What Is Individual Confession and Absolution?
Individual confession and absolution is an opportunity to confess our sins to a pastor and hear God's forgiveness spoken to us through his servant. While we practice corporate confession and absolution in the divine service, Holy Trinity offers opportunities throughout the week for anyone to come and confess sins that are particularly troubling to them. Here are a few details about individual confession and absolution.
1. Private confession is entirely confidential. You can be sure that anything you share with me in private confession will never be communicated to anyone else for any reason.
2. Private confession is offered so that we can hear God’s forgiveness spoken to us regarding specific sins that trouble our conscience. It is not necessary to name every sin we have committed in order to be forgiven.
3. Private confession is a privilege, not a requirement. No one needs to come to private confession in order to be forgiven, but a Christian can certainly receive forgiveness through private confession, and it can be a more personal and specific offer of God’s forgiveness.
4. Private confession is a biblical practice. “Confess your sins to one another” (James 5:16); “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld” (John 20:23).
5. Private confession is a Lutheran practice. See the article on “Confession” in Luther’s Small Catechism.