Confession is the honest speaking of what you have done wrong – before God, and sometimes before another person. Here you will find 20 Bible verses on confession: biblical prayers for forgiveness and promises that confession sets you free.
Prayers for forgiveness
These words have been prayed by people for thousands of years.
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God, be gracious to me according to your goodness, and blot out my transgressions according to your great mercy.
Psalm 51:3
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Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psalm 51:4
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Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:12Confirmation versesHeart
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Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Psalm 51:14
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Remember not the transgressions of my youth, nor my iniquity; remember me not according to my sins, but according to your mercy, for your mercy is good.
Psalm 25:7
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For your name's sake, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, for it is great.
Psalm 25:11
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Who can tell how often he errs? Forgive me my hidden faults!
Psalm 19:13
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And the tax collector stood afar off, and would not even lift up his eyes unto heaven; but beat his breast, and said, God, be merciful to me a sinner!
Luke 18:13Guilt
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But thine, O LORD, our God, is mercy and forgiveness, that we have rebelled.
Daniel 9:9
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And confess the iniquities of the children of Israel, which we have done before thee; and I and my father's house have sinned.
Nehemiah 1:6b
Confession sets you free
Promises for all who confess their guilt.
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If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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Therefore I confessed my sin unto thee, and hid not my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.
Psalm 32:5GuiltForgiveness
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He that believeth not his iniquity shall not prosper; but he that confesseth and forsaketh it shall obtain mercy.
Proverbs 28:13Addiction
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Confess your sins one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
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I will arise and go to my father, and say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.
Luke 15:18
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But the father said unto his servants, Bring out the best robe, and put it on him; and let them put a ring in his hand, and shoes on his feet.
Luke 15:22Clothing
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And if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways; then will I hear from heaven, and forgive their sin, and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14Revival
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Take these words unto thee, and turn unto the LORD, and speak unto him: Forgive us all our iniquity, and make us whole; and we will offer the sacrifices of the lips.
Hosea 14:3
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Let the ungodly forsake his way, and the evildoer his thoughts, and be converted unto the LORD; and he shall have mercy on him, and to our God; for with him is much forgiveness.
Isaiah 55:7
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Whose sins ye forgive, they are forgiven; and whose ye retain, they are retained.
John 20:23
Bible texts: Luther Bible 1912 (public domain), carefully adapted to modern spelling.
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Why confess sins?
“For when I tried to conceal it, my legs grew weak” (Psalm 32:3) – so David describes what unconfessed guilt does to a person. Confession is therefore not a ritual of humiliation, but a path to freedom. God knows what has happened anyway; in confession, the person stops hiding from him. And God answers with forgiveness: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9).
Confession and confession today
In the Catholic Church, confession is a sacrament; in Protestant churches, there is individual confession and the general confession of sins in worship, for example before communion. James also recommends confessing to one another: “Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed” (James 5:16). Psalm 51 has always been the prayer par excellence for this moment. Find out more at Bible verses on repentance and conversion, Bible verses on forgiveness, and Bible verses on communion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does it say, “If we confess our sins”?
In 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Which psalm is a penitential psalm?
Tradition counts seven penitential psalms: Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143. Psalm 51 is the best known.
