Jump to content

Confession (Lutheran Church)

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Holy Absolution)
For general confession in the Lutheran Church, see Penitential Rite.
Not to be confused with Church of the Lutheran Confession.
"Private Absolution ought to be retained in the churches, although in confession an enumeration of all sins is not necessary." —Augsburg Confession, Article 11

In the Lutheran Church, Confession (also called Holy Absolution) is the sacrament given by Christ to the Church by which individual men and women may receive the forgiveness of sins.[1][2] According to the Large Catechism, the third sacrament of Holy Absolution is related to Holy Baptism.[3][4]

In the Lutheran Churches, the Office of the Keys exercised through confession and absolution is the "authority which Christ has given to His Church on earth: to forgive the sins of the penitent sinners, but to retain the sins of the impenitent as long as they do not repent."[5][6]

Beliefs

[edit]

The Lutheran Church practices "Confession and Absolution" [referred to as the Office of the Keys] with the emphasis on the absolution, which is God's word of forgiveness. Indeed, Lutherans highly regard Holy Absolution. They, like Roman Catholics, see James 5:16 and John 20:22–23 as biblical evidence for confession.[7] Confession and absolution is done in private to the pastor, called the "confessor" with the person confessing known as the "penitent". In confession, the penitent makes an act of contrition, as the pastor, acting in persona Christi, announces the formula of absolution. Prior to the confession, the penitent is to review the Ten Commandments to examine his or her conscience.[8]

In the Lutheran Church, like the Roman Catholic Church, the pastor is bound by the Seal of the Confessional. Luther's Small Catechism says "the pastor is pledged not to tell anyone else of sins to him in private confession, for those sins have been removed." If the Seal is broken, it will result in excommunication.[7] At the present time, it is, for example, expected before partaking of the Eucharist for the first time.[9][10][11] It is also encouraged to be done frequently in a year[12] (specifically before Easter). In many churches, times are set for the pastor to hear confessions.[13][14]

The Augsburg Confession divides repentance into two parts: "One is contrition, that is, terrors smiting the conscience through the knowledge of sin; the other is faith, which is born of the Gospel, or of absolution, and believes that for Christ's sake, sins are forgiven, comforts the conscience, and delivers it from terrors."[15]

Lutheranism has not been dogmatic regarding the number of sacraments, with the Apology of the Augsburg Confession teaching that "No intelligent person will quibble about the number of sacraments or the terminology, so long as those things are kept which have God's command and promises."[16] As such, the number of sacraments named by Lutherans varies based on the denomination and locality. Lutherans generally speak of three sacraments, including baptism, eucharist, and confession.[1][2] In line with Luther's initial statement in his Large Catechism, some Lutherans speak of two dominical sacraments,[17] Baptism and the Eucharist, although later in the same work he calls Confession and Absolution "the third sacrament."[18][19] The definition of sacrament in the Apology of the Augsburg Confession lists Absolution as one of them.[20] Luther went to confession all his life.[21] Certain Lutheran denominations do name seven sacraments: Holy Baptism, Holy Eucharist, Holy Confession and Absolution, Holy Orders, Holy Matrimony, Holy Confirmation, and Holy Unction. Although most Lutherans do not consider the other four rites (Holy Orders, Holy Matrimony, Holy Confirmation, and Holy Unction) as sacraments, they are still retained and used in all Lutheran Churches. Regardless of the enumeration, all seven of these are celebrated in Lutheran Churches.[22][23]

In mainstream Lutheranism, the faithful often receive the sacrament of penance from a Lutheran priest before receiving the Eucharist.[10][11] Prior to going to Confessing and receiving Absolution, the faithful are expected to examine their lives in light of the Ten Commandments.[24] The order of Confession and Absolution is contained in the Small Catechism, as well as other liturgical books of the Lutheran Churches.[24] The sacrament of confession can variously take place in a confessional, reconciliation room, or at communion rails, all during which Lutherans confess their sins. At the same time, the confessor—a Lutheran priest—listens and then offers absolution, which may include the laying of their stole on the penitent's head.[24] Clergy are prohibited from revealing anything said during private Confession and Absolution per the Seal of the Confessional, and face excommunication if it is violated. In Laestadian Lutheranism penitent sinners, in accordance with the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, practice lay confession, "confess[ing] their transgressions to other church members, who can then absolve the penitent."[25]

Martin Luther on confession

[edit]

