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Confession There are three kinds of confession that we speak of. First, we confess all our sins to God. David in Psalm 51 wrote, "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge." And in Psalm 32 he prayed, "I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD'-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin." There are many such passages in the Scriptures that urge us to confess our sins to God and to trust that He will forgive our sins (1 John 1:8-2:2). The Bible also urges us to confess our sins to one another. When we have offended someone (especially a brother or sister in Christ) we are to go to that person and confess we were wrong. Scripture urges us to be reconciled to our fellow believers (Matthew 5:23-24). When we see our sins we are to take the initiative and go to the person we have hurt and seek forgiveness. And when we are the one who has been injured and a brother comes to us seeking forgiveness we are to forgive. Jesus parable of the unforgiving servant shows us that if we are unwilling to forgive others this is a sign that we have not understood our need for forgiveness and received it for what it is -- a gift (Matthew 18:23-35). The third kind of confession we speak of is what Luther wrote about in the Small Catechism. "Confession embraces two parts. One is that we confess our sins; the other, that we receive absolution, or forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself, and in no wise doubt, but firmly believe, that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven." Here the pastor acts as God's agent to forgive sins. Jesus commissioned the Apostles to act in this way in John 20:19-23. It is not that human beings have the power to forgive sins, but that they are acting as servants of Christ going out on His behalf and announcing the good news that He has told them to proclaim. Luther warns in the Large Catechism that we must be careful to distinguish between these two parts and place the proper emphasis on the second part -- absolution. "We should place slight value on our part in [confession]. But God's Word in the absolution part of confession we should hold in high and great esteem. We should not proceed as if we intended to perform and offer to Him a splendid work, but simply to accept and receive something from Him." Confession and absolution is especially important when a particular sin bothers us. When this happens the Christian has the opportunity to go to the pastor privately and hear God's word applied to his particular need. Luther commented "If something particular weighs upon us or troubles us, something with which we keep torturing ourselves and can find no rest, and we do not find our faith to be strong enough to cope with it, then this private form of confession gives us the opportunity of laying the matter before some brother and receiving counsel, comfort, and strength when and however often we wish." Confession should not be a burden. Christians should not be force to go to confession, but they should act freely and joyfully. Many people in Luther's day had stopped going to confession, and this concerned him greatly. He urged Christians to treasure this marvelous gift that God had given to His people. He compared our situation to that of a beggar who hears that money or clothing is being given out. What would he do? "So as not to miss it, he would run there as fast as he can and would need no bailiff to beat and drive him." Luther was convinced that if we truly understood our situation, then we would run to the pastor and compel him to speak God's word of absolution to us.