Must A Believer Confess Their Sins When Being Baptized?
Q: Do you have to confess your sins at baptism, and is there Scripture that supports this?
A: I don’t know that there needs to be a public confession of specific sins, but there does need to be a generalconfession of sin. Baptism is an expression of our putting our faith in Jesus. Part of that entails a declaration of that person saying, “I need to be saved. I need to be cleansed. I need to die with Jesus Christ. I need to be raised up from the dead with Him.” This is the actual work that happens in the spiritual realm – the cleansing from our sins, and our death, burial and resurrection with Jesus Christ – which is illustrated by the material act of baptism. And you can’t do that without recognizing that you’re a sinner in need of salvation. So, while I wouldn’t necessarily say that it’s needful to confess individual sins, you do have to come to baptism with the humility of knowing that you are indeed a sinner who needs God’s salvation.