--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The church used to confess its sin, now…" description: "\"The church used to confess its sin, now it confesses its right.\" — David Wilkerson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/david-wilkerson-3994_church_the-church-used-to-confess-its-sin-now-i_1462338.png" --- # The church used to confess its sin, now it confesses its… ![“The church used to confess its sin, now it confesses its right.” quote by David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/david-wilkerson-3994_church_the-church-used-to-confess-its-sin-now-i_1462338.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/david-wilkerson-3994_church_the-church-used-to-confess-its-sin-now-i_1462338.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/david-wilkerson-3994_church_the-church-used-to-confess-its-sin-now-i_1462338.png) > “The church used to confess its sin, now it confesses its right.” [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The institution shifts from admitting faults to asserting moral authority, highlighting hypocrisy and power misuse. **In simple terms:** Institutions claim righteousness instead of admitting faults. Key Takeaway Question authority and seek truth. Themes hypocrisy power morality Mood critical reflective Type analytical provocative When to use this quote - religious leadership - political discourse - corporate culture - media narratives Key Concepts institutional critique ethical responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How does power affect moral honesty? - When does confession become propaganda? A Different Perspective It may overlook genuine repentance needed for real change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Confess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confess/) [Confess Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confess-sin-801415/) [Confesses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confesses-574913/) [Confesses Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confesses-right-5285744/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Sin Confesses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin-confesses-5285743/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) ## Related quotes > [You dont go to hell for being gay unless you confess your sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-dont-go-to-hell-for-being-gay-unless-you-confess-your-sin/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I was a young boy, my father taught me that to be a good Catholic, I had to confess at church if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fidel-castro/when-i-was-a-young-boy-my-father-taught-me-that-to-be-a-good-catholic/) [Fidel Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fidel-castro/) > [“Close your eyes, and with Jesus, journey back through your day. As you do, confess sin as you see it...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-idleman/close-your-eyes-and-with-jesus-journey-back-through-your-day-as-you/) [Kyle Idleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-idleman/) > [“When it happens that I am more moved by the song than the thing which is sung, I confess that I sin in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-augustine-of-hippo/when-it-happens-that-i-am-more-moved-by-the-song-than-the-thing-which/) [St. Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-augustine-of-hippo/) > [Finally a woman confesses! Confess what? What women never allowed themselves to confess. What men always criticized on them: they only obey the blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/finally-a-woman-confesses-confess-what-what-women-never-allowed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I do believe that when a man confesses to his neighbor and says he's sorry, he thinks more of him than he did before.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/i-do-believe-that-when-a-man-confesses-to-his-neighbor-and-says-he-s/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [“Take courage and confess your sin, says Luther, do not try to run away from it, but believe more boldly still. You are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/take-courage-and-confess-your-sin-says-luther-do-not-try-to-run-away/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“... no person can be his own saviour ... An individual must come before God in penitence, confess his sin and obtain pardon from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-k-harrison/no-person-can-be-his-own-saviour-an-individual-must-come-before-god/) [R.K. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-k-harrison/) > [It's harder to confess the sin that no one believes in Than the crime that everyone can appreciate. For the crime is in relation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/it-s-harder-to-confess-the-sin-that-no-one-believes-in-than-the-crime/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [“If I don’t teach Caleb that he doesn’t need to hide, he will become a master deceiver to keep up the image that all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vanderstelt/if-i-don-t-teach-caleb-that-he-doesn-t-need-to-hide-he-will-become-a/) [Jeff Vanderstelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vanderstelt/) > [If the Spirit of God detects anything in you that is wrong, He doesn't ask you to make it right; He only asks you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/if-the-spirit-of-god-detects-anything-in-you-that-is-wrong-he-doesn-t/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [It does not spoil your happiness to confess your sin. The unhappiness is in not making the confession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/it-does-not-spoil-your-happiness-to-confess-your-sin-the-unhappiness/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“torturing the data until it confesses,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/torturing-the-data-until-it-confesses/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [Whoever blushes confesses guilt, true innocence never feels shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/whoever-blushes-confesses-guilt-true-innocence-never-feels-shame/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [It is not justice when you beat someone after tying their hands, but award a clean chit to another who openly confesses his crimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawaz-sharif/it-is-not-justice-when-you-beat-someone-after-tying-their-hands-but/) [Nawaz Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawaz-sharif/) ## More by David Wilkerson > [“Go ahead—read your Bible through in a year from a sense of duty. Pray for hours each day. Go to church every time the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/go-ahead-read-your-bible-through-in-a-year-from-a-sense-of-duty-pray/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) > [We want his power more than his