Today we commemorate Melitios of Antioch

1 Kingdoms (1 Samuel) 12:16-25

¹⁶ “Now therefore, stand and see this great thing which the LORD will do before your eyes: ¹⁷ Is today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the LORD, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking a king for yourselves.”
¹⁸ So Samuel called to the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.
¹⁹ And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves.”
²⁰ Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. ²¹ And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. ²² For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. ²³ Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. ²⁴ Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. ²⁵ But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”

The message is still the same: repent and turn from your wickedness.  The Lord is merciful.

1 John 1:8-2:6

⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. ¹ My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ² And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
³ Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. ⁶ He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

“John addresses three false gnostic teachings on “sin.” Their intertwined errors are that: (1) union with God is indifferent to sin; (2) sin does not exist; (3) one in union with God cannot sin.

John answers by saying: (1) Faith must be seen in works, that is, it must produce moral purity. To have a right relationship with God includes living a holy and righteous life. And faith must seek forgiveness and cleansing for sin. (2) Sin does exist, and teh practice of confession is the established basis for growth toward righteousness. (3) Though we do sin, we should strive not to sin. Salvation in Christ is a process of growth into sinlessness.”

I thank God that the Church has the office of Confession.

Mark 13:31-14:2

³¹ Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
³² “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. ³⁴ It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. ³⁵ Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— ³⁶ lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. ³⁷ And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” ¹ After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death. ² But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.”

Summary: be a faithful Christian. 

Romans 15

1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”^[a] 4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us,^[b] to the glory of God. 8 Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, 9 and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written:
“ For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles,
And sing to Your name.”^[c]

10 And again he says:
“ Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!”^[d]

11 And again:
“ Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples!”^[e]

12 And again, Isaiah says:
“ There shall be a root of Jesse;
And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles,
In Him the Gentiles shall hope.”^[f]
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

“Paul addresses Jewish and Gentile Christians on their cultural differences regarding foods and festivals. Both are exhorted to mutual acceptance, just as both are accepted by Christ for the glory of God.  The OT had foreseen the unity of faith and joy of believing Jews and Gentiles joined in Christ for the glory of God.”

14 Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.^[g] 15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God, 16 that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God. 18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient— 19 in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. 20 And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation, 21 but as it is written:

“ To whom He was not announced, they shall see;
And those who have not heard shall understand.”^[h]

“Minister is literally “liturgist” (Gr. leitourgos); ministering is doing the work of a priest. offering is the word that came to be used for the bread of the Eucharist (Gr. prosphora). Sanctified by the Holy Spirit is the action called for in the epiclesis, the invocation for the sending down of the Holy Spirit upon the eucharistic gifts of bread and wine.” – from the Orthodox Study Bible.

Whoever thought the early Christians didn’t have liturgy were wrong.

22 For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming to you. 23 But now no longer having a place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come to you, 24 whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you.^[i] For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while. 25 But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. 26 For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. 27 It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things. 28 Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain. 29 But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel^[j] of Christ.
30 Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, 31 that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you. 33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

How different is Paul’s language than what I hear spoken in mainstream Christianity.  That a service will be acceptable to the saints! that we pray together, delievered from unbelief!  Let us have our refreshment in the Church.

Romans 8: part 2

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Through adoption we become children of God.  This adoption isn’t applied in just a symbolic way, but truly means that we become almost like biological children.  We can become like our Father in Heaven by his grace, the only restriction being that we can’t be like Him by nature.  We partake in the sufferings of Christ and we are glorified with Him.  Through baptism, confession, communion, chrismation, and all other sacraments and life lived within the Church, we can become like God.  I want to stress further that it’s not a state of being, and being within the body of Christ can fluctuate from time to time.  After all, no one is ever really constantly the same in their spiritual life from one day to the next.  May we all strive to grow and increase in our adoption as sons and daughters of God.

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

Commentary on verse 22: “The groaning is a desire for greater things, the transformation of all creation to be eternally in harmony with God’s sovereign rule.”

Verse 23 reveals that we, as humans, desire the same thing for ourselves.  We have already been adopted, yet we wait for it, making ‘our calling and election sure,’ we are saved in Christ’s Incarnation, His Passion, and His Resurrection by baptism and chrismation, the Eucharist, and our bodily resurrection at the last day.  This Hope that we have is confident…

O Lord our God, who didst bow the heavens and come down for the salvation of mankind: Look upon thy servants and thine inheritance; for unto thee, the fearful Judge who yet lovest mankind, have thy servants bowed their heads and submissively inclined their necks, awaiting not help from men, but entreating thy mercy and looking confidently for thy salvation. Guard them at all times, both during this present evening and in the ap­proaching night, from every foe, from all adverse powers of the devil, and from vain thoughts and from evil imaginations. (Prayer at the Bowing of the Heads)

Holy Baptism

What is Baptism? Simply put, baptism is our death, burial, and resurrection in union with Jesus Christ.  It is a rite of passage, given by Christ to the Church, as an entrance into the Kingdom of God and eternal life.

