From the PASTOR
When we confess our sins (publicly or privately) we are admitting what God has already said to us in his word – that we are sinners who have sinned against God and our fellow human beings (read Psalm 51). Confessing our sins is something we do, but it is not a ‘good work’ which scores ‘brownie points’ with God, or something we do to make ourselves, or God feel happy! God is not happy with sin and something needs to be done about that.
We are confessing, so we can hear God’s sin-destroying and life-giving words! In the Small Catechism, Luther teaches that before God we need to confess all our sins, even those which we are not aware. However in private confession, we should confess only those sins which we are aware of and those that trouble our conscience. Luther suggests using the 10 commandments as a ‘mirror’ to show us the sin in our lives.
Absolution is the heart of confession and absolution, and we confess in order to receive forgiveness. Through the pastor (through me), or another Christian, we hear God himself pronounce forgiveness. How important is it that right after we have confessed that we need to hear the words of absolution CLEARLY PROCLAIMED! God’s word is active, and it does, what it says it does – God forgives sins through the words of Absolution. Also absolution is not a suggestion, a perhaps or maybe! I don’t want to hear, for example, “May God have mercy and forgive us our sins...”, I’d go far as to say this is impious! As though God may or may not! Umm no! The words of Absolution ARE a declaration of God’s forgiveness – this is what you and I want to hear:
“For Christ’s sake, God forgives us our sins...”!
It needs to be said, this forgiveness is only received by faith! Repenting and coming to faith is the lifestyle of a Christian; this way, you and I are living daily in our baptism. Through repentance the sinful nature is drowned, and the new person rises to live before God in a clean and right spirit. Jesus Christ has also given the authority NOT to forgive sins but to bind them to the person who is not repentant. Sometimes we hear in some forms of the absolution, the words, “God forbid that any of you reject his grace and forgiveness by refusing to repent believe and your sins, therefore remain unforgiven”, and the words directly after proclaim:
“May He comfort you with his holy absolution, and strengthen you with his Sacrament, that your joy may be full!"
We are confessing, so we can hear God’s sin-destroying and life-giving words! In the Small Catechism, Luther teaches that before God we need to confess all our sins, even those which we are not aware. However in private confession, we should confess only those sins which we are aware of and those that trouble our conscience. Luther suggests using the 10 commandments as a ‘mirror’ to show us the sin in our lives.
Absolution is the heart of confession and absolution, and we confess in order to receive forgiveness. Through the pastor (through me), or another Christian, we hear God himself pronounce forgiveness. How important is it that right after we have confessed that we need to hear the words of absolution CLEARLY PROCLAIMED! God’s word is active, and it does, what it says it does – God forgives sins through the words of Absolution. Also absolution is not a suggestion, a perhaps or maybe! I don’t want to hear, for example, “May God have mercy and forgive us our sins...”, I’d go far as to say this is impious! As though God may or may not! Umm no! The words of Absolution ARE a declaration of God’s forgiveness – this is what you and I want to hear:
“For Christ’s sake, God forgives us our sins...”!
It needs to be said, this forgiveness is only received by faith! Repenting and coming to faith is the lifestyle of a Christian; this way, you and I are living daily in our baptism. Through repentance the sinful nature is drowned, and the new person rises to live before God in a clean and right spirit. Jesus Christ has also given the authority NOT to forgive sins but to bind them to the person who is not repentant. Sometimes we hear in some forms of the absolution, the words, “God forbid that any of you reject his grace and forgiveness by refusing to repent believe and your sins, therefore remain unforgiven”, and the words directly after proclaim:
“May He comfort you with his holy absolution, and strengthen you with his Sacrament, that your joy may be full!"