forgive as God Forgave You Confess to the Other Person Restore with Gentleness Repent Before God Receive God s Forgiveness Therefore confess your sins to one another James 5 16a Be kind to one another tenderhearted forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you Ephesians 4 32 Cultivating Lifestyles of Reconciliation

Go and Be Reconciled What Does This Mean The cross can remind us how we are reconciled In our vertical relationship God reconciled us to Himself through Christ We remember that we are His children called to a lifestyle of repentance receiving His forgiveness In our horizontal relationship we are called to be reconciled with other people for whom Christ has died We confess our sins to the other person forgive as God forgave us through Christ and restore others with gentleness Be Reconciled to God 2 Cor 5 18 20 Be Reconciled to Others Matt 5 23 24 Remember Whose You Are 1 John 3 1 How does my identity affect reconciliation Repent before God Psalm 51 17 How do my conflicts with others affect my relationship to God Receive God s Forgiveness 1 John 1 9 How am I reconciled to God Confess to the Other Person James 5 16 How does my confession lead to reconciliation Forgive as God Forgave You Colossians 3 12 13 How does forgiving and resolving lead to reconciliation Restore with Gentleness Galatians 6 1 How does restoring others lead to reconciliation The Development of an Idol Fear Desire Trust Demand Unmet Expectations Frustrations Judge Punish The Confession We slide down the slippery slope of idolatry when we elevate a fear desire or trust into a demand When expectations are not met frustration increases We judge those who will not give us what we want and we punish them Left unchecked idolatry results in destruction or death of the idol and or the person worshipping it In other words idolatry leads to death James 1 14 15 End Result Destruction or Death Guidelines for Confession Confession and forgiveness lead to life 2 Corinthians 7 10 Expressing godly sorrow in confession reflects true contrition which is a result of repentance James 5 16 Go as a beggar Matthew 5 23 24 Luke 15 19 Luke 18 13 14 Own your sin Numbers 5 5 7 Psalm 32 3 5 Psalm 51 3 4 I sinned against God and you when I I was wrong Although the Bible does not require a specific format for confession and forgiveness this form provides simple ways to confess sin to our pastor fellow Christian or family member and receive the good news of God s forgiveness Ask for forgiveness Genesis 50 17 Psalm 32 5 Luke 18 13 Trust in Christ s forgiveness Colossians 1 13 14 Ephesians 1 7 10 Regardless if the other person forgives trust in Christ s forgiveness e Demand nc Unmet Expectations ta Be willing to bear the consequences Luke 15 21 19 8 Repentance Is the Cure Fear Desire Trust en When someone confesses his sins whether against God us or other people Christians have the privilege of proclaiming God s forgiveness Commit to changing your behavior with God s help Matthew 3 8 With God s help I will not do this again When confessing you may prepare by meditating on the Ten Commandments and by praying Psalm 6 7 13 15 51 121 or 130 If you are not burdened with particular sins do not torture yourself to search for or invent other sins However if particular sins trouble you naming them aloud will help you own your sins Moreover it will help comfort you for those specific sins as God s forgiveness is proclaimed to you NOTE When confessing sin it is not necessary to use any specific rite or prepared words However some may find it helpful to use the following The person hearing the confession begins Since Adam and Eve sinned all people have been born in sin We sin against God by disobeying his commandments and we also sin against others around us Nevertheless God promises in the Bible to forgive us when we confess our sins because Jesus died for all our sins see Psalm 32 2 5 or 1 John 1 8 9 Thus you are invited to confess your sins so that you can hear God s forgiveness proclaimed for you The person confessing prays Identify your sins according to God s Word Exodus 20 1 17 Sinful thoughts words and actions Matthew 15 19 Ephesians 4 29 Galatians 5 19 21 Sins of omission e g failing to love as in 1 Corinthians 13 4 7 Express sorrow for hurt your sin has caused Luke 15 21 I am sorry for how my actions hurt you when If unsure how you hurt ask Can you help me understand how my actions hurt you Proclaiming God s Forgiveness Confession of sin is a private matter A Christian hearing a confession and proclaiming God s forgiveness is obligated to respect the confidential nature of a confession Frustrations Re p Judge Punish Heavenly Father I know that you created me and love me You have taught me in the Bible how to live as your child But I was born a sinner And I have sinned against you and others around me by what I have done and by what I haven t done I deserve your wrath and eternal punishment I am sorry for my sin known and unknown optional I am especially sorry for mention specific sins that trouble your conscience Have mercy on me Please forgive me for Jesus sake Help me to live in the way that you teach me optional you may pray additional thoughts to God In Jesus name Amen If you sinned against the one hearing your confession you may also say I have also sinned against you and I ask you for forgiveness too End Result Destruction or Death

