DOCSLIB.ORG

Book of Confessions

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Book of Confessions THE CONSTITUTION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.) PART I BOOK OF CONFESSIONS THE CONSTITUTION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.) PART I BOOK OF CONFESSIONS PUBLISHED BY THE OFFICE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 100 Witherspoon Street Louisville, KY 40202-1396 Copyright © 2014 by the Office of the General Assembly Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically, mechanically, photocopy- ing, recording, or otherwise (brief quotations used in magazine or newspaper re- views excepted), without the prior permission of the publisher. The sessions, presbyteries, and synods of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) may use sections of this publication without receiving prior written permission of the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data 978-0-9837536-5-0 Printed in the United States of America Additional copies available at $10.00 each from Presbyterian Distribution Services (PDS), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202-1396, or by calling 1-800-524-2612 (PDS). Please specify PDS order #OGA-14-018 CONTENTS Reference Page Numbers Numbers Notes on the Paging and the Indexing .................................................................. i Preface ................................................................................................................ iii Confessional Nature of the Church Report ........................................................... v The Assessment of Proposed Amendments to the Book of Confessions ........ xxvi Confessions 1. The Nicene Creed ............................................ 1.1–1.3 1–3 2. The Apostles’ Creed ........................................ 2.1–2.3 5–7 3. The Scots Confession ................................ 3.01–3.251 9–26 4. The Heidelberg Catechism ...................... 4.001–4.129 27–73 5. The Second Helvetic Confession ............. 5.001–5.260 75–143 6. The Westminster Confession of Faith ..... 6.001–6.178 145–202 7. The Shorter Catechism ............................ 7.001–7.110 203–221 8. The Larger Catechism ............................. 7.111–7.306 223–278 9. The Theological Declaration of Barmen ...... 8.01–8.28 279–284 10. The Confession of 1967 ............................... 9.01–9.56 285–297 11. A Brief Statement of Faith– Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) ...................... 10.1–10.6 299–310 Index ........................................................................................................ 311–426 NOTES ON THE PAGING AND THE INDEXING The Book of Confessions contains eleven confessional statements commencing with the Nicene Creed on page numbered 1.1–3. The boldface marginal references indicate the confession number to the left of the decimal and the paragraph numbers to the right of the decimal. The Apostles’ Creed is on page numbered 2.1–.3. The Scots Confession begins on page numbered 3.01–.03. On this numbered page are found Chapters I through III. The boldface marginal references indicate the confession number to the left of the decimal and the chapter numbers to the right of the decimal. The Heidelberg Catechism begins on page numbered 4.001–.002. The boldface marginal references indicate the confession number to the left of the decimal and the question numbers to the right of the decimal. The Second Helvetic Confession begins on page numbered 5.001–.004. The boldface marginal references indicate the confession number to the left of the deci- mal and the paragraph numbers to the right of the decimal. The Westminster Confession of Faith begins on page numbered 6.001–.002. The boldface marginal references indicate the confession number to the left of the decimal and the paragraph numbers to the right of the decimal. The Shorter Catechism begins on page numbered 7.001–.012. The boldface marginal references indicate the confession number to the left of the decimal and the question numbers to the right of the decimal. The Larger Catechism begins on page numbered 7.111–.119. The boldface marginal references indicate the confession number to the left of the decimal and the question numbers to the right of the decimal. The Theological Declaration of Barmen begins on page numbered 8.01–.04. The boldface marginal references indicate the confession number to the left of the decimal and the paragraph numbers to the right of the decimal. The Confession of 1967 begins on page numbered 9.01–.07. The boldface mar- ginal references indicate the confession number to the left of the decimal and the paragraph numbers to the right of the decimal. The Brief Statement of Faith begins on page numbered 10.1–.3. The boldface marginal references indicate the confession number to the left of the decimal and the paragraph numbers to the right of the decimal. i THE BOOK OF CONFESSIONS The index references refer to the marginal numbers and page numbers. For ex- ample, the references to Image of God are 3.03, 4.006, 4.115, 5.034, 6.023, 7.010, 7.035, 7.127, 7.185 (pages 11, 32, 68, 86, 154, 205, 208, 226, 235). The references are to Chapter III of the Scots Confession, Questions 6 and 115 of the Heidelberg Catechism, paragraph 34 of the Second Helvetic Confession of Faith, Questions 10 and 35 of the Shorter Catechism, and Questions 17 and 75 of the Larger Catechism. ii PREFACE The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) consists of two vol- umes. Part I of the Constitution is the Book of Confessions, which contains the official texts of the confessional documents. Part II of the Constitution, the Book of Order, is published separately and consists of four sections: The Foundations of Presbyterian Polity, the Form of Government, the Directory for Worship, and the Rules of Discipline. Chapter Two of The Foundations of Presbyterian Polity—“The Church