confession

[GBTWC]

Ive come to understand that the in sacrament of confession the priest is not forgiving you but he proclaims your forgiven I was tying to explain this sacrament from the OC point of view but I was having a hard time with it. If you know of any links that explian confession from the Orthodox point of view especially about how the priest doesnt forgive and why it is necesarry it would be very helpful
thank you
With Love in Christ

 

[Lukaris]

http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article8493.asp and http://www.oca.org/QAindex-sacramentconfession.asp?SID=3

 

[E.C.]

From the series by Fr. Thomas Hopko: http://www.oca.org/OCchapter.asp?SID=2&ID=54

 

[Kristos]

That is a good link EC.

I would like to highlight one portion:

At one time this confession was done publicly before all men in the midst of the Church, but in recent times it is usually done only in the presence of the pastor of the Church who stands in behalf of all.

I've heard many christians claim that confession is "wrong" because we should just confess our sins directly to God - that we don't need anyone else. I think this view, while well intentioned, neglects several scriptural passages that tell us otherwise. In our current tradition, confession before the priest as the representative of the church is born out of mercy but still adhering to the spirit of the scriptural direction to confess our sins to one another.

 

[angrylittlefisherman]

one of the functions confession serves (this is slightly off topic) is, what is the new protestant rave? Accountablility partners. Now imagine having this partner whom you submit to (or ought to anyways) spiritually.

 

[katherine2001]

And the priest can absolve you from your sins, which accountability partners can't.

 

[GBTWC]

And the priest can absolve you from your sins, which accountability partners can't.

why not I thought only God could absolve you of your sin while the preist just pronounced it

 

[MariaRegina]

The priest announces our forgiveness. That is why we must be repentant before we enter the confessional, as it is Christ who forgives. As Father Thomas Hopko states, the priest can say the prayers of absolution over us seven times, but if we are not repentant, it will have absolutely no effect, and we will go away with more sins.

 

[Michael G]

The priest does not absolve you from your sin or forgive you. He is there as your human witness before Christ and he announces Gods forgiveness of your sin and gives you spiritual counsell as to how to live a better Christian life. This is a much different attitude than Rome has, where it is the priest in the person of Christ who forgives you, gives you pennance and absolves you of your sin.

 

[MariaRegina]

True, Michael.

The priest is only a witness of our repentance before Christ, Who forgives and saves us.

The priest in the Orthodox Church serves as a spiritual physician who prescribes a penance as necessary as spiritual medicine, not as a punishment for the remission of time served in purgatory as does the Catholic Church.