I believe you are quite right in thinking that confessing sin to another person does not lead to forgiveness. God alone forgives sin. I believe the discipline of confessing sin to another is more for us than it is for God. The Bible teaches that sin is like a darkness that needs to be brought to into the light. Many times, even when sin in confessed to God, we beat ourselves up over and over for the sin—we cannot let it go. If you go and confess this sin to another trusted person the secrecy surrounding this sin comes into the light and the sin loses its power. Other times when the sin is against another, you can go and ask forgiveness. It is a freeing thing when that person gives their forgiveness…and even if they don’t, the change in your prayers regarding the sin can really change when you spend time with God knowing you did your best to make it right.
One caution—Make sure this is a good friend that can be trusted completely that is not prone to gossip.
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