Ask an EOC: Can You Confess in Private to God but not in Church Confession and be Forgiven?
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Commentary by Nicholas Damascus | FāVS News
When Christ began his ministry, his main message was for all to repent, for without repentance of a prideful heart and mind, the door to the Kingdom of Heaven is closed.
Matthew 4:17: “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The scriptures encourage us to confess to one another, which may serve as a sharing of one’s burden; however, confessing to one another does not absolve us from our sins. Sharing with another is often a half-truth, for we are inevitably too ashamed and ridden with guilt to reveal all to another.
Prayerful confession in and of itself and, in most cases, may not be sufficient for the forgiveness of sins. Even Satan confesses that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, which ultimately does him no good. A thief can confess to a crime he has committed; however, without changing his mind that stealing is sinful, his sin remains. Confession must be coupled with repentance, which is “a change of mind and attitude” toward what led you to commit those sins.
Christ, while still on Earth, commissioned and empowered his apostles and the ordination of other disciples (the Seventy) to continue the apostolic mission of establishing his Church. The Orthodox Church teaches that the gates of hell would not prevail against Christ’s established Church, which continues to exist today.
Within the Orthodox Church, believers directly experience the sacramental life or the Holy Spirit of God. These holy and direct mysteries aid the believer in strengthening their journey to becoming more like Christ by his grace and mercy. This process of transformation is known to Orthodox as theosis, a means of God’s divine grace to be personally appropriated to each individual Orthodox Christian (Romans 12:2).
By divine grace, Eastern Orthodox Christians can participate in the Holy Mysteries of the Eucharist, Marriage, Baptism, Chrismation, Ordination, Unction and Confession. Concerning the sacrament of Confession, Christ directly gave the authority to his Church in the following scripture to remit or retain the sins of the penitent.
John 20:23 “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
From the beginning, the Orthodox Church has maintained this holy tradition of the Mystery of Repentance. This is also known as the Holy Sacrament of Confession. Within this sacred mystery, the priest is a witness sworn to secrecy, aiding the penitent in spiritual guidance and counseling. They also administer the prayer of absolution. Through this confession to Christ, the penitent receives Christ’s forgiveness of the sins confessed, whether known and unknown, of word and deed, involuntary and voluntary.
This mystery is not a court of law but more so a hospital where Christ, the Physician, heals the penitent/patient of our afflictions/injury of sin. Sin is like cancer and must be rooted out to maintain a healthy condition.
Saint John Chrysostom said, “Did you commit sin? Enter the Church and repent for your sin; for here is the physician, not the judge; here one is not investigated; here one receives remission (forgiveness) of sins.
In the Bible, a key description of repentance is revealed in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32).
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The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.
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