Go and Be Reconciled What Does This Mean The cross can remind us how we are reconciled In our vertical relationship God reconciled us to Himself through Christ We remember that we are His children called to a lifestyle of repentance receiving His forgiveness In our horizontal relationship we are called to be reconciled with other people for whom Christ has died We confess our sins to the other person forgive as God forgave us through Christ and restore others with gentleness Be Reconciled to God 2 Cor 5 18 20 Be Reconciled to Others Matt 5 23 24 Remember Whose You Are 1 John 3 1 How does my identity affect reconciliation Repent before God Psalm 51 17 How do my conflicts with others affect my relationship to God Receive God s Forgiveness 1 John 1 9 How am I reconciled to God Confess to the Other Person James 5 16 How does my confession lead to reconciliation Forgive as God Forgave You Colossians 3 12 13 How does forgiving and resolving lead to reconciliation Restore with Gentleness Galatians 6 1 How does restoring others lead to reconciliation The Development of an Idol Fear Desire Trust Demand Unmet Expectations Frustrations Judge Punish The Confession We slide down the slippery slope of idolatry when we elevate a fear desire or trust into a demand When expectations are not met frustration increases We judge those who will not give us what we want and we punish them Left unchecked idolatry results in destruction or death of the idol and or the person worshipping it In other words idolatry leads to death James 1 14 15 End Result Destruction or Death Guidelines for Confession Confession and forgiveness lead to life 2 Corinthians 7 10 Expressing godly sorrow in confession reflects true contrition which is a result of repentance James 5 16 Go as a beggar Matthew 5 23 24 Luke 15 19 Luke 18 13 14 Own your sin Numbers 5 5 7 Psalm 32 3 5 Psalm 51 3 4 I sinned against God and you when I I was wrong Although the Bible does not require a specific format for confession and forgiveness this form provides simple ways to confess sin to our pastor fellow Christian or family member and receive the good news of God s forgiveness Ask for forgiveness Genesis 50 17 Psalm 32 5 Luke 18 13 Trust in Christ s forgiveness Colossians 1 13 14 Ephesians 1 7 10 Regardless if the other person forgives trust in Christ s forgiveness e Demand nc Unmet Expectations ta Be willing to bear the consequences Luke 15 21 19 8 Repentance Is the Cure Fear Desire Trust en When someone confesses his sins whether against God us or other people Christians have the privilege of proclaiming God s forgiveness Commit to changing your behavior with God s help Matthew 3 8 With God s help I will not do this again When confessing you may prepare by meditating on the Ten Commandments and by praying Psalm 6 7 13 15 51 121 or 130 If you are not burdened with particular sins do not torture yourself to search for or invent other sins However if particular sins trouble you naming them aloud will help you own your sins Moreover it will help comfort you for those specific sins as God s forgiveness is proclaimed to you NOTE When confessing sin it is not necessary to use any specific rite or prepared words However some may find it helpful to use the following The person hearing the confession begins Since Adam and Eve sinned all people have been born in sin We sin against God by disobeying his commandments and we also sin against others around us Nevertheless God promises in the Bible to forgive us when we confess our sins because Jesus died for all our sins see Psalm 32 2 5 or 1 John 1 8 9 Thus you are invited to confess your sins so that you can hear God s forgiveness proclaimed for you The person confessing prays Identify your sins according to God s Word Exodus 20 1 17 Sinful thoughts words and actions Matthew 15 19 Ephesians 4 29 Galatians 5 19 21 Sins of omission e g failing to love as in 1 Corinthians 13 4 7 Express sorrow for hurt your sin has caused Luke 15 21 I am sorry for how my actions hurt you when If unsure how you hurt ask Can you help me understand how my actions hurt you Proclaiming God s Forgiveness Confession of sin is a private matter A Christian hearing a confession and proclaiming God s forgiveness is obligated to respect the confidential nature of a confession Frustrations Re p Judge Punish Heavenly Father I know that you created me and love me You have taught me in the Bible how to live as your child But I was born a sinner And I have sinned against you and others around me by what I have done and by what I haven t done I deserve your wrath and eternal punishment I am sorry for my sin known and unknown optional I am especially sorry for mention specific sins that trouble your conscience Have mercy on me Please forgive me for Jesus sake Help me to live in the way that you teach me optional you may pray additional thoughts to God In Jesus name Amen If you sinned against the one hearing your confession you may also say I have also sinned against you and I ask you for forgiveness too End Result Destruction or Death

Go and Be Reconciled What Does This Mean The cross can remind us how we are reconciled In our vertical relationship God reconciled us to Himself through Christ We remember that we are His children called to a lifestyle of repentance receiving His forgiveness In our horizontal relationship we are called to be reconciled with other people for whom Christ has died We confess our sins to the other person forgive as God forgave us through Christ and restore others with gentleness Be Reconciled to God 2 Cor 5 18 20 Be Reconciled to Others Matt 5 23 24 Remember Whose You Are 1 John 3 1 How does my identity affect reconciliation Repent before God Psalm 51 17 How do my conflicts with others affect my relationship to God Receive God s Forgiveness 1 John 1 9 How am I reconciled to God Confess to the Other Person James 5 16 How does my confession lead to reconciliation Forgive as God Forgave You Colossians 3 12 13 How does forgiving and resolving lead to reconciliation Restore with Gentleness Galatians 6 1 How does restoring others lead to reconciliation The Development of an Idol Fear Desire Trust Demand Unmet Expectations