Confession and Forgiveness in the Biblical Tradition

Confession is a common motif in the whole of the biblical tradition.  In the Hebrew Bible, confession is most visible in the so-called “Penitential Psalms: e.g. Psalms 38 and 51.

            I know my wrongdoing

                        My sin is always

                                    Right in front of me (51:3). CEB

There are many other places in the Hebrew text where the practice of confession is acknowledged and/or required. It was incorporated into the worship, both the worship of the individual and the community.

The Jewish community has maintained the tradition of confession, especially on one of their most sacred days, Yom Kippur. This day is the final day of their ten high holy days which begins with the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. That entire week and a half is given to confession and repentance.  

The New Testament maintains the tradition of confession.  Often,  confession involves the acknowledgment that Jesus is Lord, e.g. Paul in Romans 10:9.  But confession also involves confession of sin: As they confessed their sins, he (John) baptized them in the Jordan River, Matt. 3:6.

In both testaments confession is tied to forgiveness:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from everything we’ve done wrong, 1 John.1:9, CEB

            “I’ll confess my sins to the Lord”

                        That is what I said.

            Then you removed the guilt of my sin. Ps. 32:5b CEB

Confession in the Christian Tradition

Many Christian communities have maintained the practice of confession in corporate worship.  This practice has been particularly focused on Lent, the forty days before Easter beginning with Ash Wednesday. Early on in Christian practice, these forty days were meant to connect with the forty days Jesus spent in fasting and prayer in the wilderness before beginning his ministry (Matt. 4:1ff.).  In keeping with Jesus’ fasting, many Christians were encouraged during Lent to “fast” from some food they liked.  However, the connection with Jesus in the wilderness and the expectation of such a “fast” have been lost in many Christian communities.

Nevertheless, the practice of confession and forgiveness continues to be a part of Christian worship either occasionally or regularly.

Confession/forgiveness of sin by God is practiced in a variety of ways in different Christian communities.  The one with which most of us are familiar involves the “Confessional” in the Roman Catholic tradition.  In those moments the penitent confesses his/her sin in the presence of a priest who then conveys God’s forgiveness.

The Brethren frequently connect confession/forgiveness with the “Love Feast”. In days past, the elders traveled to the members' homes before Love Feast.  They would inquire whether the member was “right” with God and with the Brothers and Sisters.  Forgiveness by God could be pronounced by the Elders.  However, in the case of a conflict with another person in the church, the member was urged to “make it right” before coming to Love Feast.

Making it “right” with others embodies the emergence of reconciliation within the Christian tradition – reconciliation following Paul’s announcement:

All of these new things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and who gave to us the ministry of reconciliation, 2 Cor. 5:18. 

While in this context Paul is talking primarily about the declaration of forgiveness by God, Christians have understood this to include the forgiveness of one another: not counting a person’s sin against them, v. 19. This is an adaptation of Paul’s words consistent with the apostle’s ministry of reconciliation, cf. 2 Cor 2:5-8.

For the Brethren, the Gospels often rank above Paul in terms of the canonical value, especially the Lord’s Prayer and the extension of it.  Matt. 6:12-15

Forgive us for our sins as we also forgive those who sin against us. . .

If you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive you.

Conclusion

One of the books that I have found most helpful (and perhaps Brethren!) is the Book of Forgiving by Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu.  The authors acknowledge the extreme difficulty of forgiving.  But they insist that we have a choice, hurting others believing that will remove our pain, or forgiving – unleashing the power of unconditional love.

They ask: can we forgive if the other person can’t or won’t confess?  That may increase the difficulty, but we will either forgive or carry the heavy weight of hatred that has no future.

By

Gene Roop

District Ministry Credentialing Committee Chair