A friend sent me Billy Grahams's daily devotion.B.Graham doesnt always agree with confessing past sins.But MB takes an opposite standpoint right?

It is unfortunate in a marriage if there is an array of sordid memories of past sins on the part of either partner. If young people could only realize that a happy marriage depends not only on the present, but upon the past, they would be more reluctant to enter into loose, intimate relations with anyone and everyone. Many a marriage has been imperiled by the backlash of past sins, which were not just confessed, but �found out.�

As to the necessity of confessing past sins to one�s mate, I don�t think it is always advisable or necessary. I have known of homes that were wrecked by such confessions. The main thing is to confess any past wrongs to God, resolve to be true to your marriage vows; and absolve the black past by a spotless present.

I think Mr. Graham would agree that if a thief who stole a hundred dollars wants to repent, he should give back the hundred dollars if he still has it to give. If he does not have it to give, that is one thing. There is little he can do, unless he can acquire another hundred dollars. But if at all possible, he should try to make amends for his crime.

If you've had an affair, you can never undo the affair. Nevertheless, you can make amends for your affair! You can pay back your spouse and children and society for what you've done! You can do that by confessing your crime to your victims and becoming the faithful and caring husband or wife you were always supposed to be.

So if you have a past sin against your spouse in your life, it is as if you have stolen and have the ability to pay back. Not confessing is like choosing not to pay back to.

Jesus did not say "confess any past wrongs to God." He said "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." I am sure Billy Graham, Baptist does not believe this means confessing to a priest. So who else does it mean to confess to, other than to our victims, especially when our victim is a Christian?

http://bible.cc/james/5-16.htm

If you feel the need to hide BIG things from your partner...you've already got problems. Historical info is important but that doesn't mean a person has to disclose every single detail. I'm not going to tell someone I stole $1 from my mom's purse when I was eight but I'd disclose that I had a bankruptcy, was arrested for ck fraud, or some other BIG thing (these are only examples BTW lol...nothing I have done).

This should not just apply to sins but any big piece of information that a reasonable person would want to consider to base their decisions on. I would probably walk away from a person who thought it was ok not to mention they cheated. I would not appreciate the "surprise" later. But I'm also VERY clear and direct when I meet someone of interest. I have a ton of respect for people who can admit their wrongdoing...not so much for people who try to conceal it.

Obviously Mr Graham doesn't know didly squat.

This is just ridiculous. Guess he is okay with people living in a marriage full of secrets and lies.

Unbelievable. He needs to talk to Dr. Harley about the real world and get an education.


How in the world can you make an informed decision to stay or leave a marriage without all the facts? That position is just promoting sin in my opinion.

Don't mean to offend anyone on this board if you are a believer in Mr Graham. Sorry if I did.

Being a BS...It just makes my blood boil to think of a situation where it would be 'okay' for someone to have an A and then bury those facts under the house as long as they have 'repented to god' and set a new course in life.

The article is brief and he's not specific about exactly what he's referring to....whether sins during the marriage (like an affair) or things that took place before marriage.

I'm not really defending his stance (whatever it actually is) just pointing out that it's a little unclear....to me anyway....exactly what he's referring to.