Saturday, July 14, 2018

Confession # 3

Confession # 3

Christ is a High Priest of infinite WILLINGNESS to receive confession of sin.

He invites all who feel their guilt, to come to Him for relief. "Come unto Me," He says, "all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." "If any man thirsts - let him come unto Me and drink." When the penitent thief cried to Him on the Cross - He at once absolved him fully, and gave him an answer of peace. (Matt. 11:28; John 7:37).

Christ is a High Priest of perfect KNOWLEDGE.

He knows exactly the whole history of all who confess to Him - no secrets are hidden from Him. He never errs in judgment - He makes no mistakes. It is written that "With righteousness He will judge." (Isaiah 11:4).  He can discern the difference between the hypocritical professor who is full of words - and the broken-hearted sinner who can scarce stammer out his confession. People may deceive ministers by "good words and fair speeches," but they will never deceive Christ!

Christ is a High Priest of matchless TENDERNESS.

He will not afflict willingly, or grieve any soul that comes to Him. He will handle delicately, every wound that is exposed to Him. He will deal tenderly even with the vilest sinners, as He did with the Samaritan woman. Confidence reposed in Him is never abused - secrets confided to Him are completely safe. Of Him it is written, that "He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax." He is one who "despises none." (Isaiah 42:3; Job 36:5).

Christ is a High Priest who can SYMPATHIZE with all who confess to Him.

He knows the heart of a man by experience, for He had a body like our own, and was made in the likeness of man. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin." (Hebrews 4:15). To Him the words can most truly be applied, which Elihu applied to himself, "I am just like you before God; I too have been taken from clay. No fear of me should alarm you." (Job 33:6-7).

This great High Priest of the gospel is the person whom we ought specially to employ in our confession of sin. It is only through Him and by Him, that we should make all our approaches to God. In Him we may draw near to God with boldness, and have access with confidence. (Eph. 3:12). Laying our hand on Him and His atonement, we may "come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16). We need no other mediator or priest. We can find no better High Priest.

Why should we confess our sins to angels and dead saints - while we have Christ for a High Priest? Why should we confess to the Virgin Mary, Michael the Archangel, John the Baptist, Paul, or any other creature in the unseen world? The Church of Rome enjoins such confession as this on her millions of members, and many members of the Church of England seem half-disposed to think the Church of Rome is right! But when we ask a Scriptural reason for the practice, we may ask long without getting an answer.

There is no need for such a confession. Christ has not given up His office, and ceased to be our great High Priest. The saints and angels cannot possibly do more for us than Christ can. They certainly have not more pity or compassion, or more good will towards our souls. There is no warrant of Scripture for such a confession. There is not a text in the Bible that bids confess to dead saints angels. There is not an instance in Scripture of any living believer taking his sins to them.

There is not the slightest proof that there is any use in such a confession. We do not even know that the saints in glory can hear what we say, much less do we know that they could help us if they heard. They were all sinners saved by grace themselves - where is the likelihood that they could do anything to aid our souls?

The man who turns away from Christ to confess to saints and angels, is a deluded robber of his own soul. He is following a shadow - and forsaking the substance. He is rejecting the bread of life, and trying to satisfy his spiritual with sand.

But why again, should be confess our sins to living priest or ministers - while we have Christ for a High Priest? The Church of Rome commands her members to do so. A party within the Church of England approves the practice as useful, helpful, and almost needful to the soul. But, again, when we ask for Scripture and reason in support of the practice, we receive no satisfactory answer.

There is not any need for confessing to priests or ministers! There is none! There is nothing they can do for a sinner that Christ cannot do a thousand times better! 

Is there any Scriptural warrant for confessing to priests or ministers? There is NONE. There is NOT a passage in the New Testament which commands it. Paul writes three Epistles to Timothy and Titus about ministerial duty. But he says nothing about receiving confessions. James bids us "confess our faults to one another," but he says nothing about confessing to ministers. Above all, there is not a single example in Scripture of any one confessing to a minister and receiving absolution. We see the Apostles often declaring plainly the way of forgiveness, and pointing men to Christ. But we nowhere find them telling men to confess to them, and offering to absolve them after confession.

Finally, is any good likely to result from confessing to priests or ministers? I answer boldly, there is none. Ministers can never know that those who confess to them are telling the truth. Those who confess to them will never feel their consciences really satisfied, and will never feel certain that what they confess will not be improperly used. Above all, the experience of former times is enough to condemn "auricular confession" forever, as a practice of most vile and evil tendency!

~J. C. Ryle~

(continued with # 4)

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