The Apostle Paul describes the promise of God in this “mystery,” as most Orthodox call it, most succinctly when he writes, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). To baptize (Gr. baptizo) literally means to immerse, to put into. Historically, the Orthodox Church has baptized by triple immersion, “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt 28:19).

In the Old Testament, baptism was pictured by the passage of God’s people with Moses through the Red Sea (1 Cor. 10: 1, 2). John the Baptist, the last prophet of the Old Covenant, baptized in water unto repentance (Mark 1:4; Acts 19:4).  John’s baptism was received by Jesus, who thereby transformed the water and baptism itself. In the New Covenant, baptism is the means by which we enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:5), are joined to Christ (Rom. 6:3), and are granted the remission of our sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

What Results from Baptism? From the start, the Church has understood baptism as:

(1) A first and second dying. Our first dying with Christ in baptism was our death with Him on the Cross.  In the fourth century, Cyril of Jerusalem instructed his new converts: “You were led by the hand to the holy pool of divine baptism… and each of you was asked if he believe in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. And you made that saving confession, you descended into the water and came up again three times. In the very same moment you died and were born.”

The second death of baptism is continual – dying to sin daily as we walk in newness of life. St. Paul writes to the Colossians concerning baptism (Col. 2:12) and concludes by saying, “Therefore put to death your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5).

(2) The resurrection of righteousness. This is our life in Christ, our new birth and entrance into God’s Kingdom (John 3:3), our “newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). It is our being joined to Christ in His glorified humanity and indwelt by God Himself (John 14:23). Our relationship with God is not something static, a legal fiction given to us by a divine Judge. Rather this is a dynamic and real life in Christ, holding the promise of everlasting life. Our resurrection to new life now forms a prelude to the resurrection of our body at Christ’s Second Coming.

(3) An intimate and continual communion with God. We are raised to new life for a purpose: union and communion with God. In this sense baptism is the beginning of eternal life. For this reason, Peter writes that baptism now saves us (1 Pet. 3:21) – it is not the mere removal of dirt from our bodies, but it provides us with “a good conscience toward God.”

Because of these promises, the priest prays for the newly baptized, thanking God “who has given us, unworthy though we be, blessed purification through holy water, and divine sanctification through life-giving chrismation, and who now also has been pleased to bring new life to Your servant newly illuminated by water and the Spirit, and granted remission of sins – voluntary and involuntary.”

from the Orthodox Study Bible

Romans 6: part 2

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

“Baptism frees us from being slaves of sin and makes us servants of God if we continue with a willing spirit and submissiveness to God. For (1) the form of doctrine, the basic teach of the Church, calls us to love God and to obey from the heart. But (2) without the assistance of God, to whom we were delivered, we could neither understand doctrine nor do virtuous deeds.”

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

“Slavery to God, initiated in baptism, is true freedom. The fruit of baptism is holiness, or sanctification, and it ends in everlasting life. Thus salvation is a process of transformation from sinner to saint. We are saved through baptism, and we are being saved, that is, being transformed by the uncreated grace of God to be like Him, in anticipation of eternal life…. We cannot earn eternal life. We do, however, participate in it, and must not become listless in our Christian life.”

Oh Lord, let my will be conformed to yours.

Romans 6: part 1

More than a symbol:

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

“Paul grounds freedom from sin in the Sacrament of Baptism: Do you not know? Ignorance of what happens when we are baptized is a great enemy. For because of ignorance many are miserably defeated in their battle against sin. What Christ accomplished on the Cross – an actual and real death to sin – baptism is to us: an actual and real death to sin, a liberation from it. Thus, in our union with Christ through baptism, in His death and Resurrection, lies the power for victory over the law, the power, of sin. In this sense baptism is an exact likeness to Christ’s death on the Cross. Baptism is reality! It is not something that somehow “stands for” reality.  The Cross is the power of God for overcoming sin (1Cor. 1:18), and baptism is our Cross! There we tap into the power of God to say no to sin’s commands and temptations.”

“If Christ was buried for us, how are we buried with Him? Through baptism. For what Christ accomplished in the grave – an actual and real burial of sin – baptism is to us: an actual and real burial of sin.  Our old, mortal nature is replaced by a renewed nature capable of living righteously.”

