"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." These words from 1 John are often used as a "call to confession" in Presbyterian worship. I've always been struck how these words connect with AA and other 12 step programs where the starting point of recovery is admitting that you're an alcoholic, or drug addict, etc. If you've ever seen an AA meeting, you'll know that people often introduce themselves with, "Hi, my name is Joe, and I'm an alcoholic."
I think it strikes many of us as odd to constantly remind yourself of your problem, to claim it so openly and frequently. I know that many worshipers would prefer not to have prayers of confession each week in our worship. They have told me so. "It's such a downer," they say.
John Calvin, the theological parent of my theological tradition, wrote in the opening of his Institutes of the Christian Religion, "Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves." The recovering alcoholic had discovered that true wisdom includes never forgetting that he is an alcoholic. And those who are in Christ discover that true wisdom includes never forgetting that they are sinners.
Like those alcoholics who refuse to admit their problem, many of us don't want to claim the label sinner. We like to think that human beings are basically good, that those who are "bad" must have had something go terribly wrong in their lives. We are loathe to admit that we have within us the capacity for evil, that it seems to be a part of our makeup.
Strange that recovering alcoholics find claiming their identity as alcoholics to be so helpful, an integral part of their recovery, while so many Christians find claiming our identity as sinners to be so distasteful. I wonder how often I distance myself from forgiveness and salvation because I want to insist I don't need them.
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