“And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”” (John 20:22–23)
“I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5)
Confession and Absolution
Have you ever apologized to someone but still wondered whether they had really forgiven you?
Maybe they said everything was fine, but something about the conversation left you uncertain. Perhaps they seemed distant afterward, or it’s you…you simply couldn’t stop thinking about what you had done.
Sometimes we approach God with that same uncertainty.
We know we’ve sinned. So, we confess those sins and ask for forgiveness. But then the doubts begin.
God doesn’t want us to live in that uncertainty. That’s one reason He has given us the gift of Confession and Absolution.
Luther explains that confession has two parts.
Notice that this isn’t just about admitting what we’ve done wrong. It’s also about receiving what Christ has done for us.
When Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, He breathed on them and gave them the Holy Spirit. Then He gave them the authority to forgive sins and to withhold forgiveness.
That’s remarkable when you consider who those disciples were.
These were men who had abandoned Jesus when He was arrested. Peter had denied even knowing Him. They had failed their Lord when He needed them most.
Yet Jesus came to them with peace and entrusted them with the ministry of forgiveness.
The forgiveness they would announce wasn’t something they invented or earned the right to give. It was Christ’s forgiveness, won through His death and resurrection.
And that same forgiveness is still being proclaimed today.
When a pastor announces Christ’s forgiveness to a repentant sinner, he isn’t offering his personal opinion that God probably forgives them. He is speaking on Christ’s behalf, according to the authority Christ has given His Church.
That’s why, when we have confession and absolution (or we call it confession and forgiveness at Faith), I say, “As a called and ordained servant of the Lord, in His stead and by His command, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
This is what Lutherans call the Office of the Keys.
The Church has been entrusted with the authority to forgive the sins of repentant sinners and to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they do not repent.
That second part may sound harsh, but it serves an important purpose. God does not want us to become comfortable in our sin or imagine that we can reject His Word while continuing to receive His forgiveness. The Law calls us to repentance so that we may receive the Gospel.
And the Gospel is wonderfully clear.
Christ died for your sins. His sacrifice was sufficient. His resurrection confirms His victory over sin and death.
So when you hear the words of absolution, you don’t have to wonder whether God really means them.
He does.
You can also confess your sins directly to God, as David did in Psalm 32. And when particular sins weigh heavily on your conscience, private confession and absolution with your pastor can be a tremendous comfort. You can name the sins that trouble you and hear Christ’s forgiveness spoken personally to you.
The power isn’t in how thoroughly you confess or how deeply you feel your sorrow. The power is in Christ’s promise.
He has given His Church this gift because He knows how much we need to hear that promise. Sometimes we need more than a reminder that God forgives sinners. We need to hear that He forgives us.
And through absolution, that is exactly what Christ tells us.
Let’s pray…
Lord Jesus Christ,
Thank You for dying for my sins and rising again to give me forgiveness and life. Forgive me for the times I have tried to excuse my sins or doubted Your mercy. Give me a repentant heart and faith to trust Your promises. Thank You for giving Your Church the authority to proclaim Your forgiveness. When my conscience troubles me, help me to hear Your words of absolution with confidence, knowing that You have forgiven me.
Amen.
As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:
After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