Frustrations Judge Punish The Confession We slide down the slippery slope of idolatry when we elevate a fear desire or trust into a demand When expectations are not met frustration increases We judge those who will not give us what we want and we punish them Left unchecked idolatry results in destruction or death of the idol and or the person worshipping it In other words idolatry leads to death James 1 14 15 End Result Destruction or Death Guidelines for Confession Confession and forgiveness lead to life 2 Corinthians 7 10 Expressing godly sorrow in confession reflects true contrition which is a result of repentance James 5 16 Go as a beggar Matthew 5 23 24 Luke 15 19 Luke 18 13 14 Own your sin Numbers 5 5 7 Psalm 32 3 5 Psalm 51 3 4 I sinned against God and you when I I was wrong Although the Bible does not require a specific format for confession and forgiveness this form provides simple ways to confess sin to our pastor fellow Christian or family member and receive the good news of God s forgiveness Ask for forgiveness Genesis 50 17 Psalm 32 5 Luke 18 13 Trust in Christ s forgiveness Colossians 1 13 14 Ephesians 1 7 10 Regardless if the other person forgives trust in Christ s forgiveness e Demand nc Unmet Expectations ta Be willing to bear the consequences Luke 15 21 19 8 Repentance Is the Cure Fear Desire Trust en When someone confesses his sins whether against God us or other people Christians have the privilege of proclaiming God s forgiveness Commit to changing your behavior with God s help Matthew 3 8 With God s help I will not do this again When confessing you may prepare by meditating on the Ten Commandments and by praying Psalm 6 7 13 15 51 121 or 130 If you are not burdened with particular sins do not torture yourself to search for or invent other sins However if particular sins trouble you naming them aloud will help you own your sins Moreover it will help comfort you for those specific sins as God s forgiveness is proclaimed to you NOTE When confessing sin it is not necessary to use any specific rite or prepared words However some may find it helpful to use the following The person hearing the confession begins Since Adam and Eve sinned all people have been born in sin We sin against God by disobeying his commandments and we also sin against others around us Nevertheless God promises in the Bible to forgive us when we confess our sins because Jesus died for all our sins see Psalm 32 2 5 or 1 John 1 8 9 Thus you are invited to confess your sins so that you can hear God s forgiveness proclaimed for you The person confessing prays Identify your sins according to God s Word Exodus 20 1 17 Sinful thoughts words and actions Matthew 15 19 Ephesians 4 29 Galatians 5 19 21 Sins of omission e g failing to love as in 1 Corinthians 13 4 7 Express sorrow for hurt your sin has caused Luke 15 21 I am sorry for how my actions hurt you when If unsure how you hurt ask Can you help me understand how my actions hurt you Proclaiming God s Forgiveness Confession of sin is a private matter A Christian hearing a confession and proclaiming God s forgiveness is obligated to respect the confidential nature of a confession Frustrations Re p Judge Punish Heavenly Father I know that you created me and love me You have taught me in the Bible how to live as your child But I was born a sinner And I have sinned against you and others around me by what I have done and by what I haven t done I deserve your wrath and eternal punishment I am sorry for my sin known and unknown optional I am especially sorry for mention specific sins that trouble your conscience Have mercy on me Please forgive me for Jesus sake Help me to live in the way that you teach me optional you may pray additional thoughts to God In Jesus name Amen If you sinned against the one hearing your confession you may also say I have also sinned against you and I ask you for forgiveness too End Result Destruction or Death

Fellow Christian Proclaiming Forgiveness Pastors may provide another form for individual confession and forgiveness Upon hearing a person s confession a fellow Christian announces God s forgiveness God loves you He promises to be merciful to you and strengthen your faith Do you believe that God s promises of forgiveness given in the Bible are written for all God s children including you I do Then hear and believe what God s Word promises you use one or more Bible verses including those on the following page In 1 John 1 9 God promises If we confess our sins God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness Through Romans 8 1 the Lord declares There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus In 1 Peter 2 24 God assures us Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness By his wounds you have been healed Therefore _____________________ name believe this Good News For Jesus sake God forgives you all your sins Amen If the person confessing has also asked for forgiveness from the one hearing the confession these words should also be spoken As God through Christ has forgiven both you and me I also forgive you your sins against me Amen The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus Philippians 4 7 Amen A prayer of thanksgiving may follow Psalms 30 31 32 34 103 and 118 are also appropriate The one hearing confession may know additional Scripture passages with which to comfort and strengthen the faith of those who have great burdens of conscience or are sorrowful and distressed He or she may include some of the passages listed under God s Word Proclaiming Forgiveness from the following page God s Word Proclaiming Forgiveness When proclaiming God s forgiveness comfort the person with the assurance of God s love by reading Bible passages that proclaim God s grace Personalize the promise by inserting