1. Confession
Definition
The Giving and Receiving of Forgivness…
Memorization Verses:
Confession has two parts. First that we confess our sins, and second, that we
receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself,
not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God
in heaven.

2. LSB LSB 611 lutheran- Faith and hope to walk with God
hymnal.com/online/tlh-342.mid In the way that Enoch trod.
1 Chief of sinners though I be, 4 Chief of sinners though I be,
Jesus shed His blood for me; Christ is all in all to me;
Died that I might live on high, All my wants to Him are known,
Lived that I might never die. All my sorrows are His own.
As the branch is to the vine, He sustains the hidden life
I am His and He is mine. Safe with Him from earthly strife.
2 Oh, the height of Jesus' love, 5 O my Savior, help afford
Higher than the heav'ns above, By Your Spirit and Your Word!
Deeper than the depths of sea, When my wayward heart would stray,
Lasting as eternity! Keep me in the narrow way;
Love that found me--wondrous thought! Grace in time of need supply
Found me when I sought Him not. While I live and when I die.
3 Only Jesus can impart
Balm to heal the wounded heart,
Peace that flows from sin forgiv'n,
Joy that lifts the soul to heav'n;

3. Confess your sins.
Take it to the cross.
Hear your absolution: you are forgiven.
Watch God forget by drowning them in Christ’s blood.

4. Pray: O God, behold my grief and care. I
PRAYER would serve You with a glad and cheerful
face but I cannot do it. No matter how
• Confession much I fight and struggle against my
sadness, I am too weak for this painful
• Pleading Guilt conflict. Help me in my weakness, O
• Confess to mighty God! Give me Your Holy Spirit to
others refresh and comfort me in my sorrow.
Amid all my fears and grief I still know
•Absolution that I am Yours in life and death, and
• Sins Removed that nothing can really separate me from
P raise You; neither things present, nor things to
come, neither trial, nor fear, nor pain.
R epentance And therefore, O Lord, I will still trust in
A ppreciation Your grace. You will now send me away
Y ou unheard. Sooner or later You will lift this
E veryone burden from my heart, and put a new
song on my lips. And I will praise Your
R esolve goodness, and thank and serve You here
and forevermore. Amen. (Sigismund
Scheretz, 1584-1639).

5. LSB 773
Hear us, Father, when we pray, through By Your Spirit now attend to our
Your Son and in Your Spirit. By Your prayers and supplications, as like
Spirit's Word convey all that we incense they ascend to Your heav'nly
through Christ inherit, that as baptized habitations. May their fragrance waft
heirs we may truly pray. above, God of love.
When we know not what to say and our Heb 4:15 For we have not a high
wounded souls are pleading, my Your priest that cannot be touched with
Spirit, night and day, groan within us the feeling of our infirmities; but
interceding; by His sighs, too deep for one that hath been in all points
words, we are heard. tempted like as we are,
yet without sin. 16Let us therefore
draw near with boldness unto the
Jesus, advocate on high, sacrificed on
throne of grace, that we may
Calvry's altar, through Your priestly receive mercy, and may find grace
blood we cry: hear our prayers, though to help us in time of need.
they may falter; place them on Your
Father's throne as your own.

6.  "When I urge you to go
to confession, I am
simply urging you to be
a Christian.”
 (Large Catechism,
Brief Exhortation, 32)

7. If you've just been validly baptized, you
don't need Confession, because Baptism
wipes away all guilt of sin (and the
temporal effects of sin, by the way). If,
however, you were validly baptized years
ago and are just now coming to this
Sacrament for the first time, you might
want to schedule an appointment with
your priest to make what's known as a
"General Confession," which includes
sins of one's entire life, since it might take
a bit longer than usual (do the same if you
are a returning Catholic and haven't been
to Confession for many, many years).
"General Confessions" are also often
made before before marriage or
ordination.

8. My most amusing confession moment was one time when I was in a long
line before Mass. I had waited almost an hour and as the time for Mass
approached two silver-haired people behind me started complaining about
how long the line was taking. They worried that it wouldn’t go fast enough
because young people have so many sins that they take a long time. I was the
only young person in front of them and found this amusing because I often
feel the same dread of older women in front of me because of the stereotype
that older women talk for hours in confession about who-knows-what that
they have already confessed every week for the last 50 years.
I still don’t get the older people’s concern. Even if we young people do sin
more, how long does it take to say “I killed three firemen, had sex with 18
married men, and lied more times than I can count… maybe twice an hour
while awake. For these and all my sins I am very sorry?” Amount of sin has
nothing to do with how long it takes to confess it.

