“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

Verse sixteen springs from verse fifteen. 

Confess

The word “confess” means to confess or admit openly or fully. “Confess” comes from three Greek words: to say, same, and out. The idea is to speak out about something you agree is wrong. The readers of James needed to confess their sins of rebellion (Jas 5:15) openly to one another; otherwise, they would end in divine discipline. 

your trespasses

A “trespass” is not the same as a sin. A trespass is a violation of someone else’s rights. It means crossing someone else’s rights. Hatred will take root in others’ souls if we do not deal with the wrongs we did against them. There is a danger that people will develop irreconcilable attitudes in this. This believer committed the sin unto death (Jas 5:20). 

to one another,

We do not have to confess our sins to an intermediary or priest. We do, however, have the right to confess sins to mature Christian leaders (elders). 

PRINCIPLE:  

Confession of sin keeps spirit, soul, and body healthy. 

APPLICATION: 

Protracted, unconfessed sin will eventually undermine the soul and even cause physical illness. We need mature leaders to help us get out of this spiral. Sometimes confessing sin will heal physical illness, especially when the sin is directly related to the incident. In this case, the issue is primarily spiritual, not physical. 

Confession of sin can keep the spirit, soul, and body healthy. This is no absolute guarantee for physical healing because sin can cause permanent ravaging of the body. Sometimes God chooses not to heal physical illnesses. 

Acknowledging our sin is the first step in spiritual restoration. Confession is not penance. Jesus did the penance for us on the cross (1 Jn 1:7). His blood continues to cleanse us from sin, not our self-punishment. Christ’s punishment, not self-punishment, sets us right with God. 

Our part is to acknowledge our part in what took Jesus to the cross. We cannot have forgiveness without the shedding of the blood of Christ (He 9:22). “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”