Thank you for this nice explanation of Lutheran beliefs. Basic clarification question for me: Lutherans do a the sacrament of confession, similar in form to Catholics, correct? (Even though there is no recounting of every sin, as you described)
We've retained Confession and Absolution the same as Rome, though one will not find "confessionals" in our churches, but private confession is available upon request. It's actually a somewhat complicated topic as to whether it is a Sacrament; we would say it is indeed sacramental, but there is no clear position within Lutheranism as to whether it is a Sacrament proper, you'll find some who say it is, some who say it [probably] isn't, with most likely somewhere in-between. This goes back to the fact that the definition of a Sacrament in Lutheran theology is taken, basically, verbatim from St. Augustine who says that God's word is connected to an element, and that makes it a Sacrament: Sacraments therefore are God's Word in connection to a material element, for Baptism and the Eucharist that's pretty easy, with Absolution it's a bit fuzzier. Does the pastoral declaration, "Your sins are forgiven you" constitute an element?
But for all intents and purposes, the answer to your question is yes.
Clarification about LDS beliefs: LDS do not have a Catholic-like sacrament of confession to a priest*, rather we confess directly to the Lord. When confessing, we agree that it is unnecessary/impossible to list every sin. Confessing of covertness is just one part of the repentance process, the ultimate end goal being so that the person no longer covets nor desires to covet (this is a very long term goal).
Public and private confession is available in the Church because the words of absolution are gracious gospel for us, but these aren't intended to be
instead of personal and regular confession of sins in our prayer life, "directly to the Lord" as you put it. Rather, since Christ gave the office of the keys to the Church--"Whoever's sins you forgive are forgiven them"--these exist for the good and benefit of Christ's Faithful that we might hear the words of our forgiveness and be comforted by them.
One thing you'll note in Lutheran theology is a lack of "progressive sanctification", a belief that we can essentially get better in this life. For example from a Lutheran position there really is no such thing as sinning less in this life; one might commit certain sins less, but the intrinsic reality of our sinning doesn't lessen as we go through this life and there is no point at which we will have overcome sin--not on this side of the Eschaton at least. The reality of our fallen condition is that, as long as we dwell in these mortal bodies of sin, stained by original sin, there is no upward ascent to glory--which is why we look forward to the resurrection of the body, this body of death is perishing, corruptible, and life in this present now is a life stained and corrupted by sin and death--and it will be that way until the Day God changes that, at Christ's coming on the last day. So that this age is not the place where justice dwells, but we look to the new heavens and the new earth, that coming future age where justice
does dwell.
So the role of repentance isn't about "personal holiness" if one wants to put it that way, repentance is simply what happens when the person of faith, encountering God's Law, is struck by the terror of God's Law and confesses that he/she is indeed a sinner. There is, therefore, for the sinner the gracious word of the Gospel, that we are forgiven in Christ Jesus of all our sins, and that our hope and trust is in Him, in both this life and the next. Repentance, therefore, is simply what being a Christian--being
simul iustus et peccator, both saint and sinner--looks like in this life.
I was trying to indicate that George was the former bolded case (claiming Christ, but still delighting in this particular sin). In traditional binary Christian mentality, George has rejected Christ. In LDS theology, God grants George the most mercy He can, and George (who did diligently repent of most sins and follow Christ to some degree) has some degree of greater blessing than a total non-believer.
How does one trust in Christ and actively reject Christ? Because that is, essentially, what we have with George. We have a person who claims to hope and trust in Christ but who actively and intentionally rejects Christ. There is no "most mercy" when it comes to God's mercy, God's mercy is always the full, complete measure of God's gracious kindness which He has given to everyone through Christ, by Christ's death and resurrection. God's mercy is universally given for all, and at full measure. Which is why George, trusting in Christ, has the hope of his salvation; but if George doesn't trust in Christ and actively and knowingly holds contempt for Christ, he renounces God's good gifts and mercy and chooses his own way--which is always toward destruction; for that is the human condition, to choose the path of our own destruction, "For the heart is wicked and desperately sick, who can understand it?" "For there is none who does good, no not one." Our own charted path is always away from Christ, away from God--which is why we hope and trust in the mercy of God, not in our selves, because if left to our own choices and devices we will always choose deepest darkest hell. Without the gracious intervention and invasion of God by His Gospel, there's nothing but the darkness of death.
-CryptoLutheran
