5. PRIESTLY CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
(5a) PRIESTLY CONFESSION
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Confess your sins TO ONE ANOTHER...so that you may be healed (
James 5:16)."
Most evangelicals imagine that once they get their ticket punched to Heaven, post-baptismal sin is a minor issue because it is automatically forgiven by virtue of God's grace. So they presumptuously cheapen God's grace by ignoring His command to regularly confess their sins not just to God, but to each other. If they confess their sins at all, they do so in a cursory, vague, and generalized manner like, "Lord, forgive me all my sins." Unlike Catholics, they are unwilling to do the hard work of discerning introspection to penetrate their defense mechanisms and unearth the hidden sins they actually need to confess. Thus, they make a mockery of repentance! By contrast, Catholics are willing to air their dirty linen by confessing embarrassing sins to a priest. This is important because of the need for confidentiality and the need for a mature and discerning listening ear who can offer constructive feedback. In a local restaurant some time ago, I overheard 2 Catholics who had just returned from confession. They were discussing a book their priest had given them about how to recognize unknown sins and sins of omission. I felt like I was in the presence of true saints.
In the 19th century, Methodists required weekly confession of sins to each other in class meetings. As a result, in 1870 Methodist spirituality was so powerful that 40% of all Americans were Methodist! Then around 1900, they were no longer willing to air their dirty linen and Methodism has endured a slow steady decline ever since.
(5a) PRIESTLY ABSOLUTION
Most evangelicals view forgiveness solely as a direct transaction between the confessing believer and God with no human mediation. So they freeze like Bambi in the headlights when confronted by Jesus' teaching that church leaders must play an active role in mediating divine forgiveness:
"Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained (John 20:23)."
Church leaders have the authority ("the keys of the kingdom of heaven") to determine who is entitled to enter the kingdom of heaven on the basis of who is and is not forgiven for their sins:
"I will give you [Peter!] the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:19)."
Of course, only God can ultimately forgive sins. So the believers' authority to either forgive sins or decline to do so is based on their correct discernment of the sincerity of the confessor's repentance and, as John 20:23 implies, the Holy Spirit imparts this discernment.
So why is regular Catholic confession and priestly absolution an upgrade over standard evangelical practice?
(1) First, because it takes biblical teaching seriously that evangelicals ignore.
(2) Second, because the need to confess sins to a priest and thus subject oneself to priestly discernment is a powerful incentive to do some serious introspection to uncover unknown or ignored sins and sins of omission. Without such monitoring, evangelicals tend to either ignore the need for regular confession of sins or to confess their sins to God in a rather hasty and cavalier manner. As Socrates famously said, "The unexamined life is not worth living."