9.  • What is confession?
 •What sins should we confess?
 •Which are these?
 •What is the first part of confession?
 •What sins should we confess before God?
 •What sins should we confess before our neighbor?
 •What sins are we encouraged to confess privately before our pastor or
confessor?
 •What is the second part of confession?
 •How should we regard the absolution (forgiveness) spoken by the
pastor? Say Mean Matter
 •______________________________
 SS Confession
Key phrases Own words Answer the
questions/
 M Pleading Guilt
Personal
 T Confess to others application
 W Absolution

10.  Confession has two parts. First that we  Pray: O my dear Lord Jesus Christ, I find
confess our sins, and second, that we that I do not have the kind of will and
receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, resolution I certainly ought to have. I am
from the pastor as from God Himself, not daily falling as a failing, sinful human
doubting, but firmly believing that by it being. And You know that I desire to have
our sins are forgiven before God in heaven. such will and resolution, but my enemy
 Before God we should plead guilty of all leads me bound and captive. Redeem me,
sins, even those we are not aware of, as we a poor sinner, according to Your divine
do in the Lord's Prayer; but before the will, from every evil and temptation.
pastor we should confess only those sins Strengthen and increase in me the true
which we know and feel in our hearts. Christian faith; grant me grace to love my
neighbor with all my heart, honestly and
 Consider your place in life according to the
also do for my brother as I do for myself.
Ten Commandments: Are you a father,
Grant me patience in persecution and in
mother, son, daughter, husband, wife, or
every adversity. You told St. Peter that he
worker? Have you been disobedient,
should forgive not just seven times; You
unfaithful, or lazy? Have you been hot-
bid us ask You with confidence. So I come
tempered, rude, or quarrelsome? Have you
in reliance on this command and promise
hurt someone by your words or deeds?
of Yours and confess and deplore before
Have you stolen, been negligent, wasted
You all my trouble. For You are my true
anything, or done any harm?
Pastor and the Bishop of my soul. Your
 • will be done and be blessed forever. Amen.
(Luther).

11.  Luther writes a series of lectures that
become the basis for the Large Catechism
(1528)
 Luther omits the ministry of the keys, and
contains only the five chief parts
 First edition of the small catechism
contains an appendix with instruction on
confession and absolution
 Meant as part of the liturgy
 A time for PRIVATE confession was
preferred
 Subsequent editions omit this appendix,
modernize the optional nature of
confession for our audiences.
 Loses the scope of the intent of
Concord’s treatment of the subject

12.  What is a sacrament?
 A gift of God that binds the words
of forgiveness to a visible object
 Instituted by Christ
 Is confession a sacrament?
 Yes, although Luther does not make
it explicit due to the abuses within
Catholicism
 Luther laments its neglect among
the other reformers
 Today, it seems to depend more on
our “defintion” of sacrament,
unfortunately.

13.  The first part of confession is that we Forgive my hidden faults.
confess, or acknowledge, our sins.  Prov. 28:13 He who conceals his sins does
 Ps. 32:3, 5 When I kept silent, my bones not prosper, but whoever confesses and
wasted away through my groaning all day renounces them finds mercy.
long. . . . Then I acknowledged my sin to  1 John 1:8-9 If we claim to be without sin,
You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in
"I will confess my transgressions to the us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
Lord" and You forgave the guilt of my sin. just and will forgive us our sins and purify
 Ps. 51:1-4 Have mercy on me, 0 God, us from all unrighteousness.
according to Your unfailing love; according  •
to Your great compassion blot out my
 Pray: These eyes long steeped in tears,
transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity
will ever flow at pity’s call. My life has
and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my
been an age of sorrow: God has taught
transgressions, and my sin is always before
me how to feel. Where will it end? Teach
me. Against You, You only, have I sinned
me, O Word Divine! O may I reach that
and done what is evil in Your sight, that You
blessed home of peace, which no rude
are proved right when You speak and
winds perturb, no storms annoy. There
justified when You judge.
shines the luster of that Triune God,
 Before God we should plead guilty of all beneath whose fostering shade, we rest in
sins, even those we are not aware of, as we hope. Amen. (Gregory of Nazianzus, c.
do in the Lord's Prayer. 329-c. 390)
 Ps. 19:12 Who can discern his errors?

