Talking about Confession…
I had an interesting conversation with Randy last night. It was not a long conversation, but it was a conversation with a lot of substance and a lot to think about. Randy and I do not think the same when it comes to religion or faith, but the way we dissect things is the same because we like to get to the root of the issue and look at the issue in its simplistic form. I think that a lot of times we tend to complicate our faith and over analyze it that is why people get discouraged in what they hear. I enjoy my time of conversation with Randy because it is a different experience than what I would find here at ACU. I realize that the book calls for a lot of things that you can find with a Christian conversation partner (prayer, talk about certain issues of the faith, and reflection of experiences, etc.) but the time of conversation that I spend with Randy is one of constantly being challenged. I am challenged by the way I think and what I believe. I am not challenged in a way that I doubt what I believe, but I am challenged to think deeper of my faith and give it more substance. It is through conversation with Randy that I have found I am able to articulate what it is that I believe and challenge others in what they believe.
Last night’s conversation dealt with the topic of confession of which I practice my way and Randy practices his own way. I practice confession in the sense that I recognize my sin (s) and go before the Father and ask for forgiveness. I do not practice what I used to when I was a Catholic that I used to go before a priest and “confess” every evil I had ever done and hoped that I could find God’s forgiveness through him. Confession was about going before a man and finding grace through that one man and having to do something to prove that I deserved it. Now, in my faith, I do not like to go by the title of Christian because it carries a whole different load, but I consider myself a follower of Christ. I believe in Christ and the sacrifice that he paid for me and I believe that it is through him that I can reach the Father. Therefore in my faith I recognize my sin (by name) and bring it up to the Father for forgiveness.
Randy does not practice confession the same way I do. Randy does not see the need to confess the same way I do because he sees it as a ritual that is unnecessary. To him, confession is but a thought process. He too grew up Catholic and saw confession in the sense of going before a priest and asking for forgiveness. But to Randy, confession is about acknowledging that something wrong or bad was done and doing something about it. Confession is about a bigger change within the person. Confession is about a personal thing that one is to do on an individual basis. Confession is not something that you are to tell others about (unless you feel comfortable about it). Confession to Randy is about recognizing that something has happened and doing something about it.
The thought that got my attention when talking to Randy was when he mentioned that confession is about recognising what is done and doing something about it. But the idea that God already knows about it (since He is all-knowing and powerful) one does not have to go before him and confess something he already knows. The idea that since we recognize what we have done and we do something to change that for the better then God already knows and sees that and recognizes that we are doing a change in our lives. By us acknowledging that there is a wrong we are confessing before God. This is a simplistic was of doing it. We are to still recognize the “evil deed” by name and change the way we live our lives.
According to the Peace, confession is repentance actualized. To see an issue is one thing, to deal with it is another. The dynamics of repentance involve two things: naming and confessing. Repentance begins with insight that leads to naming the issue. I like the idea of naming the specifics of confession because through it one can recognize what it is that they have done wrong. It is through being specific on the sin that we recognize what it is that we have done and we can do something about it, and like Randy said, “Not cause harm to the self”.
I agree with Randy’s idea that God already knows what we have done and that he recognizes that we are doing something about it, but I still believe that we are to come before Him and confess what we have done. It is like our parents, they might know that we stole the gum from the store, but they want us to admit it and recognize our wrong action. It is not that they are not going to forgive us if we do not come up to them, but they want to know that we recognize what it is that we did. I know I cannot compare God to a simple gum stealing parent confessing story, but the idea is that God wants us to recognize and go to Him. God want us to be dependant on Him, not slaves to him, but he wants us to rely on Him for forgiveness and grace. God allows us to use our free will, but he also wants us to depend on Him and confess.
I see and understand what Randy is saying and I am curious about how that would play a role in our faith? Is it logical for me to think that in my faith I do not have to confess because God already knows about it? Is confession just a complication of my faith, or any ones faith? Is confession even necessary? What role does grace play into confession? How much grace is too much grace? Is there a limit to grace and confession?
I am encouraged because I am challenged by thoughts like these after a conversation with Randy. I never thought that the idea of confession would strike such a curiosity to find answers to my faith.
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