Film: The Christian View Of Confession

Introduction

Confession has negative connotations for some people; it is seen as an uncomfortable deed of having to admit you are guilty of some sin or crime. In movies a confession is dragged out of a person only when they are sure their guilt is found out. The Christian view of confession is different. It is an embracing of “Christ’s gift of forgiveness and restoration” to us. Confession frees us from the weight and blackmail of sin, as we come into full ‘agreement with Gods truth’ . Christian confession is not about shame, it is about “doing away with shame” and guilt and becoming transformed. This essay will look at the example King David provides regarding confession in his psalms, and compare how the Catholic Church views confession

Dr Van Shore points out that David is called a man after God’s own heart, when we read the psalms we are ‘listening in’ to David’s heart and we can learn from David’s confession. In psalm 32 David describes how he feels when he refused to confess to God; “When I kept it all inside my bones turned to powder, … the pressure never let up” Then he describes the relief and peace he finds when he confesses his sins and is reconciled to God again, “suddenly the pressure was gone, my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared” We see this same tangible sentiment in psalms 51 and 130 where David experiences anguish at his sin, and then relief and joy at the forgiveness of God. These prayers of David’s’ are an invitation to us to be honest in our confession before God, so that we may find that same joy and peace in God’s

It is understood that a person can privately confess themselves to God, but that there is a special need for the ritual of confessing in the sacramental rite. This is because when we sin we not only break our relationship with God, we also damage our relationship with others; so one must receive forgiveness from God and become reconciled with the community of Christ as well. This is why a person confesses to a priest, who forgives in the name of Jesus, and in the name of the church. The Pentecostal experience of forgiveness is not seen in such a ritualised manner, rather that we should obey the apostles direction to simply confess our sins to one another and to God . However it is noted that discernment about who to confess to is required