5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

“United together refers to being planted and growing together, clearly implying the expectation of fruit. In the likeness of His death means baptism has a real unity with Christ’s death. For the Holy Spirit unites the reality of being immersed in the water to the reality of Christ going to the Cross and the grave. Yet we are not “united together in His death,” but in the likeness of His death. We did not die in our flesh with Christ on the Cross, nor does our human nature die. We also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection is literally translated “we shall be of the resurrection.” The likeness of His resurrection is the new life received in baptism. But Paul is referring here to the future resurrection of the body. If we truly participate in baptism’s likeness to Christ’s death, then we are prepared for the resurrection of the body.”

“Knowing this is understanding baptism and its reality in the Christian life. Old man does not refer to human nature as such but to the power of sin in human nature; the body (the complete whole) of sin refers to thew hole self, body and soul, under the law of sin and of death. And so it is sin that is crucified with Him, not some kind of “sinful nature.” We and human nature are not destroyed, sin is. Not only are we dead to sin, but sin is dead to us. The law of sin is completely defeated, and we are no longer to be its servants.”

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

“Do not let sin reign implies that sin’s power over us is not inevitable; it is something we allow by our free will. Man’s will was the first aspect of human nature damaged in the Fall and, therefore, is the first thing Christ heals. His healing enables us to make right choices, especially against in. For the Christian, sin is not longer a power which reigns and puts one in bondage. Though our mortal body demands pleasures, we can direct it rather than allowing it to direct us. Lusts, the sinful passions, we can resist, for sin has no power but what we give it. Only our own listlessness, dejection, indifference or laziness can defeat us. In Christ, we have no excuses. We can “help it,” we can avoid sin. For in Christ, we are restored to what God intended human nature to be.”

Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Music and Harmony

“Music, therefore, is a most excellent training, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inner parts of the soul ‘imparting grace, and making the soul of him who is rightly educated graceful.’  Our souls resound with the same harmonies as the cosmos, because the circles in our souls can execute revolutions answering those of the cosmos.  But it is only through philosophy that we are able to attain to this highest music, as our circles are thrown out of gear by birth.  Consequently music has the power to lead back the soul from the state of unrest to that of harmony, to correct the character, to heal mental diseases.  On this power Greek philosophers from Plato onwards laid particular stress; for the same reason they considered music to be a perfect instrument of education….” from A history of Byzantine music and hymnography by Egon Wellesz

I think I may have found the beginning of some support for a little idea that I’ve had about the perfection of music.  Since learning about the different tuning systems from Pythagoras to equal-tempered, I’ve had this nagging idea that music along with the rest of the world is corrupt because of the fall.  As a side note, that does not mean that we should reject music because it is corrupt, but rather we should pursue it like anything else and cause its improvement.

I have two theses about the corruption of music.  I haven’t decided which I’d rather go with, maybe both.  First, that music is just another extension of creation and is thus corrupted, but will eventually be restored to its original nature.  Or second, that the way we hear sounds and music is reflected from our corrupt nature only, i.e. it’s because our ears are corrupted that we hear music differently.  I guess it could be a mixture of both.

All tuning systems have some sort of error that they have to account for.  Pythagorean tuning lumps all the error into unusable keys, but it has perfect intervals (according to his ratio and number system) in other keys.  Equal – tempered tuning spreads the error out into all keys, so we have the same distance between all notes in all keys.  There are varying systems that go between those two.

Our ears, in the western world, are accustomed to hearing the well-tempered tuning system.  Other cultures, like China and India, indiginously, do not have the same type of system that we have, and their ears are suited to a different way of hearing music.  We perpetuate the sounds we like to hear, what we think sounds ‘good.’  Therefore it could be that our ears are what’s making the music sound good, even though technically, it could be more pure if thought of in a different way.

In the way that the Greeks thought about music, the ratios and numbers to describe the way a string gives off certain frequencies have a direct correlation between the cosmos and music.  It is interesting to me that he mentions that birth throws our connection to the world off, and we must be musically educated to get our circles back in alignment.  Music, they say, can heal you (maybe this is why musical therapy is getting more popular now).  I wonder as well, if one of the reasons why the Byzantine Liturgy is sung is because it is a ‘means of grace’ as my old Calvinist buddies would call it.  I guess in Orthodox terms it would be living a sacramental life, and everything that occurrs in Church is an outpouring of God’s grace and love.

Confession

 One argument.

 

We need to confess our sins ONLY to GOD – not to a man.  Only GOD can forgive and REMEMBER no more.

   

    1Tim 2:5  For there is one God and one mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus.

    1 John 1:9   If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

    Heb.10:11-22  (verse 17)  And their sins and iniquities I will remember no more.

    Heb. 8:12  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities and will remember no more.

 

And from another one of my family members:

 

Where does the Orthodox church stand on the issue of confession. I hope they agree that God alone forgives us of our sins…not a priest. Below is a quick list of some verses regarding forgiveness / confession:

Mr 11:25 -
“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.