and Its Confessions”—sets forth the church’s understanding of the role and function of the confessions in the life of the church. F-2.01 The Purpose of Confessional Statements The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) states its faith and bears witness to God’s grace in Jesus Christ in the creeds and confessions in the Book of Confessions. In these statements the church de- clares to its members and to the world who and what it is, what it believes, and what it resolves to do. These statements identify the church as a community of people known by its convictions as well as by its actions. They guide the church in its study and interpretation of the Scriptures; they summarize the essence of Reformed Christian tradition; they direct the church in maintaining sound doctrines; they equip the church for its work of proclamation. They serve to strengthen per- sonal commitment and the life and witness of the community of believers. The creeds, confessions and catechisms of the Book of Confessions are both historical and contemporary. Each emerged in a particular time and place in re- sponse to a particular situation. Thus, each confessional document should be re- spected in its historical particularity; none should be altered to conform to current theological, ethical, or linguistic norms. The confessions are not confined to the past, however; they do not simply express what the church was, what it used to be- lieve, and what it once resolved to do. The confessions address the church’s current faith and life, declaring contemporary convictions and actions. The 197th General Assembly (1985) adopted “Definitions and Guidelines on Inclusive Language.” This document, reaffirmed by the 212th General Assembly (2000), states that “Effort should be made at every level of the church to use inclu- sive language with respect to the people of God.” Some of the church’s confession- al documents, written before the church committed itself to inclusive language for the people of God, use male language to refer to men and women. Although the original language is retained in the Book of Confessions, readers are reminded of the church’s policy and the commitment the policy expresses. Specific statements in 16th and 17th century confessions and catechisms in the Book of Confessions contain condemnations or derogatory characterizations of the Roman Catholic Church: Chapters XVIII and XXII of the Scots Confession; Ques- tions and Answer 80 of the Heidelberg Catechism; and Chapters II, III, XVII, and XX, of the Second Helvetic Confession. (Chapters XXII, XXV, and XXIX of the Westminster Confession of Faith have been amended to remove anachronous and offensive language. Chapter XXVIII of the French Confession does not have consti- tutional standing.) While these statements emerged from substantial doctrinal dis- iii THE BOOK OF CONFESSIONS putes, they reflect 16th and 17th century polemics. Their condemnations and char- acterizations of the Catholic Church are not the position of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and are not applicable to current relationships between the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Catholic Church. [Note: These sections have been marked with an asterisk.] The tension between the confessions’ historical and contemporary nature is a fruitful tension within the church. The confessions are not honored if they are robbed of historical particularity by imagining that they are timeless expressions of truth. They are best able to instruct, lead, and guide the church when they are given freedom to speak in their own voices. The confessions are not respected if they are robbed of contemporary authority by imagining that they are historical artifacts. They are best able to instruct, lead, and guide the church when they are given free- dom to speak now to the church and the world. The creeds and confessions of this church arose in response to particular circumstances with- in the history of God’s people. They claim the truth of the Gospel at those points where their au- thors perceived that truth to be at risk. They are the result of prayer, thought, and experience within a living tradition. They appeal to the universal truth of the Gospel while expressing that truth with- in the social and cultural assumptions of their time.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Responsibility of the Church in Our New Age
    A"''''......... .-..,lIEa_..__ .Ar_·• ..-r.... Liberal Arts Education in the "'••' r1 Tradition of Historic Presbyterianism rinity Christian College is located Trinity is a young school. It opened Tin Palos Heights, Illinois, a suburb its doors seven years ago to thirty-five EM.nraIS ... of Chicago. Presently it is a two year students. Under our Lord's gracious college with plans to become a four blessing the school now numbers 205 year school by 1970. The freshman regular day students. There is also an class enrolling September, 1967 should interesting evening school progra1ll be the first class to graduate from which is attracting more and more at­ Trinity's four year program. The jun­ tention. Of special interest to the read­ ior year will be introduced, D.V., Sep­ ers of this journal is the fact that two tember, 1969 and the senior year, Sep­ tember, 1970. (continued on page 7) ..... 1 " A son's tribute to the Scrubgrass creek or the trailing arbutus patch. It was not his Scot na­ ture to verbalize but he saw the "ser­ mons in stone, books in running A Goodly Heritage brooks and God in everything," and so did we. Small wonder we always ROBERT L. ATWELL looked forward to the Sabbath. Would that we had more living illustrations t one a.m. the phone rang. From Word of God written, is the infallible that a properly strict Sabbath is also A 1,400 miles my brother's voice rule for both faith and practice. This an irresistibly joyous Sabbath. said, "Bob, get hold of yourself, I've is our confessional position.