In his 1529 catechisms, Martin Luther praised confession (before a pastor or a fellow Christian) "for the sake of absolution", the forgiveness of sins bestowed in an audible, concrete way.[26] The Lutheran reformers held that a complete enumeration of sins is impossible[27] and that one's confidence of forgiveness is not to be based on the sincerity of one's contrition nor on one's doing works of satisfaction imposed by the confessor (penance).[28] The Roman Catholic church held confession to be composed of three parts: contritio cordis ("contrition of the heart"), confessio oris ("confession of the mouth"), and satisfactio operis ("satisfaction of deeds").[29] The Lutheran reformers abolished the "satisfaction of deeds," holding that confession and absolution consist of only two parts: the confession of the penitent and the absolution spoken by the confessor.[30] Faith and trust in Jesus' complete active and passive satisfaction is what receives the forgiveness and salvation won by him and imparted to the penitent by the word of absolution.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Becker, Matthew L. (25 January 2024). Fundamental Theology: A Protestant Perspective. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-567-70572-3. Unitl that final revelation of the church, when it will be revealed to be what the apostles have said it is, the church proclaims the gospel and administers the sacraments (especially baptism, the Lord's Supper [also called Holy Communion or the Eucharist], and Holy Absolution [the formal proclamation of the forgiveness of sins)—all for the sake of calling people to faith, hope, and love and keeping them united with Christ and with one anothe rin the one church of Christ. And where the gospel is proclaimed and the sacraments administered in accord with that gospel, there the church truly is. Indeed, the Holy Spirit acts through the word and the sacraments, in Luther's phrase, "to call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify the whole Christian church on earth" (the church is not a Platonic reality) and keep it united to Christ. Because of the power of the Spirit to create and preserve the church, even the gates of hell cannot prevail against it (Mt. 16.18).
  2. ^ a b Galler, Jayson S. (2025). "Word & Sacrament". Pilgrim Lutheran Church. Retrieved 9 May 2025. ...generally in the Lutheran Christian tradition we speak of three sacraments.
  3. ^ "Holy Baptism".
  4. ^ Barry, A. L. (2025). "What About Confession and Absolution?". Redeemer Lutheran Church. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  5. ^ The Lutheran Witness, Volumes 9–11. English Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri and Other States. 7 December 1892. p. 98.
  6. ^ Martin Luther (11 April 2012). "Part 5: Office of the Keys and Confession". Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  7. ^ a b An explanation of The Small Catechism Archived 2009-10-07 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-02-04. Retrieved 2010-02-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Retrieved 2010-02-02.
  9. ^ Apology of the Augsburg Confession, article 24, paragraph 1. Retrieved 2010-02-02.
  10. ^ a b Richard, James William (1909). The Confessional History of the Lutheran Church. Lutheran Publication Society. p. 113. In the Lutheran Church, private confession was at first voluntary. Later, in portions of the Lutheran Church, it was made obligatory, as a test of orthodoxy, and as a preparation of the Lord's Supper.
  11. ^ a b Kolb, Robert (2008). Lutheran Ecclesiastical Culture: 1550–1675. Brill Publishers. p. 282. ISBN 9789004166417. The North German church ordinances of the late 16th century all include a description of private confession and absolution, which normally took place at the conclusion of Saturday afternoon vespers, and was a requirement for all who desired to commune the following day.
  12. ^ The Defense of the Augsburg Confession; Article XI: Of Confession. Retrieved 2010-02-02.
  13. ^ An example of a church that has a set time for confessions[permanent dead link]. Retrieved 2010-02-02.
  14. ^ "St. Mark Lutheran Church". St. Mark Lutheran Church. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  15. ^ Augsburg Confession, Article XII: Of Repentance
  16. ^ Lackmann, Max (1963). The Augsburg Confession and Catholic Unity. Herder and Herder. p. 54.
  17. ^ Luther's Large Catechism IV, 1: "We have now finished the three chief parts of the common Christian doctrine. Besides these we have yet to speak of our two Sacraments instituted by Christ, of which also every Christian ought to have at least an ordinary, brief instruction, because without them there can be no Christian; although, alas! hitherto no instruction concerning them has been given" (emphasis added; cf. Theodore G. Tappert, trans. and ed., The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1959), 733).
  18. ^ John 20:23, and Engelder, T.E.W. Popular Symbolics. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934. pp. 112-3, Part XXVI "The Ministry", paragraph 156.
  19. ^ Luther's Large Catechism IV, 74-75: "And here you see that Baptism, both in its power and signification, comprehends also the third Sacrament, which has been called repentance, as it is really nothing else than Baptism" (emphasis added; cf. Theodore G. Tappert, trans. and ed., The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1959), 751).
  20. ^ The Apology of the Augsburg Confession XIII, 3, 4: "If we define the sacraments as rites, which have the command of God and to which the promise of grace has been added, it is easy to determine what the sacraments are, properly speaking. For humanly instituted rites are not sacraments, properly speaking, because human beings do not have the authority to promise grace. Therefore signs instituted without the command of God are not sure signs of grace, even though they perhaps serve to teach or admonish the common folk. Therefore, the sacraments are actually baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and absolution (the sacrament of repentance)" (cf. Tappert, 211).
  21. ^ "Article XIII. (VII): Of the Number and Use of the Sacraments". bookofconcord.org. 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  22. ^ "On The Sacraments". Lutheran Orthodox Church. 23 November 2024. Archived from the original on 23 November 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  23. ^ "What We Believe". Evangelical Community Church-Lutheran. Archived from the original on 18 May 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  24. ^ a b c Wendel, David M. (1997). Manual for the Recovery of a Parish Practice of Individual Confession and Absolution (PDF). The Society of the Holy Trinity. pp. 2, 7, 8, 11.
  25. ^ Lamport, Mark A. (31 August 2017). Encyclopedia of Martin Luther and the Reformation. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 406. ISBN 9781442271593.
  26. ^ John 20:23; Matthew 16:19; 18:18
  27. ^ Augsburg Confession XI with reference to Psalm 19:12
  28. ^ "Christian Cyclopedia". Archived from the original on 2004-11-23. Retrieved 2010-01-20. Rejected ... are those who teach that forgiveness of sin is not obtained through faith but through the satisfactions made by man.
  29. ^ "Christian Cyclopedia". Archived from the original on 2004-11-23. Retrieved 2010-01-20. The acts of the penitent himself, namely contrition, confession, and satisfaction, constitute, as it were, the matter of this sacrament.
  30. ^ Large Catechism VI, 15
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Confession_(Lutheran_Church)&oldid=1301331021"