purity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/we-want-his-power-more-than-his-purity/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) > [I have no ghost writers. I personally write every message and every piece of published mail. I have no ghost writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/i-have-no-ghost-writers-i-personally-write-every-message-and-every/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) > [The UK is becoming a pagan nation along with most European nations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/the-uk-is-becoming-a-pagan-nation-along-with-most-european-nations/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) > [I have no ghost writers. I personally write every message and every piece of published mail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/i-have-no-ghost-writers-i-personally-write-every-message-and-every-2/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) > [The Teen Challenge ministry was born out of those humble early days of ministry. It now includes over 500 drug and alcohol rehab centers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/the-teen-challenge-ministry-was-born-out-of-those-humble-early-days/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) > [God hates the LUKEWARM GOSPEL OF HALF-TRUTHS that is now spreading over the Globe. This gospel says, 'Just believe in Jesus and you'll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/god-hates-the-lukewarm-gospel-of-half-truths-that-is-now-spreading/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) > [Our ministry also supports orphanages in the U.S. and overseas, thousands of poor children in Latin America, drug centers for addicted men, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/our-ministry-also-supports-orphanages-in-the-u-s-and-overseas/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) > [As far as the Lord is concerned, the time to stand is in the darkest moment. It is when everything seems hopeless, when there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/as-far-as-the-lord-is-concerned-the-time-to-stand-is-in-the-darkest/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) > [How can you know when you are trusting in man rather than in God? If you fall apart when someone else lets you down,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/how-can-you-know-when-you-are-trusting-in-man-rather-than-in-god-if/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) > [The Word says, ‘Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world’ (1 John 2:15). Jesus warned, ‘Beware of covetousness: for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/the-word-says-love-not-the-world-neither-the-things-that-are-in-the/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) > [Gwen and I have four children and ten grandchildren.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/gwen-and-i-have-four-children-and-ten-grandchildren/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) > [We simply can't trust God's power fully until we experience it in the midst of our crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/we-simply-can-t-trust-god-s-power-fully-until-we-experience-it-in-the/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) > [To believe when all means fail is exceedingly pleasing to God and is most acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/to-believe-when-all-means-fail-is-exceedingly-pleasing-to-god-and-is/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) > [True freedom from fear consists of totally resigning one's life into the hands of the Lord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/true-freedom-from-fear-consists-of-totally-resigning-one-s-life-into/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) [Explore all 111 David Wilkerson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) ## More Church quotes > [While the 1963 Birmingham church bombing is the most historic, there also was a series of church burnings in the 1990s. Recognition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/while-the-1963-birmingham-church-bombing-is-the-most-historic-there/) [Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Turn over the pages of history and read the damning record of the church's opposition to every advance in every field of science. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/turn-over-the-pages-of-history-and-read-the-damning-record-of-the/) [Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [God is not calling us to go to church; he is calling us to be his church, the hope of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/god-is-not-calling-us-to-go-to-church-he-is-calling-us-to-be-his/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/) [Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [A beggarly people, A church and no steeple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/a-beggarly-people-a-church-and-no-steeple/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The religion of art, like the religion of politics, was born from the ruins of Christianity. Art inherited from the old religion the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/the-religion-of-art-like-the-religion-of-politics-was-born-from-the/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [The minute you walk outside of your church on Sunday you're in mission territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/the-minute-you-walk-outside-of-your-church-on-sunday-you-re-in/) [Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/) > [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) [Browse all 9,430 Church quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The church used to confess its sin, now it confesses its right.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Wilkerson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/the-church-used-to-confess-its-sin-now-it-confesses-its-right/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Church" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/the-church-used-to-confess-its-sin-now-it-confesses-its-right/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/david-wilkerson-3994_church_the-church-used-to-confess-its-sin-now-i_1462338.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/david-wilkerson-3994_church_the-church-used-to-confess-its-sin-now-i_1462338.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/david-wilkerson-3994_church_the-church-used-to-confess-its-sin-now-i_1462338.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The church used to confess its sin, now it confesses its right.” — David Wilkerson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Wilkerson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The church used to confess its...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/the-church-used-to-confess-its-sin-now-it-confesses-its-right/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/the-church-used-to-confess-its-sin-now-it-confesses-its-right/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```