    [Show full text]
  • PRESBYTERIANISM in AMERICA the 20 Century
    WRS Journal 13:2 (August 2006) 26-43 PRESBYTERIANISM IN AMERICA The 20th Century John A. Battle The final third century of Presbyterianism in America has witnessed the collapse of the mainline Presbyterian churches into liberalism and decline, the emergence of a number of smaller, conservative denominations and agencies, and a renewed interest in Reformed theology throughout the evangelical world. The history of Presbyterianism in the twentieth century is very complex, with certain themes running through the entire century along with new and radical developments. Looking back over the last hundred years from a biblical perspective, one can see three major periods, characterized by different stages of development or decline. The entire period begins with the Presbyterian Church being overwhelmingly conservative, and united theologically, and ends with the same church being largely liberal and fragmented, with several conservative defections. I have chosen two dates during the century as marking these watershed changes in the Presbyterian Church: (1) the issuing of the 1934 mandate requiring J. Gresham Machen and others to support the church’s official Board of Foreign Missions, and (2) the adoption of the Confession of 1967. The Presbyterian Church moves to a new gospel (1900-1934) At the beginning of the century When the twentieth century opened, the Presbyterians in America were largely contained in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. (PCUSA, the Northern church) and the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (PCUS, the Southern church). There were a few smaller Presbyterian denominations, such as the pro-Arminian Cumberland Presbyterian Church and several Scottish Presbyterian bodies, including the United Presbyterian Church of North America and various other branches of the older Associate and Reformed Presbyteries and Synods.
    [Show full text]
  • The Nicene Creed
    THE NICENE CREED [TEXT] The Nicene Creed In the first three centuries, the church found itself in a hostile environment. On the one hand, it grappled with the challenge of relating the language of the gospel, developed in a Hebraic and Jewish-Christian context, to a Graeco-Roman world. On the other hand, it was threatened not only by persecution, but also by ideas that were in conflict with the biblical witness. In A.D. 312, Constantine won control of the Roman Empire in the battle of Milvian Bridge. Attributing his victory to the intervention of Jesus Christ, he elevated Christianity to favored status in the empire. “One God, one Lord, one faith, one church, one empire, one emperor” became his motto. The new emperor soon discovered that “one faith and one church” were fractured by theological disputes, especially conflicting understandings of the nature of Christ, long a point of controversy. Arius, a priest of the church in Alexandria, asserted that the divine Christ, the Word through whom all things have their existence, was created by God before the beginning of time. Therefore, the divinity of Christ was similar to the divinity of God, but not of the same essence. Arius was opposed by the bishop, Alexander, together with his associate and successor Athanasius. They affirmed that the divinity of Christ, the Son, is of the same substance as the divinity of God, the Father. To hold otherwise, they said, was to open the possibility of polytheism, and to imply that knowledge of God in Christ was not final knowledge of God.
