Question of sin

[Strachan]

We know sin needs to be confessed before God and repented of for forgiveness. It is also clear that as we study David of the Old Testament that consequences follows. What you sow is what you reap.
Question: What about where sin is then confessed and repented of before God, but not to other people? Should it be? Let's say a councillor talks to someone, and the person confess adultery, should the secret be revealed to the spouse? How about murder? Let's say the councillor does deliverance upon a person previously a satanist, and the person reveals they had committed murder or at least been present at the time? Any sin really, should it be confessed to other people as well?

 

[OcifferPls]

Should the counselor act unethically and betray the patient's confidence? No, not unless there is some danger to another's life, etc. Nobody can safely seek out counseling if we cannot trust counselors.

Should the cheating spouse tell his or her partner? Most likely, yes.

"Reaping" what we "sow" shouldn't be interpreted as a permission slip for making that happen, either. We each stand or fall by God's will. It's not a popular vote, and to get it wrong here is to run the risk of sinning against others and playing God.

 

[Radrook]

Careful to whom you confess your sins. There are persons in official organizational capacities who share EVERYTHING confessed with their wives and their wives then transmit it to the whole congregation. So it turns out you are exposing your private life to EVERYONE there. Such confessions will follow you like a self inflicted curse via incessant gossip if you attempt to flee the ruined situation via shifting to other congregations. So in certain religious organizations, confession, though encouraged by the elders is really tantamount t cutting your own reputational throat and ruining your chances for advancement since they will hold it against you by tagging you as immature.
Take your problems to God in prayer instead or to a professional counselor.

 

[smithed64]

We know sin needs to be confessed before God and repented of for forgiveness. It is also clear that as we study David of the Old Testament that consequences follows. What you sow is what you reap.
Question: What about where sin is then confessed and repented of before God, but not to other people? Should it be? Let's say a councillor talks to someone, and the person confess adultery, should the secret be revealed to the spouse? How about murder? Let's say the councillor does deliverance upon a person previously a satanist, and the person reveals they had committed murder or at least been present at the time? Any sin really, should it be confessed to other people as well?

Matthew 5:23-24King James Version (KJV)

23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

If you have repented of your sins and placed your trust in Christ. Then you will want to clear everything. The scripture tells us above, if there is ought against you , before you pray go to that person or persons and reconciled it.
If a person get saved and has committed a crime, that needs to be addressed. They must go and turn themselves in, placing their trust in Christ. Knowing that no matter the crime, this person is forgiven by Christ. But not necessarily by man. We still have to answer to the man made laws placed before us. Unless it goes, completely against God.

 

[Radrook]

The problem is one of culpability. If a confessor repeatedly tells us that he is cheating on his wife via sexual infidelity then we run the risk of complicity by not informing he. In short, we are sharing in the sin by not informing the spouse. The same applies to al other sins such as murder, theft, or lying. Especially if the person involved is smugly using us to temporarily ease the conscience before resuming the same behavior as soon as he is out the door.

 

[Greg J.]

Fortunately there is governmental legal protection for ordained pastors and clinical psychologists such they can keep most information secret, but they also have requirements regarding criminal activity. Those with such legal privileges should notify someone receiving counseling/confession of the limitations on their privacy.

"Sins" are technically violations against the divine. Another word is appropriate for violations against other people. Jesus talks about confessing trespasses against other people with:

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24, 1984 NIV)

The verse says that you must clear things with your brother before doing business with God.

Because God has commanded us to confess our sins to each other (James 5:16, 1984 NIV), he is involved with it. Something happens inside you when you confess your sins to another person. People can often feel the difference. It is connected to being kept in slavery vs. having the freedom that comes from the truth. (Perhaps someone will explain this better than I.)

Psychologically speaking, there is a BIG difference between keeping it all inside you versus letting it out, and being set free is a perfect way to describe it.

 

[Ken Behrens]

A good counsellor can get the person to tell those who need to be told. There is no reason for a counsellor ever to tell such information.

In cases where there are laws that certain things must be told to authorities, there are always ways around those laws. (Adultery is never one of them.) A proper counselling ministry in a church trains its people correctly, so only those who have proper legal status are ever told such items.

The Catholic church has a 2000 year history of not revealing information shared in the confessional, even under penalty of death. This has changed the formation of the laws of most western countries.

My wife and I were once "disciplined" in a church for not telling the pastor confidential couselling information shared with us by a church member. The pastor was gone in a week.