JDL - Direction Twenty-eight - How God works - through means part three (Confession and Absolution)

Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:18 (ESV))

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.(James 5:16 (ESV))

You may be surprised if I tell you that there are actually two ways to get to heaven. One way, of course, is by the saving faith in Jesus Christ; the other way is by being perfect. If we could be perfect, then we could waltz right in. That is the way it was with Jesus. Of course, He had the distinct advantage of being born without sin, an advantage we do not share as we are each conceived and born in sin (Psalm 51:5). Instead of taking on our sin and suffering and dying, Jesus could have simply said, “Okay, Father, I am ready to come back home.” Thanks be to God this is not what He did, but instead He did take our sins upon Himself in order to pay the price for those sins so that we might have forgiveness and the gift and promise of eternal life with Him.

Sin is the thing that separates us from God the Father, and it is the thing that separates us from one another. Because of sin, because of Adam and Eve’s sin (Original Sin), because of our own sin (Actual Sin), we have a broken relationship with God the Father. With the main relationship broken, so we have broken relationships with one another. Ever wonder why husbands and wives have disagreements and fights? Ever wonder why children fight with one another and with their parents? Ever wonder why two people cannot get along, let alone three or more people? It is because of sin, our own sin and the sin of others.

Because our God is so great a God and because He is a gift-giving God, one of the most important gifts He has given to us is the gift of forgiveness and that we might share this gift of forgiveness with each other. What a wonderful thing that we can say, “I’m sorry.” And we can hear, “You’re forgiven.” Unfortunately, that is not what we hear in our world today. Too often what we hear is, “I’m sorry,” and, “That’s okay,” when in reality, it is not okay. Sin is not okay and is never okay. Sin is sin, and it needs to be taken care of. In other words, it needs forgiveness. The only way to give forgiveness is to offer it, that is to give it. We understand that when we speak words of forgiveness, when we offer forgiveness, it is not we who are giving it or earning it, but we are offering what Jesus has earned and gives. We are announcing what has happened; forgiveness has been earned and is meted out.

What a wonderful privilege God has given to us, His children, that we can share the forgiveness earned by Jesus with one another. And with forgiveness is the healing power that comes with it. There is no better way to heal a broken relationship than through the power of forgiveness. Remember, when Jesus encountered anyone who had a need, and usually it was some felt need of healing, His first priority was to meet their real need, forgiveness of sin. When the paralytic was put down through the house by his four friends, the first thing Jesus did and said was, “Your sins are forgiven (Matt. 9:2), meaning, your relationship with God the Father and Myself is healed.” And with that spiritual healing the man was indeed healed. The rest of the story is that Jesus also gave him physical healing, but that was really a bonus.

Although Confession and Absolution is not a sacrament, at least not according to our definition of a sacrament, we know and understand that it is a means of grace. Confession and absolution is another way in which our Lord comes to us to gives us forgiveness of sins, and as always, we know that with forgiveness there is also life and salvation. And with forgiveness we are open to hearing and being directed by Jesus in the rest of our lives.

Think About
When someone hurts you and says, “I’m sorry,” what do you say in response? Next time say, “You are forgiven.”

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for the greatest gift, forgiveness of sins. Forgive me when I refuse Your forgiveness by failing to ask for forgiveness and when I refuse to reflect Your love and forgiveness to others when they seek such forgiveness. Help me to always be ready to forgive as You have forgiven me, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.