    [Show full text]
  • Scottish Journal of Theology 23(1970): 129-156
    Scottish Journal of Theology 23(1970): 129-156. R E SPO N S I B L E M A N I N R E FO R M E D TH E O L OG Y: CA L V I N V E R SU S T H E WES T M I N S TE R C ON F ES S I O N by THE REV. PROFESSOR HOLM ES R O LSTON II I HE Confession of 1967 in the United Presbyterian Church marks the official end of the four-century Presbyterian venture into covenant theology. Now past that milestone, perhaps we have reached a vantage point where we can turn dispassion• ately to survey that curious but historic route. Seen from its concept of responsible man, we here argue, that route has been a prolonged detour away from the insights of the Reformers. The Westminster Confession remains, of course, the prime con• fessional document of Presbyterians outside the United Church, for instance in the Scots and British parent churches, or with southern cousins in the Presbyterian Church, U.S. Even in the United Church, the Westminster Confession remains in the show• room of creeds. But we have recently seen a breach in the federal scheme so long embraced in Presbyterian confessional statements, a breach that marks the scheme where it yet re• mains officially as a theological anachronism no longer re• garded seriously but to be suffered as historical background. With the hold of federal theology officially broken, we can challenge afresh the assumption that the Calvinism of the Westminster Confession is true to the Reformer himself.
    [Show full text]
  • The Scots Confession 1560
    Understanding the Confessions The Scots Confession The Scots Confession 1560 The Reformation Period The historical and political context • In the 40 years prior to 1560, the Kirk in Scotland had been impacted by: • the distribution of Tyndale’s New Testament, • internal calls for church reform, • the death of a significant number of protestant martyrs, • Luther’s writing on justification by faith alone, • and the rise of a protestant nobility reflected in the ascendancy and centrality of John Knox and The Lords of the Congregation. • Scotland’s relationship with England and France, and the roles of Mary of Guise and her daughter, Mary Queen of Scots, also shade the historical context for the Scots Confession. • The Scottish Parliament, after the Queen’s death in 1560, declared Scotland a Protestant nation and asked six clergy, including John Knox, to frame a confession of faith. They completed their work in four days. • The document was ratified by Parliament as “doctrine grounded upon the infallible Word of God.” • The Confession became the chief subordinate standard of the Church of Scotland until superseded, but not annulled, by the Westminster Confession in 1647. The distinctive nature of Reformation theology in Scots • The Scots Confession’s 25 articles and reflects the Calvinistic theology of Geneva and Zürich, rather than the emphasis of Luther at Wittenberg. • The opening article demonstrate the heart of Reformed theology, intentionally focusing on he who “is eternal, infinite, immeasurable, incomprehensible, omnipotent, invisible; one in substance and yet distinct in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.” • The remaining articles focus on: • humanity as integral to the created order, • the nature of original sin and God’s covenant promises, • God’s preservation of the Kirk (church), • and the incarnation, life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.
    [Show full text]
  • The Church's One Foundation Is Jesus Christ Her Lord
    June 12, 2007 Dear Executive Presbyters and Stated Clerks: We are grateful for the leadership you provide to your governing body and to the whole church. We are also grateful for the ways we in the General Assembly Council and the Office of the General Assembly are able to work with you in the ministry and mission of the church. One way we can be of service to you is by providing resources that may be helpful, especially as you deal with congregations in conflict. The New Wineskins Association of Churches has circulated material that mis-characterizes central convictions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s faith and life. This material appears on the NWAC web site, as well as in direct communication with some congregations. A number of presbytery executives and stated clerks have asked us to outline the church’s position on these matters. We attach a document, “The Church’s One Foundation is Jesus Christ Her Lord,” prepared by the Office of Theology and Worship, that sets forth the church’s convictions. This document, which will also be posted on the PCUSA web site, beginning with www.pcusa.org/mgbconnect, is in two parts: a one-page summary and an expanded commentary. We recognize that most of our congregations are not focused on New Wineskins or the statements being made about the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). We are simply making this resource available for those who seek to interpret accurately the positions of our church. Please feel free to distribute it as you deem helpful.
