In the Lutheran Church, Confession (also called Holy Absolution) is the method given by Christ to the Church by which individual men and women may receive the forgiveness of sins; according to the Large Catechism, the "third sacrament" of Holy Absolution is properly viewed as an extension of Holy Baptism. [1] [2] Unlike Roman Catholicism, the practice of private confession in the Lutheran Church is voluntary, not obligatory.
The Lutheran Church practices "Confession and Absolution" [referred to as the Office of the Keys] with the emphasis on the absolution, which is God's word of forgiveness. Indeed, Lutherans highly regard Holy Absolution. They, like Roman Catholics, see James 5:16 and John 20:22–23 as biblical evidence for confession. [3] Confession and absolution is done in private to the pastor, called the "confessor" with the person confessing known as the "penitent". In confession, the penitent makes an act of contrition, as the pastor, acting in persona Christi , announces the formula of absolution. Prior to the confession, the penitent is to review the Ten Commandments to examine his or her conscience. [4]
In the Lutheran Church, like the Roman Catholic Church, the pastor is bound by the Seal of the Confessional. Luther's Small Catechism says "the pastor is pledged not to tell anyone else of sins to him in private confession, for those sins have been removed." If the Seal is broken, it will result in excommunication. [3] At the present time, it is, for example, expected before partaking of the Eucharist for the first time. [5] [6] [7] It is also encouraged to be done frequently in a year [8] (specifically before Easter). In many churches, times are set for the pastor to hear confessions. [9] [10]
In line with Luther's initial statement in his Large Catechism, some Lutherans speak of only two sacraments, [12] Baptism and the Eucharist, although later in the same work he calls Confession and Absolution [13] "the third sacrament." [14] The definition of sacrament in the Apology of the Augsburg Confession lists Absolution as one of them. [15] Luther went to confession all his life. [16] Although Lutherans do not consider the other four rites as sacraments, they are still retained and used in the Lutheran church. Philipp Melanchthon speaking about the Confession in the Lutheran Church, claims that "we do not wish to sanction the torture [the tyranny of consciences] of the Summists, which notwithstanding would have been less intolerable if they had added one word concerning faith, which comforts and encourages consciences. Now, concerning this faith, which obtains the remission of sins, there is not a syllable in so great a mass of regulations, glosses, summaries, books of confession. Christ is nowhere read there". [17]
In mainstream Lutheranism, the faithful often receive the sacrament of penance from a Lutheran priest before receiving the Eucharist. [6] [7] Prior to going to Confessing and receiving Absolution, the faithful are expected to examine their lives in light of the Ten Commandments. [18] The order of Confession and Absolution is contained in the Small Catechism, as well as other liturgical books of the Lutheran Churches. [18] The sacrament of confession can variously take place in a confessional, reconciliation room, or at communion rails, all during which Lutherans confess their sins. At the same time, the confessor—a Lutheran priest—listens and then offers absolution, which may include the laying of their stole on the penitent's head. [18] Clergy are prohibited from revealing anything said during private Confession and Absolution per the Seal of the Confessional, and face excommunication if it is violated. In Laestadian Lutheranism penitent sinners, in accordance with the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, practice lay confession, "confess[ing] their transgressions to other church members, who can then absolve the penitent." [19]
In his 1529 catechisms, Martin Luther praised confession (before a pastor or a fellow Christian) "for the sake of absolution", the forgiveness of sins bestowed in an audible, concrete way. [20] The Lutheran reformers held that a complete enumeration of sins is impossible [21] and that one's confidence of forgiveness is not to be based on the sincerity of one's contrition nor on one's doing works of satisfaction imposed by the confessor (penance). [22] The Roman Catholic church held confession to be composed of three parts: contritio cordis ("contrition of the heart"), confessio oris ("confession of the mouth"), and satisfactio operis ("satisfaction of deeds"). [23] The Lutheran reformers abolished the "satisfaction of deeds," holding that confession and absolution consist of only two parts: the confession of the penitent and the absolution spoken by the confessor. [24] Faith and trust in Jesus' complete active and passive satisfaction is what receives the forgiveness and salvation won by him and imparted to the penitent by the word of absolution.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Retrieved 2010-02-02.In the Lutheran Church, private confession was at first voluntary. Later, in portions of the Lutheran Church, it was made obligatory, as a test of orthodoxy, and as a preparation of the Lord's Supper.
The North German church ordinances of the late 16th century all include a description of private confession and absolution, which normally took place at the conclusion of Saturday afternoon vespers, and was a requirement for all who desired to commune the following day.
Rejected ... are those who teach that forgiveness of sin is not obtained through faith but through the satisfactions made by man.
The acts of the penitent himself, namely contrition, confession, and satisfaction, constitute, as it were, the matter of this sacrament.
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| Chief articles of faith in the Augsburg Confession |
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