In our review of the Catechism we have seen several means which the Lord uses to bring us forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

He brings us forgiveness and life in Baptism. We are reassured of that each time we hear these words: "He who believes and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16).

He brings forgiveness and life in the Lord's Supper, giving His body and blood shed for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:26-28). Feeding on Jesus, we live because of Him (John 6:57).

We now turn to Confession, the Fifth Chief Part of the Catechism and to yet another way the Lord brings us and reassures us of the forgiveness of sins.

The Catechism teaches that Confession consists of two parts. One part is that we confess our sins and the other is that we receive absolution.

Concerning confessing our sins, this is a necessary part of Confession because, first of all, we are sinners. We learn in the Fifth Petition that "we daily sin much." Not only does the Bible teach this, but also experience bears this out. We cannot "understand our errors" (Psalm 19:12) not because we cannot determine what is and what is not sin, but because we do not know how much we sin. We cannot count our sins for they are too many for us to remember. They are more than the hairs of our head (Psalm 40:12).

Secondly, confessing our sins is necessary because the Lord commands it: "Repent, and believe in the Gospel" (Mark 1:15). Before He ascended into heaven, Jesus instructed that repentance, as well as remission of sins, is to be preached in His name (Luke 24).

Finally, acknowledgment of our sins is necessary in order to receive forgiveness. The apostle John wrote, "If we confess our sins, He [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). However, the converse is also true: If we do not confess our sins, God is still faithful and just, but He will not forgive our sins. Our sins and unrighteousness remain.

However, as we see from these passages of Scripture, confessing our sins does not alone constitute Christian confession. Christ also instituted absolution, the forgiveness of sins, for this is what Christ's religion is really all about. True confession is not only about admitting our wrongs, as important as that is. Judas admitted that he had "shed innocent blood," but such a confession did him no good because He did not believe that Jesus was dying on the cross to pay for his sins. Christ's religion is about forgiveness of sins in Christ, making us fit for the kingdom of heaven.

When we speak of Confession, questions sometimes arise as to what sins we should confess and to whom.

First of all, we confess our sins to God. We confess any sins that may particularly trouble our consciences, and all of our sins in general, as we do in the Lord's Prayer. God knows what we have done wrong. He also knows our hearts. He will accept any sincere confession whether we number our sins or not. Therefore, we come to Him, as did the tax collector, saying, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" We join King David in saying, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord." And we can have peace knowing that He forgives the iniquity of our sins.

Secondly, we can also confess certain sins to our Christian neighbor, who is able to pronounce absolution, God's forgiveness, as a priest before God,. If we have offended our neighbor, we confess our sin against him to be reconciled to him-even as we confess our sins to God in order to seek reconciliation with Him. 

Thirdly, we can confess our sins to our pastor, especially any sins that may particularly trouble our conscience, receiving absolution from him as from God Himself. This, in fact, is the Confession spoken of in the Catechism. It has fallen largely into disuse in our times, for many people recoil at confessing their sins to a man. However, the Lord Himself has provided it as one more way in which He can assure us of forgiveness. To this end He assigned to His pastors not only the power to preach the Gospel and administer the Sacraments, but also to forgive and retain sins (The Office of the Keys). Jesus' words to His apostles also apply to their colleagues in office, the pastors of the Church, "If you forgive the sins of any," Jesus says, "they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (John 20:23).

Therefore, whether in the congregational confession on Sunday morning or in private confession with the pastor, when he absolves our sins, he speaks for Christ. In the stead and by the command of Jesus he forgives your sins, and you can be assured from Christ's own word that when he does, your sins are forgiven before God in heaven.

Thanks be to Jesus for His love and for His mercy, and for bringing us in so many ways the forgiveness and life that He won.

Psalm 103

Leslie Lanier is pastor of Wayfarer's Chapel Lutheran Church in Fillmore, California.