    [Show full text]
  • All Excerpted from the Book of Confessions, Constitution of the Presbyterian 2 Church (U.S.A.), Part I
    1 All excerpted from The Book of Confessions, Constitution of the Presbyterian 2 Church (U.S.A.), Part I. 3 CONFESSION OF 1967 (Inclusive Language Version) 4 4. Reconciliation in Society 5 9.43 In each time and place, there are particular problems and crises through 6 which God calls the church to act. The church, guided by the Spirit, humbled by its 7 own complicity and instructed by all attainable knowledge, seeks to discern the 8 will of God and learn how to obey in these concrete situations. The following are 9 particularly urgent at the present time. 10 9.44 a. God has created the peoples of the earth to be one universal family. In his 11 reconciling love, God overcomes the barriers between sisters and brothers and 12 breaks down every form of discrimination based on racial or ethnic difference, 13 real or imaginary. The church is called to bring all people to receive and uphold 14 one another as persons in all relationships of life: in employment, housing, 15 education, leisure, marriage, family, church, and the exercise of political rights. 16 Therefore, the church labors for the abolition of all racial discrimination and 17 ministers to those injured by it. Congregations, individuals, or groups of Christians 18 who exclude, dominate, or patronize others, however subtly, resist the Spirit of 19 God and bring contempt on the faith which they profess. 20 9.45 b. God’s reconciliation in Jesus Christ is the ground of the peace, justice, and 21 freedom among nations which all powers of government are called to serve and 22 defend.
    [Show full text]
  • GUZMAN Delivered the Opinion of the Court
    IN THE SUPREME COURT OF TEXAS 444444444444 NO. 14-0067 444444444444 MIRTA ZORRILLA, PETITIONER, v. AYPCO CONSTRUCTION II, LLC AND JOSE LUIS MUNOZ, RESPONDENTS 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444 ON PETITION FOR REVIEW FROM THE COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRTEENTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444 Argued March 26, 2015 JUSTICE GUZMAN delivered the opinion of the Court. In this residential construction dispute, the paramount issue on appeal is whether the statutory cap on exemplary damages is waived if not pleaded as an affirmative defense or avoidance. See TEX. R. CIV. P. 94 (requiring pleading and proof of affirmative defenses and avoidances); see also TEX. CIV. PRAC. & REM. CODE § 41.008(b) (limiting exemplary damages to the greater of $200,000 or two times economic damages plus noneconomic damages not exceeding $750,000). Our courts of appeals are split on the issue, and in this case, the lower court affirmed an exemplary damages award in excess of the statutory cap because the petitioner did not assert the cap until her motion for new trial. 421 S.W.3d 54, 68-69 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 2013). We hold the exemplary damages cap is not a “matter constituting an avoidance or affirmative defense” and need not be affirmatively pleaded because it applies automatically when invoked and does not require proof of additional facts. See TEX. R. CIV. P. 94. Here, the petitioner did not plead the statutory cap but she timely asserted the cap in her motion for new trial. We therefore reverse the court of appeals’ judgment in part and render judgment capping exemplary damages at $200,000.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Version of the Scots Confession, 1560
    T A new version of the Scots Confession, 1560 Ian Hazlett Introduction T In connection with the 450th anniversary of the inception of the public Reformation in Scotland in 1560, some events have taken place. Such occasions tend to be confined to musings on the ‘defining event’ or the iconic personalities, seen through the prism of centuries later. It is less easy to let the voices of the original participants be heard in a way comprehensible to modern ears. For that, one needs to dip into the Kirk’s theological attic, as it were, and bring out some of the original deeds and charters with which the founding fathers justified their beliefs, actions and policies. In 1560, the infant, reformed Church of Scotland was constituted by a trinity of documents on doctrine, church order and ministry, and liturgy – the Confession of Faith, the First Book of Discipline, and the Book of Common Order. These are the foundational documents of the Scottish Reformation as it took shape ecclesiastically. Particularly determinative was the Confession, as it was enshrined in an Act of Parliament (1560, not legitimized until 1567), becoming part of the Scottish constitution that envisaged a new, exclusively Protestant nation. This document will be zoomed in on here, in full, but in an updated linguistic adaptation. The Scottish reforming pioneers as part of a wider European movement must have fashioned something of value and durability, since their legacy still survives in one form or other. It was famously brought back to life by the Confessing Christians in the German Church struggle in the Nazi era.1 Some, however, might quickly point out that several features of the subsequent and modern Church (and Christianity) would be alien and even obnoxious to those Scots, whose ideas were avant-garde in their time.
