Confession and Self-Examination: John Climacus on Confession and Humility

John Climacus (d. 606) devoted an entire step of his "Ladder of Divine Ascent" to confession. He wrote: "Some people are so ashamed of their sins that they prefer to remain silent about them. But silence only allows the wound to fester. Confession is the surgeon's knife that opens the wound to the healing light." Climacus saw confession as painful but necessary medicine.

Climachus taught that the disposition of the heart matters more than the formal act: "A genuine confession is one accompanied by real sorrow, not mere words. Some confess their sins as though they were telling someone else's story. This is not confession but recitation." True confession requires not just naming the sin but feeling its weight.

Practical application: In your next time of confession, speak slowly and specifically. Instead of "I was impatient," say "I spoke harshly to my spouse on Tuesday evening when they asked me a simple question." Climacus teaches that specific confession produces specific healing, while vague confession produces only vague relief.