Mr 11:26 -
["But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions."]

Lu 5:21 -
The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”

Lu 11:4 -
`And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’ “

Lu 17:3 -
“Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

Lu 17:4 -
“And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, `I repent,’ forgive him.”

Lu 23:34 -
But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.

1Jo 1:9 -
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

When I read these verses I can clearly see that their are 2 types of forgiveness we can identify in them. First, we as Christians are directed to forgive others of transgressions against us, and as we forgive others Christ then forgives us. Second, where Christ forgives us of our sins as only He can do.

I’m not sure why it is necessary in the eyes of Catholicism and Orthodoxy to utilize a man to confess our sins. The following questions are my own thoughts regarding this and things that I think you need to take a hard look at:

Don’t you think that at the moment you are aware of sin in your life you should immediately take that unconfessed sin to God and ask Him for forgiveness?

Wouldn’t you think that God would be much happier with you confessing that sin at the moment you are aware of it as opposed to waiting until you can go to confession?

Why would you want to go around with unconfessed sin burdening you, and keeping you out of fellowship with Christ until you have a chance to go to confession?

What I’m getting at is that sin grieves the Holy Spirit. We are told not to grieve the Holy Spirit in Eph. 4. We should, in my opinion do our absolute best to confess our sins at the time the Holy Spirit convicts us of them…plain and simple.

In light of this, I believe that I Tim 2:5 is clear in that we should go directly to Christ, who is our mediator between God and us. Christ is also the one who stands at the right hand of God and intercedes for us (Rom 8:27). I see no scriptural basis for us to have anyone take our confessions to God and intercede for us on our behalf. This would have been true in the Old Testament, but remember that the the temple veil was torn at Christ’s crucifixion, giving us direct access to God.

My Response:

No Orthodox priest would ever say that you can’t confess sins to God by yourself. But there is something to be said for saying your sins out loud and repenting in the presence of another person.

One ‘proof-text’ is John 20:23 “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”

Secondly, a Priest is a representative of Christ (not the vicar of Christ, that whole Pope thing is totally foreign in the Orthodox Church) and so also is a Pastor, after all, he is the shepherd of the flock, Christ’s body. And so, this is what goes on in confession.

Order of Confession
- I say the Trisagion prayers and Psalm 51. and then i say:
“I have sinned, O Lord: forgive me. O God, be gracious unto me a sinner.
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I confess to thee all the hidden and open sins of my heart and mind, which I have committed unto this present day; wherefore I beg of thee, the righteous and compassionate Judge, remission of sins and grace to sin no more.

Priest says:
My sister, inasmuch as thou hast come to God, and to me, be not ashamed; for thou speakest not unto me, but unto God, before whom thou standest.
-the Priest questions me concerning my sins and afterwards says:

“My spiritual child, who hast confessed to my humble self, I, humble, and a sinner, have not power on earth to forgive sins, but God alone; yet through that divinely spoken word which came to the Apostles after the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, saying: Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted, and whosoever ins we retain, they are retained, we too are emboldened to say: Whatsoever thou hast said to my most humble self, and whatsoever thou hast not succeeded in saying, either though ignorance, or through forgetfulness, Whatever it may bew: God forgive thee in this present world, and in that which is to come.”

-makes the sign of the cross of me and says:
“God it was who forgave David through Nathan the Prophet, when he confessed his sins, and Peter weeping bitterly for his denial, and the sinful woman in tears at his feet, and the Publican, and the Prodigal Son: May that same God forgive thee all things, through me a sinner, both in this present world, and in that which is to come, and set thee uncondemned before his dread Judgment Seat. And now, having no further care for the sins which thou hast declared, depart in peace.”

END RESPONSE

It seems to me that the Order of Confession really addresses all the objections, and satisfies them accordingly.  There are really good articles at www.stgeorgecathedral.net about confessions.

I was talking to a woman the other day at Church about Confession.  She said that it was an emptying of yourself of your sin, so that God’s grace comes in, and at the moment of absolution you are in perfect communion with God.  It’s not about saying your sins to the Priest, it’s about saying them to God.

It makes me want to cry to be faced with all the horrible things I’ve done and then be told that God forgives me.  I have my confession at 2:00 today, so maybe I’ll have an update, but then again, maybe not.

 

Beautiful: 

I behold Thy Bridal Chamber, richly adorned, O my Savior.  But I have no wedding garment to worthily enter.  Make radiant the garment of my soul, O Giver of Light, and save me.

 

Update:  I went to Confession, and it was a lot better than I thought it would be.  My whole idea about not crying though, that was a waste of time.  oh well. *shrugs*  God is good.