Should Christians Confess Past Sins to Their Spouses? This Evangelist Weighs in
Before entering into the covenant of marriage, couples must make sure they have no secrets from one another. But sometimes, past misdeeds are too shameful even for people who love one another to confess.
World-renowned evangelist Billy Graham said it is unfortunate for people to get married with secrets kept from one another. He said these past secrets have a way of creeping into the present and ruining happy relationships.
"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," he wrote on his website. "Many a marriage has been imperiled by the backlash of past sins, which were not just confessed, but 'found out.'"
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However, it is not always wise to open up about these secrets once people are married. If people feel weighed down by their guilt, Graham suggested they make their confession to God instead.
"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," he said. "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."
Earlier, Graham said he and his wife Ruth might not have a perfect marriage, but they still had a great one because they knew how to be "happily incompatible."
"If two people agree on everything, one of them is unnecessary," he said, according to CBN News. "Being human, not one of us will ever have a relationship with another person that doesn't have a wrinkle or a wart on it somewhere. The unblemished ideal exists only in 'happily ever after' fairytales."
Graham said the real secret to happy marriages is having God at the center of everything. With His love and guidance, God can help people build up their marriages and restore whatever was broken.