14.  God absolves Adam and Eve even without
a proper confession
 While they admit to sin, they defend
their actions
 God is just to punish and to cut off,
but instead sets up a promise fulfilled
in Christ in keeping with His
sovereign plan
 Moses makes intercession on behalf of
the Hebrews sin.”
 Oh, what a great sin these people have
committed! … please forgive their sin—
but if not, then blot me out of the book
you have written. (Ex. 32)
 And Nathan said to David,
"The LORD also has put away your
sin; you shall not die.

15.  Christ gives the auspices of
the church to the apostles
(Mt. 16:19)
 The Apostles begin to appoint
deacons and a system of basic
governance for orderly worship
 One of the marks of the Church
given to men is the declarative
word of God, both for
judgement and forgiveness
 Law/Gospel preaching
 Binding/loosing sins for the
sake of discipline and comfort
 Declaration of the Gospel
within the liturgy

16.  “Peter answered, “you are  Christos: annointed,
the Messiah, the Son of the  Apokalupto: something hidden
living God.” Jesus replied, that has a veil removed
“blessed are you, Simon,  oti su ei Petrov, kai epi
for this was not revealed to tauth th petra oikodom
you by flesh and blood, hsw: “This rock” is a pronoun
but by my Father in with a 3rd person antecedent.
heaven. And I tell you that “This” is different than “you”
you are Peter and on this
rock I will build my  katisxu/w: to be superior in
church, the gates of Hades strength. Confession is mighty!
will not overcome it.

17.  Kleiðv
 I will give you the
 deÑw: To bind or put under
keys of the kingdom the authority of; requirement
of heaven; and  lu/w: to set free from a
whatever you bind on decree or requirement
 Majority of scholars apply
earth shall have been “binding” and “loosing” to
bound in heaven, and the application of the law to
specific circumstances
whatever you loose  Rabbi’s chief role (one of
on earth shall have Jesus’ roles as well)
 A form of Law/Gospel applied
been loosed in to different people.
heaven.”

18.  Peace be with you! As the  enefushsen (5656) kai l
egei , Labete pneuma a
Father has sent me, I am gion;
sending you. And with that  “breathed” is only used once
before by the LXX, when
he breathed on them and God breathed on Adam
said, “receive the Holy  “Receiving the Spirit” is
declaring the truth of the
Spirit. If you forgive Spirit (“to lay hold of”)
anyone’s sins, their sins are afhte tav amartiav af
ewntai autoiv,an tinw
forgiven; if you do not n krathte kekrathntai.
forgive them, they are not  Aphete means to send away
 Kratete means to have
forgiven.” power

19.  Before our neighbor we should confess all gleamed, no pitying star peeked forth to
sins we have committed against him or her. guide this woe-worn mariner—that dread
 James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other. hour, what was my high resolve? How did I
 Matt. 5:23-24 If you are offering your gift at shun the gloomy gates of death? Renouncing
the altar and there remember that your brother earthly aid, to You I looked, my life, my
has something against you, leave your gift there breath, my light, my strength, my safety. At
in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to once appalling, thrilling, smiling, healing,
your brother; then come and offer your gift. with misery’s cup commingling comfort!
 Before the pastor or confessor we confess those Yours have I been, O Lord, and still I am
sins which we know and feel in our hearts, Yours. Amen. (Gregory of Nazianzus, c. 329-
especially those that trouble us. 390).
 2 Sam. 12:13 David said to Nathan, "I have
sinned against the Lord." Nathan replied, "The
Lord has taken away your sin."
 James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and
pray for each other so that you may be healed.
 Note: No one may be forced to make private
confession.
 •
 Pray: You were, O Christ, my great deliverer
in the past. You now preserve me from the
waves of life. When no dawn of glimmering
hope appeared, no island, continent, or
mountain’s brown was seen; when no beacon

20. 1. Papist (Roman Catholic):
 Incorrectly interprets Mt.
16 as relinquishing power
to Peter
 Does not regard the
confession as greater than
the Peter (or the others)
 Visible and Invisible
Church are united
inseparably
 Confession becomes a
source of power for the
RC church.

