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Bible Study - Foundations of Faith
The Confession of Sins
- Private confession (confession made to God through a fellow human being, such as a pastor or priest) is also a proper way to confess sins. When sin is very heavy on ones heart, that person may wish to confide in the confessor (a pastor or priest) in private about that sin, and to personally ask for and receive absolution from them. This also offers an excellent opportunity for spiritual counseling. (NOTE: In this situation, the confessor has a solemn obligation not to reveal anything confided to him in private confession. Judicial authorities generally respect this "confessional seal.")
- A less formal, but equally important kind of confession, is based on the biblical instruction of Jesus as we have already learned in Matthew 5:23-24. Asking forgiveness personally from a person whom we have offended or sinned against is a wonderful and necessary act of contrition and repentance. Matthew 18:15 records Jesus as saying, "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you." Also in James 5:16, "Therefore confess your sins to each other." St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32). Finally, these verses are all reinforced in the Lord's Prayer, "Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us" (Luke 11:4).
Commands of the "Office of the Keys"
We learn from the Bible that the authority of the "Office of the Keys" contains three commands:
- To preach. "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:15-16).
- To baptize and carry out Christ's other commands, such as to administer the Lord's Supper. "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20).
- To Forgive and/or not forgive sins. "And with that he [Jesus] breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven" (John 20:22-23).
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