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Lesson
14 — Holy Absolution
______________ (Confession and Absolution)
Catechism
Questions 261-284
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I.
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Confess:
"to come to agreement"
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A.
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Confession
of sins is to acknowledge them, to take "ownership"
of them.
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Psalm
32:3-5
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Psalm
51:1-4
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B.
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Confession
of sins should not be forced, coerced, or otherwise demanded.
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Psalm
19:12
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C. |
Confession
of sins done on a regular basis is a good "habit"
to get into.
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James
5:16
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| II. |
Absolution:
The direct application of the forgiveness of sins.
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A. |
Isaiah
1:18 — sins are removed from us
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B. |
The pastor
is charged to deliver that forgiveness, to be regarded as
if it has come from Christ Himself.
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Matthew
18:18
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Luke
10:16
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John
20:23
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C. |
the authority
of pastors to be God's called representatives to forgive sins
is not taken by man, nor by the church, but is a gift of God
called the Office of the Keys.
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Matthew
16:19
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D. |
Since
the Lutheran Church is a church emphasizing the Gospel, the
emphasis here should properly be on Absolution. We
are interested in the Forgiveness of Sins. (the abuses
of this come from other denominations putting the emphasis
on Confession, or what man does, instead of on Absolution,
or what God does.)
Forms of Confession/Absolution
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1. |
Public
or "Corporate"
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a. |
usually
according to a set form
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b. |
general
in nature
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c. |
value
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(1) |
reminds everyone that we are "in this together"
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(2) |
the
most common form of Absolution today
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d. |
examples
in Lutheran Worship:
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(1) |
Before
the Divine Services (pages 136, 158, 178)
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(2) |
pages
308-309
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2. |
Private
Confession/Absolution
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a.
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form
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(1) |
can be
set
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(2) |
also
free for naming specific sins
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b. |
nature
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(1) |
can be
only general (according to a fixed paragraph)
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(2) |
can name
specific sins troubling a person
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c. |
value:
freedom from specific guilt troubling a person
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d. |
examples
in Lutheran Worship pages 310-311
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III.
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The Big
Question: Is Holy Absolution a Sacrament?
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A.
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According
to the definition applied most commonly in the LCMS, no.
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B. |
The Lutheran
Confessions, writings from the Reformers in the 16th Century,
in half of the references to Absolution call it a sacrament.
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C. |
At the
very least, it should be considered Sacramental, as
it is a method of human beings to convey the gift of God,
the forgiveness of sins.
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