21. 1. Anabaptist
 Incorrectly interprets Mt. 16
as having no focus upon a
visible church authority
invested in people
 Turns confession into an
inward emotion, or worse, a
good work that I do.
 Focuses on “personal faith”
over Christ’s declaritive
absolution spoken in
community

22. 1. The impenitent
 A false believer who
asserts that visible
confession literalistically
absolves sin ex opera
operato
 Hopes to avoid both
physical and spiritual
punishment/consequence
of sin.
 True repentance is not
found in one who
delights in sin

23. 1. The guilt ridden
 A true believer that has been
withheld the benefit and
comfort of spoken
absolution
 Constant fear that he has not
“confessed” all his sins, and
is somehow under judgment
for unknown sin
 Turns confession into a
good work to ease a
conscience.

24.  The believer to rest
assured that Christ is in the
midst of our sin
 Whether or not we
confess all are sins
 Whether or not we feel
“perfectly” sorry for
every sin we commit
 Whether or not we could
possible “work” to cancel
our sins or make things
right

25.  Absolution is the spoken
sacrament that
 delivers the word of God
to our ears
 looses the pain of guilt
 Creates a contrite, yet
comforted spirit
 Invigorates real and active
work in the world without
command
 Puts of a sign (like lenten
ash) upon our souls

26.  The second part of confession is that we they are forgiven.
receive absolution, that is, forgiveness of  •
sins.  Pray: Most merciful God, we confess
 Is. 1:18 "Come now, let us reason that we are by nature sinful and
together," says the Lord. "Though your sins unclean. We have sinned against You in
are like scarlet, they shall be as white as thought, word, and deed, by what we
snow; though they are red as crimson, they have done and by what we have left
shall be like wool." undone. We have not loved you with our
 We should receive the pastor's absolution whole heart; we have not loved our
as from God Himself, not doubting, but neighbors as ourselves. We justly
firmly believing that by it our sins are deserve Your present and eternal
forgiven before God in heaven. punishment. For the sake of Your Son,
 "It is not the voice or word of the man Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive
who speaks it, but it is the Word of God, us, renew us, and lead us, so that we
who forgives sin, for it is spoken in may delight in Your will and walk in
God's stead and by God's command" Your ways to the glory of Your holy
(Augsburg Confession XXV 3). name. Grant that we may rely on Your
 Matt. 18:18 Whatever you loose on earth Word and forgiveness, spoken to us
will be loosed in heaven. through Your called and ordained
 Luke 10:16 He who listens to you listens servant of the Word. Amen. (LW; Earl
to Me Gaulke)
 John 20:23 If you forgive anyone his sins,

27.  The Pastor to maintain an
orderly worship amongst his
congregants
 Called to hear private
confession
 Leads in confession of sins,
and declares Forgiveness in
the stead of Christ
 Maintains proper
Law/Gospel application
 Binds people and
excommunicates

28.  The Church
 To self-identify as a
corporal body of forgiven
sinners
 To hear one another
confess sins, despite our
grievances with one
another.
 To call out and expose
false doctrines and
teachers

29.  Repentance means to “turn the
mind”
 Contrition is a change of mind
regarding sin
 Contrite sinners find no profit
in their sin
 Repentance is a recognition of
sin not necessarily a perfect
removal of it.
 Faith is like a change of mind
about salvation
 When a sinner stops thinking
he can save himself through
proper repentance
 Receives the perfect grace of
Christ.

30.  The pastor is pledged not to tell anyone else of taken away your sin."
sins told him in private confession, for those  Matt. 9:2 Take heart, son; your sins are
sins have been removed. forgiven.
 Ps. 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so  •
far has He removed our transgressions from us.  O Lord, I am not worthy of Your consolatio
 Prov.11:13 A gossip betrays a confidence, but a nor of any spiritual visitation. Therefore, de
trustworthy man keeps a secret. justly with me, when You leave me poor and
 1 Tim. 3:1-2 Here is a trustworthy saying: If desolate. For though I could shed a sea of
anyone sets his heart on being an overseer tears, yet I would not be worthy of Your
[pastor], he desires a noble task. Now the consolation. I deserved nothing but to be
overseer must be above reproach. scourged and punished, in that I have
 In private confession and absolution, God grievously and often offended You, and in
Himself through the pastor forgives each many things have sinned greatly. All things
individual the sins that are confessed. therefore duly considered, I am not worthy
 "If there is a heart that feels its sin and even of the least comfort. But You, O gracio
desires consolation, it has here a sure refuge and merciful God, do not will that Your wor
when it hears in God's Word that through a should perish. You desire to show the riches
man God looses and absolves him from his of Your goodness upon the vessels for mercy
sins" (Large Catechism, Brief Exhortation, Beyond all Your servant deserves, grant
14). comfort that differs from the manner of me
 Ps. 32:2 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord Amen. (Thomas a Kempis, c. 1380-1471).
does not count against him.
 2 Sam. 12:13 Nathan replied, "The Lord has

