Absolution: Yeah, It's In The text

Many Evangelicals and Protestants now days have no idea that the Lutheran Church makes use of the practice of Confession and Absolution. All too often, it is written off as a Roman Catholic thing that we shouldn't be doing because it's wrong. (Lots of Evangelicals reject lots of biblical stuff just because Rome does it.) But is that true? I don't think so, and I will attempt to answer that here.

As Lutherans, we believe that Christ Himself instituted the practice of Confession and Absolution. It's right there in Holy Scripture:

John 20:20-23: When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Christ here is speaking to the Apostles and is very clear about three things.

1. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.

Jesus is sending the Apostles. Sending them for what? Well, first and foremost to be ministers of the Word and to spread the Gospel. They are to make disciples by baptising and teaching, as Christ commands them in Matthew 28:18-20 (the Great Commission).

2. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.

Jesus now makes an extraordinary statement. He very clearly sends the Apostles and gives them the authority to forgive sins.

3. If you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.

This is another statement that ties right into the last one. The Apostles can also withhold forgiveness and retain the sins of people.

Of course, only God can forgive sins. How do we reconcile these two truths that only God can forgive sins but Jesus said the Apostles can too? Simply put, the Christian faith works through means. Christ comes to us for the forgiveness of our sins through baptism, preaching, and the Supper. Oh, and Holy Absolution, as John 20 tells us as well.

But, but, but...that was the APOSTLES!!! The Apostles can do that but no one can now days, right? Not so. The main reason is that first and foremost, the Apostles were ministers of the Gospel. They were sent to preach, to baptise, and to teach. In other words, Christ instituted an Office of the Ministry. Does this include the Apostles? Well yes, they were the first ministers of the Gospel; the first heralds of the good news of the crucified and risen Christ.

But do you know who else is a member of that Office of the Ministry? Do you know who else has the authority to administer the Sacraments and proclaim Holy Absolution?

Your Pastor 

That's right, your pastor is a member of this office that Jesus Christ Himself instituted. Your pastor is authorized to administer the means of grace that Christ has given, to preach the Gospel, to rightly divide the Word, and to grant forgiveness of sins to you.

But he is just a man! A pitiful sinner just like me! Yeah, that's true, he is. But the Word of Christ comes with him and he does not baptise, preach, administer the Eucharist, and grant Absolution by his own authority, but by Christ's. The Sacraments, the preaching of the Gospel, and Absolution do not depend on the perfect piety of your pastor. They depend -get this, this is utterly important- completely on the Word of Christ. It is GOD who works through these natural means. The supernatural invades the natural and sanctifies it, bringing us the crucified and risen Christ in Word (sound waves), water, bread, and wine.

So what does corporate Absolution look like? Here is one such Confession, taken from Lutheran Worship.

C: O Almighty God, merciful Father, I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess to You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your punishment now and forever. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor sinful being.

P: Upon this your confession, I, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God to all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the Name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen

This, my friends, is awesome news. It's objectivity. It's not nebulous at all. It's Gospel. When we pronounce our Confession of sins to our pastor and he pronounces forgiveness to us, it is God Himself working through those Words, delivering the forgiveness of sins wrought by Christ at Calvary for you. When we confess our sins in private to our pastor and he pronounces this blessed Absolution, we are truly forgiven.

For God has given men to be ministers and heralds of His Word, given to us in spoken Word and Sacrament. This truly is excellent news for the whole world, for everyone who believes, and personally for you.

O God, without whose blessing we are not able to please You, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and govern our hearts; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen