How recognize sins? 

 

In a reaction to a 1986 Bethany (Mankato) Reformation Lecture, Erling Teigen (ELS) wrote:  All, to be sure, would agree that the devotional life of pastors, teachers, professors and lay people alike, is sadly lacking. But can we expect it to be any different when we have allowed private confession and individual absolution to fall into disuse, when we have neglected the very heart of pastoral practice? We are the church which confesses, "It is taught among us that private absolution should be retained and not allowed to fall into disuse. (ACXI) 2   

 

Paul gave this advice when it came to the Lord=s Supper -

1 Corinthians 11:28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.  (Need to examine your own self and not have someone pointing out your sins all of the time.)

God gives us an important tool in this self examination -

Proverbs 20:27 The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being.

 

Walther: We need not worry about our inability to produce repentance in ourselves.  We must only apply to ourselves the keen Word of God, and we have the first part of repentance.  After than an application of the unqualified Gospel will produce faith in us.  (367)

 

In Colossians chapter 2 Paul gives us some warnings when it comes to being examined.  Read 13-19.

 

What are our limits in self examination? 

Look at Joshua 7.  How were Achan=s sins recognized? 

 

1 Corinthians 14:24‑25 If an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, AGod is really among you!@

 

What benefit did prophesy in the New Testament times do? 

According to Matthew 18, we are still called on to help others recognize sins yet today.  Matthew 7:1-7 is often quoted to refute this idea.  What is Jesus= warning in these verses?  (Don=t be a hypocrite.  Judge self first.  Don=t judge in matters that are adiaphora.)

How did the Pharisees take this idea of judging sins too far? 

Matthew 23:23‑24 AWoe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spicesCmint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the lawCjustice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

 

How has the Catholic Church abused this idea of confession in several ways? 

Luther: In auricular confession by the papists attention was paid only to the external work.  There was such a frequent running to confession that one obviously could never do enough of it.  If another sin occurred to you, back you went, so that a priest once said to me; God has commanded us to hope for His mercy; go in peace!  And Doctor Jerome Schurff was tortured to such an extent that he returned to the priest three, four times before receiving the sacrament; nay, he whispered his scruples into the ear of the administrant at the very altar. We wearied the father confessors.  (WLS 327)

 

Confession is Aglamorized@ by popular Christianity.  How so? 

How is it ignored by a majority of Christianity? 

 

Luther: To excuse and defend the lapse, so that it be considered not a falling but a standing, is diabolical.  For instance, Adam sinned in Paradise, yet he did not want to confess until after a lengthy argument.   It certainly is the work of the devil that a person will commit sin and not confess it but will even defend it.  In fact, even today people will not bear being openly rebuked or told: You are an adulterer, a usurer, a drunkard.  They will not put up with the rebuke, but they bear preachers a grudge because of it and yet know that they are sinning.  (329)

 

Luther had a simple way of examining the self: How can we recognize these sins?

Consider your place in life according to the Ten Commandments.  Are you a father, mother, son, daughter, employer or employee?  Have you been disobedient, unfaithful, or lazy?  Have you hurt anyone by word or deed?  Have you been dishonest, careless, wasteful or done other wrong?

 

What was the key place for examination? 

How is this a very practical approach to confession? 

Cherney:  Among the saints whom I was serving there was a middle aged lady whose life reflected the love of Christ in a hundred different ways. She was the church secretary, and no church ever had one more dedicated. She was active in several church organizations. She raised three daughters to be active, professing Christians. She kept a neat and comfortable home from which no one ever went away hungry. One day, as part of a program sponsored jointly by the congregations in our area, a high powered speaker from synodical headquarters came to town. His topic was personal evangelism. After his energetic and compelling presentation, our canvassers hit the streets with enthusiasm, and the lady I mentioned was among them.  We talked afterward and compared our canvassing experiences. As I recall, they were typical: warm receptions in a few homes, polite disinterest in most, open hostility in one or two. But what bothered this lady most wasn't the apathy or the resistance she'd encountered. It was the fact that she, a middle aged Christian, was just now doing this for the first time. "Vicar, I can't help feeling that I've been wasting my life," she said. All because she hadn't been out on the street, pushing doorbells. Something was wrong here; but at the time, I wasn't sure exactly what. 

As I gained experience, I began to observe, in a few congregations, another phenomenon: the pathologically active church member. This person is on every board and committee the congregation has. He ushers. He teaches Sunday School. He handles the finances. He occupies, in succession, every chair on the church council. One seldom, if ever, needs to solicit his help or his opinion.  One is mightily impressed with this individual's level of congregational involvement, until one gets to know him better. Then one realizes that this member is always down at church because that is the only place where he is still welcome. His family is ready to give up on him. His boss doesn't know what to do with him. He is active in his church because the people there have little choice but to put up with his bullying, his tantrums, his childishness. It was this kind of member whom a certain wise pastor had in mind when he told me, "Half our challenge is to find a way to get some of our lay people more involved. The other half is to find a way to take a few of our 'involved' lay people and send them home to straighten things out in their lives and with their families."

 

What was the problem in both of these instances? 

What was the temptation in the woman=s case?  

In the man=s case? 

 

1 Timothy 3:4‑5 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God=s church?)