Greetings to All,
Our “thought” for this week
comes from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who was
martyred by the Nazi's one month before the end of World War
II. Though his most famous book was, "The Cost of
Discipleship" (where he warned people against adopting the
unbiblical substitute for real grace which he called "cheap
grace") this thought comes from ideas expressed in his superb book on
Christian community entitled, "Life Together."
If you have never read it, it is well worth your time (and the price of
the book)! It's all about those things that are necessary for true
Christian community to take place. Enjoy.
“Acknowledgement of sin in the presence of
another brother is a safeguard against self-deception. It is a curious
fact that many people find it easier to confess their sins privately to a
holy and sinless God than to openly confess them to an unholy and sinful
brother. If this is so, we must ask ourselves if we are really confessing
our sins to God? We must ask ourselves whether we have not been
deceiving ourselves with our confession of sin to God – whether we have not,
rather, been confessing our sins to ourselves, and also granting ourselves
absolution. Is this not perhaps the reason for our countless
relapses and the feebleness of our Christian obedience? Is it not
to be found precisely in the fact that we are living on self-forgiveness
and not a real forgiveness?
When sin has been brought into the light
and confessed it can be forgiven. Its power can be
broken. It can no longer hold the believer in bondage or tear the
fellowship apart. The sinner can honestly be a sinner and still enjoy the
grace of God and the love of the brethren. This is the moment where
fellowship in Christ becomes a profound reality. [When sin is openly confessed
– even the worst of sins – and the love of our brethren continues to
be extended to us in spite of it, we approach the profound and
transforming reality of community.]
Open confession of sin to another so
crucifies one's pride that rarely ever occurs unless a person
earnestly yearns to be rid of his sin. By openly confessing his
sin he breaks the habit of secretly cherishing, nurturing or refusing to
let it go. He becomes accountable. He gains the support of his
praying brothers in his fight to overcome its life-polluting
influences. In essence, he begins to live the life of
discipleship."
Elsewhere Bonhoeffer equated sin with mold that
grows in a damp, dark, cool basement. How does one rid a basement of that
growing mold? They open the windows, let the exposure to the air dry it out,
and let the bright light of the sun shine upon it until it dries out and is
easily brushed off.
Confession of sin is like that. When we
expose sin to the light through confession, in the presence of a brother (for
me) or sister (for women), it begins to lose it's life or power, dry up and
die. But if we keep it hidden -- locked away in the dark and damp cellar
of secret and repressed memories or emotions -- it will only fester and grow.
There is healing, as James reminds us, in confession of sin accompanied by
prayer for healing (James 5:13-16).
"Confession is good for the soul," as the old adage goes. (Yet one must be careful in their selection
of a brother (for men) or sister (for women) to confess to. Trust,
confidentiality and godliness would be essential traits.) Hard as it
is to expose some things to the light, it is much more harmful to our spirit to
hold it in and keep it hidden and shut up in the dark basement of our emotions.
In the Service of the Gospel and Church, Pastor
Jeff