    [Show full text]
  • The Book of Common Prayer
    The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church Together with The Psalter or Psalms of David According to the use of The Episcopal Church Church Publishing Incorporated, New York Certificate I certify that this edition of The Book of Common Prayer has been compared with a certified copy of the Standard Book, as the Canon directs, and that it conforms thereto. Gregory Michael Howe Custodian of the Standard Book of Common Prayer January, 2007 Table of Contents The Ratification of the Book of Common Prayer 8 The Preface 9 Concerning the Service of the Church 13 The Calendar of the Church Year 15 The Daily Office Daily Morning Prayer: Rite One 37 Daily Evening Prayer: Rite One 61 Daily Morning Prayer: Rite Two 75 Noonday Prayer 103 Order of Worship for the Evening 108 Daily Evening Prayer: Rite Two 115 Compline 127 Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families 137 Table of Suggested Canticles 144 The Great Litany 148 The Collects: Traditional Seasons of the Year 159 Holy Days 185 Common of Saints 195 Various Occasions 199 The Collects: Contemporary Seasons of the Year 211 Holy Days 237 Common of Saints 246 Various Occasions 251 Proper Liturgies for Special Days Ash Wednesday 264 Palm Sunday 270 Maundy Thursday 274 Good Friday 276 Holy Saturday 283 The Great Vigil of Easter 285 Holy Baptism 299 The Holy Eucharist An Exhortation 316 A Penitential Order: Rite One 319 The Holy Eucharist: Rite One 323 A Penitential Order: Rite Two 351 The Holy Eucharist: Rite Two 355 Prayers of the People
    [Show full text]
  • Essential Tenets & Confessional Standards
    Essential Tenets & Confessional Standards Essential Tenets Presbyterians have been of two minds about essential tenets. by recognizing and receiving His authoritative self- We recognize that just as there are some central and revelation, both in the infallible Scriptures of the Old and foundational truths of the gospel affirmed by Christians New Testaments and also in the incarnation of God the everywhere, so too there are particular understandings of the Son. We affirm that the same Holy Spirit who overshadowed gospel that define the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition. the virgin Mary also inspired the writing and preservation of All Christians must affirm the central mysteries of the faith, the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit testifies to the authority of and all those who are called to ordered ministries in a God’s Word and illumines our hearts and minds so that we Presbyterian church must also affirm the essential tenets of might receive both the Scriptures and Christ Himself aright. the Reformed tradition. Recognizing the danger in reducing the truth of the gospel to propositions that demand assent, we We confess that God alone is Lord of the conscience, but this also recognize that when the essentials become a matter freedom is for the purpose of allowing us to be subject always primarily of individual discernment and local affirmation, they and primarily to God’s Word. The Spirit will never prompt lose all power to unite us in common mission and ministry. our conscience to conclusions that are at odds with the Scriptures that He has inspired. The revelation of the Essential tenets are tied to the teaching of the confessions as incarnate Word does not minimize, qualify, or set aside the reliable expositions of Scripture.
    [Show full text]
  • The Awesome Power of Confession
    The Awesome Power of Confession “If we say we are without sin we deceive ourselves” (1 Jn 1:8). Introduction Andy Capp replied indignantly, “You can’t call me a failure. I’m not a failure; I never tried!” Even cartoon characters don’t like to admit their shortcomings. It is much easier to make excuses for our failings or to simply deny. The last thing we want is for other people to discover our failings and confront us with them. It is only natural that we feel bad when we do things that hurt others or wound our relationship with God. We are intrinsically wired to be connected to God, our creator, and to one another because we are linked together in the Father’s family. The human tendencies of denial and avoidance can make going to confession difficult, even an ordeal. Ultimately, we must recognize that our excuses and denials do not make our failings go away; rather they only distance us further from those we injured. This not only makes us unhappier here on earth, it can also lead to eternal separation from God after we die. God never wants to be separated from us, nor does he want us to be distant from one another . He understands our limitations and our sinfulness. That is why God gave the members of his Church specific ways to repent from sin. Jesus instituted the sacrament of confession so that we can experience God’s abundant mercy and have our relationship with him restored. This essay will develop key points: • how sin entered the world through Adam and Eve • God wants us to accept responsibility for our mistakes • the Old and New Testaments show how God has given his people specific rituals to confess and repent from sin • Jesus gave Peter the power to bind and loose sin on earth • the power of confessing our sins to a priest • how to prepare for the Sacrament of Penance.
    [Show full text]