in the verse the person s name and personal pronouns as noted in the brackets below Proclaiming God s Forgiveness Go and Be Reconciled What Does This Mean Be Reconciled to God Blessed is Name whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered Blessed is Name against whom the Lord counts no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit Psalm 32 1 2 Remember Whose You Are For as high as the heavens are above the earth so great is his steadfast love toward Name who fear s him as far as the east is from the west so far does he remove your transgressions from you Psalm 103 11 12 Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification Therefore Name since we have been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God Romans 4 25 5 2 Therefore there is now no condemnation for Name who is in Christ Jesus Romans 8 1 Name for your sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him you might become the righteousness of God 2 Corinthians 5 21 Name He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness By his wounds Name you have been healed 1 Peter 2 24 Name the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses you from all sin 1 John 1 7b Ambassadors of Reconciliation P O Box 81662 Billings MT 59108 1662 USA 406 698 6107 www HisAoR org 2016 Ambassadors of Reconciliation All rights reserved Ver 1 18 Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible English Standard Version ESV copyright 2001 by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers Used by permission All rights reserved Download our FREE App Proclaiming God s Forgiveness Be Reconciled to Others Forgive as God Forgave You Confess to the Other Person Restore with Gentleness Repent Before God Receive God s Forgiveness Therefore confess your sins to one another James 5 16a Be kind to one another tenderhearted forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you Ephesians 4 32 Cultivating Lifestyles of Reconciliation

Fellow Christian Proclaiming Forgiveness Pastors may provide another form for individual confession and forgiveness Upon hearing a person s confession a fellow Christian announces God s forgiveness God loves you He promises to be merciful to you and strengthen your faith Do you believe that God s promises of forgiveness given in the Bible are written for all God s children including you I do Then hear and believe what God s Word promises you use one or more Bible verses including those on the following page In 1 John 1 9 God promises If we confess our sins God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness Through Romans 8 1 the Lord declares There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus In 1 Peter 2 24 God assures us Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness By his wounds you have been healed Therefore _____________________ name believe this Good News For Jesus sake God forgives you all your sins Amen If the person confessing has also asked for forgiveness from the one hearing the confession these words should also be spoken As God through Christ has forgiven both you and me I also forgive you your sins against me Amen The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus Philippians 4 7 Amen A prayer of thanksgiving may follow Psalms 30 31 32 34 103 and 118 are also appropriate The one hearing confession may know additional Scripture passages with which to comfort and strengthen the faith of those who have great burdens of conscience or are sorrowful and distressed He or she may include some of the passages listed under God s Word Proclaiming Forgiveness from the following page God s Word Proclaiming Forgiveness When proclaiming God s forgiveness comfort the person with the assurance of God s love by reading Bible passages that proclaim God s grace Personalize the promise by inserting in the verse the person s name and personal pronouns as noted in the brackets below Proclaiming God s Forgiveness Go and Be Reconciled What Does This Mean Be Reconciled to God Blessed is Name whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered Blessed is Name against whom the Lord counts no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit Psalm 32 1 2 Remember Whose You Are For as high as the heavens are above the earth so great is his steadfast love toward Name who fear s him as far as the east is from the west so far does he remove your transgressions from you Psalm 103 11 12 Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification Therefore Name since we have been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God Romans 4 25 5 2 Therefore there is now no condemnation for Name who is in Christ Jesus Romans 8 1 Name for your sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him you might become the righteousness of God 2 Corinthians 5 21 Name He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness By his wounds Name you have been healed 1 Peter 2 24 Name the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses you from all sin 1 John 1 7b Ambassadors of Reconciliation P O Box 81662 Billings MT 59108 1662 USA 406 698 6107 www HisAoR org 2016 Ambassadors of Reconciliation All rights reserved Ver 1 18 Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible English Standard Version ESV copyright 2001 by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers Used by permission All rights reserved Download our FREE App Proclaiming God s Forgiveness Be Reconciled to Others Forgive as God Forgave You Confess to the Other Person Restore with Gentleness Repent Before God Receive God s Forgiveness Therefore confess your sins to one another James 5 16a Be kind to one another tenderhearted forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you Ephesians 4 32 Cultivating Lifestyles of Reconciliation