Augsburg Confession Series, Part 11
Who Can Discern His Errors? Proper Use of Confession and Absolution of Sins...
Augsburg Confession, Article XI: “Confession”
1 Our churches teach that private Absolution should be retained in the churches, although listing all sins is not necessary for Confession. 2 For, according to the Psalm, it is impossible. “Who can discern his errors?” (Psalm 19:12).
[From Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions. 2005 (P. T. McCain, Ed., CPH)]
The practice of confessing sins privately and confidentially to a pastor had been a well-accepted church practice by the time of the Reformation. Our Lord Jesus instituted this means of grace for His church. He reminded the disciples that repentance and the forgiveness of sins was to be preached and proclaimed in His name to all the nations (Luke 24:47). Jesus gave the keys to bind and loose sins to His church (Matthew 18:18), and specifically to those in the apostolic office of the ministry (John 20:21-23). Thus it should be no surprise that the early church and her pastors in Christ sought to give opportunity for consciences burdened by sin to be relieved at the hearing of the Absolution.
This article shows the catholicity (the universal faith of all times and places) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, in that private confession and absolution was never something to be done away with, but used by Christians for the sake of hearing the Absolution (thus the text above, “private Absolution”). However, as time went on, the practice fell into disuse among Lutherans, in the era of pietism, then the enlightenment, and in this country, because Lutherans have been afraid of looking “Roman Catholic” – although in many of our Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod churches a remnant of the practice remained in the old custom of “announcing for communion.” The head of the family would visit privately with the pastor in the evening or two before Communion was to be served. Also, some congregations were having a special “confessional service” the night before the Divine Service for all intended communicants. Today, most congregations settle for public confession and absolution as part of the Divine Service. [For more on current practice, read here…]
But history aside, this article clearly assumes that private Confession and Absolution will take place in the Lutheran Church. For pastors, private Confession and Absolution is a prime tool in the pastoral care toolkit - it takes place more often in the pastor’s study under counsel and care for the soul, than perhaps in some sort of confessional box in the sanctuary, as the practice is so often depicted on television and movies. [For a great movie which positively portrays Christianity, and values properly private confession and absolution and the Holy Ministry, see Alfred Hitchcock’s 1953 film, “I Confess”. Trailer. Movie.]
The problem addressed in article eleven of the Augsburg Confession is that the Roman Church demanded every sin be recalled and confessed. Today, the Roman Church calls it “reconciliation” – and still makes the same demands on penitents, making what should be a joyful hearing of the comforting Gospel into a burdensome law. Clearly, to enumerate one’s entire list of sins is humanly impossible, as the Augsburg Confession simply reminds us of the Psalmody’s question – Who can discern his errors? Such teaching is certainly dangerous to repentant consciences, which need firm assurance that Christ forgives all sin, even those we must admit before the Lord we are most certainly guilty of, even while not having a direct remembrance or knowledge of them happening.