We
now turn to the first of what Richard Foster, in his book, Celebration of Discipline, calls the corporate disciplines: the
discipline of confession.
Most
of us have an idea of what confession is.
Confession is simply, after thorough self-examination, admitting our
sin, as it says in the fifth step of twelve step programs, “to ourselves, to
God, and to another human being.” As
hard as it is to confess our sins to ourselves and to God, confessing to
another person is a downright terrifying idea for most of us. We Protestants have been taught to be
suspicious of the Roman Catholic idea of confessing our sins to a priest. However, history has been teaching us that we
Protestants may have thrown many babies out with the bathwater during the
Reformation and that there is much wisdom in some of the practices we have
rejected out of hand, even if some adjustments need to be made.
It
is true that many of our day-to-day sins can be dealt with “just between us and
God,” but there may come a time when we need someone with whom to share our
struggle and who can offer us assurance of God’s forgiveness. That is why confession is both a private and
a corporate discipline. The Bible
promises that if we confess our sins God will forgive us (1 John 1:9). The
Bible encourages us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another
(James 5:16). The Bible gives us the authority to assure one another of God’s
forgiveness (John 20:23). While I am
always ready to help anyone with this, the person to whom you confess need not
be a pastor, any mature Christian can offer this.
A couple pieces of
advice in case you should be chosen by another to hear a confession. Frist, listen, you are not there to trade
stories or to share your experiences.
Second, take the sin seriously. Third,
you must not be shocked by the sin, nor should you act as if it is not a big
deal. Fourth, offer assurance of God’s
grace and forgiveness. Fifth, and most
importantly, keep your conversation confidential. The only exception to this would be if you
are concerned about someone’s safety. If
that is the case, ask them to go with you to the pastor, or other appropriate authority. If they will not go with you, tell them that
you are going anyway and do so immediately.
As I said, this may be
uncomfortable territory for most of us, but it is what it takes for us to truly
be the church for one another and for our community.
Pastor Brian.