31. For our God, the God we have, is not so niggardly that he
has left us with only one comfort or strengthening for our
conscience, or only one absolution, but we have many
absolutions in the gospel and we are richly showered with
many absolutions. See, my Lord, I have been baptized in
thy name so that I may be assured of thy grace and mercy.
Then we have private confession, when I go and receive a
sure absolution as if God himself spoke it, so that I may be
assured that my sins are forgiven. Finally, I take to myself
the blessed sacrament, when I eat his body and drink his
blood as a sign that I am rid of my sins and God has freed
me from all my frailties; and in order to make me sure of
this, he gives me his body to eat and his blood to drink, so
that I shall not and cannot doubt that I have a gracious God.
Thus you see that confession must not be despised, but that
it is a comforting thing.

32.  Pray: I acknowledge, O Lord, of my sins be charged upon me
that I am a most guilty sinner, to my condemnation. Let me
altogether unable to help through faith in His blood be
myself, and unworthy that You freely justified by Your grace,
should help me. My own and let not any of my sins be
conscience condemns me. But charged upon me to my
O God, God of mercy, forsake condemnation. Let me by His
me not, nor leave me under the merits and righteousness be so
piercing thoughts of my sad and delivered from the guilt of
sinful condition. In the them, that I may serve You in
multitude of Your compassions, righteousness and holiness of all
make good Your promise to a the days of my life. Christ died
returning sinner. I earnestly for me while I lay under the
beg Your grace to a serious and sentence of death. May I no
genuine repentance. I lay longer live unto myself, but
myself before You, destitute of unto Him who died for me and
any merits of my own. Apply rose again, even Jesus Christ,
the merits of Your dear Son to my Redeemer. Amen. (Johann
all the wants and necessities of Gerhard, 1582-1637).
my soul. Let me through faith
in His blood be freely justified
by Your grace, and let not any

33.  Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so;  Jesus loves me! loves me still,
Little ones to Him belong, When I'm very weak and ill;
They are weak but He is From His shining throne on
strong. high,
Yes, Jesus loves me! Comes to watch me where I lie.
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so. Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me! He who died,
Heaven's gate to open wide; Jesus loves me! He will stay,
He will wash away my sin, Close beside me all the way;
Let His little child come in. He's prepared a home for me,
Yes, Jesus loves me! And some day His face I'll see.
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so. Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

34. "When I urge you to go to confession, I am simply Before the pastor or confessor we confess those sins
urging you to be a Christian.” -Large Cat which we know and feel in our hearts, especially those
Confession has two parts. First that we confess our that trouble us.
sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is, Note: No one may be forced to make private
forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself, not confession.
doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are The second part of confession is that we receive
forgiven before God in heaven. absolution, that is, forgiveness of sins.
Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even We should receive the pastor's absolution as from God
those we are not aware of, as we do in the Lord's Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it
Prayer; but before the pastor we should confess only our sins are forgiven before God in heaven.
those sins which we know and feel in our hearts. "It is not the voice or word of the man who speaks it,
Consider your place in life according to the Ten but it is the Word of God, who forgives sin, for it is
Commandments: Are you a father, mother, son, spoken in God's stead and by God's command" (Augs
daughter, husband, wife, or worker? Have you been Conf).
disobedient, unfaithful, or lazy? Have you been hot- The pastor is pledged not to tell anyone else of sins
tempered, rude, or quarrelsome? Have you hurt told him in private confession, for those sins have
someone by your words or deeds? Have you stolen, been removed.
been negligent, wasted anything, or done any harm? In private confession and absolution, God Himself
The first part of confession is that we confess, or through the pastor forgives each individual the sins
acknowledge, our sins. that are confessed.
Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even "If there is a heart that feels its sin and desires
those we are not aware of, as we do in the Lord's consolation, it has here a sure refuge when it hears in
Prayer. God's Word that through a man God looses and
Before our neighbor we should confess all sins we absolves him from his sins" (Large Cat).
have committed against him.

35.  A Short Form of
Confession