Confession & Absolution

One of the most common objections I hear from visitors to a Lutheran Church is that they cannot believe the pastor had the audacity to say "I forgive You All Your Sins." It is completely unfathomable, they say, for forgiveness to come from anywhere other than directly from Jesus himself. No pastor has the Authority to forgive sins, and they shouldn't presume to do so.

Of course, what these people don't understand is that the forgiveness spoken by the pastor, or any Christian, is in no way separated from Christ and His sacrificial death. To remove Christ's death and resurrection from atonement or absolution is impossible. Atonement apart from Christ's death and resurrection does not exist. This fact was even true for Christ himself. Whenever he announced absolution to a person, he could not have done so without doing so in reference to His perfect life, His future death, and His promised resurrection. Anytime Jesus told someone their sins were forgiven, it did not just magically (or miraculously) happen because Jesus said so. Forgiveness for these people came exclusively from the cross, just as it did when the apostles forgave sins, when the pastor forgives sins in Church Sunday morning, and when you forgive a brother or sister in Christ.

For those of you who have objections, it is may be helpful to think of forgiveness in terms that we Americans are more familiar with; a presidential pardon. If a president issues a pardon to someone who is in prison, it is only by the president's authority that he may be released from prison. Yet, it is very unlikely that the president himself will deliver the message. He would probably send someone else to release the man from prison. The Person sent could certainly say “By the Authority of the President of the United States of America, I release you from this prison.” The president's messenger has no authority of his own to release the man, he will not be the person to open the cell and let him out. Yet, this messenger can say “I release you.”

In the same way, Christ has sent us and gives us the privilege to tell the penitent “I forgive you.” In the very words of absolution on Sunday morning, the pastor makes it clear that it is not his personal authority that forgives sins, but the authority given to him “as a called and ordained servant of the word.”

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." [22] And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld."
- John 20:21-23 ESV

There is no forgiveness without Christ's death. Yet through Christ's Death, He has given all of us the privilege to forgive the sins of repentant Christians.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

Note: The standard words of absolution are as follows:

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

I had a pastor who usually edited this slightly to read as follows (added part in bold):

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, by virtue of his sacrificial death and resurrection, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Although this small edit does not really change anything being said, it always helped me to remember and better understand that the forgiveness being announced in absolution was the very forgiveness won by Jesus Christ on the Cross. It was simple way to keep the congregation's thoughts Christ centered and Cross Focused.