Recently someone asked this question, and I am open to hearing from others about how they might discern God’s will for this struggling Jesus-follower.
I committed a serious crime over 30 years ago and was aressted for it. I lied and got out of it. After i became a Christian I asked god to forgive me but I never told anyone else the truth about what i had done because it would destroy amny people in my family. Am I truly forgiven or must I also confess to my family .
As you reflect on this, please be prayerful and sensitive in your response.
What are the bible passages that speak to this?
What are the limits to confession, if any?
One thing that came to mind were the words of Steps 8 and 9 of the Twelve Steps:
8: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Any wisdom for this person?
this person is still haunted and cannot escape his truth. I was in a situation with someone who had a double life. I knew something was wrong and yearned, begged, pleaded for the truth from him and God. In God’s time I was shown the truth. It was not pretty and wasn’t the world’s version of a happy ending. Through it, I learned more about God’s grace and mercy and now focus on the one and only Truth that matters-Jesus. Do I still deal with “why” and “what if” and how things “should’ve” been ? Absolutely! At the end of it, Jesus still says “my grace is sufficient for you”.