Eight years ago, the Dove TV, which is an Evangelical Christian network, aired a discussion that they put on YouTube on the sacrament of confession with former pastor now Orthodox priest, Fr. Seraphim Cardoza. Fr. Seraphim understands the background of Evangelical Christians as he was a former pastor and went to seminary. I'll post a link to the video at the bottom of this post.
The host of the show, Perry Atkinson, begins the discussion on confession:
"It appears that most people feel like it's a one-time event. I confess my sins...I come to Christ... I confess that I'm a sinner... now I'm born again and that's the end of it you know and ....but not so with Orthodoxy or even Catholicism."
That's a pretty good description.
Fr. Seraphim responds:
He references his past experience with going to an "altar call."
Host Perry Atkinson said in the interview:
"I went to an altar forty-some years ago and made my confession... but I didn't make my confession. It was... Lord forgive me and so on and so forth... made my repentance. Made some restitution. It's not the same and I can not explain it. I hope my evangelical friends understand what I'm saying... it's not the same when you hear a representative, someone who represents Christ. A priest is just a witness who represents Christ. It's not the same when you hear these words after you make your confession.
As human beings made of mind, body and spirit, we need to hear those tangible words "thy sins are forgiven." We need to hear them not just as a voice in our head but tangibly.
Fr. Seraphim clears up a HUGE misunderstanding that we have as Evangelicals. God uses the priest as an instrument of healing. Your confession is to Christ.
As human beings made of mind, body and spirit, we need to hear those tangible words "thy sins are forgiven." We need to hear them not just as a voice in our head but tangibly.
Fr. Seraphim clears up a HUGE misunderstanding that we have as Evangelicals. God uses the priest as an instrument of healing. Your confession is to Christ.
And your confession isn't to a man, it's to Christ. It's always been to Christ through the priest. The priest is just a witness. And when you hear these words... thy sins are forgiven. I, the unworthy priest, through the power given to me by Him, (reference to John 20:23) forgive you of all your sins, all your thoughts, your words, your actions, committed intentionally or unintentionally. Go in peace. You can go all the way back to Tertullian, the 2nd century, 3rd century speaking about confession that's why I wish your audience would... I would hope they would do some research. Call me or write me and I'll give you the material. It has always been open confession and it's always been this way. Confess your sins one to another." (referencing James 5:16).
Fr. Seraphim then mentions that in the Early Church, Christians used to confess their sins publicly in their church, in front of the whole church.
He then says:
"When I hear this thing... well I confess to God every night.... BIG DEAL."
With this, Fr. Seraphim is making the point that a private confession to God doesn't cost you your pride. Confession to another demolishes your pride and helps you to develop your humility and get true healing and true repentance from your sins. He mentions that Christians would confess their sins to each other before taking communion in accordance with what the Apostle Paul taught in his letters that people were getting sick and dying from taking communion unworthily because it was more than grape juice and crackers.
Host Perry Atkinson said in the interview:
"There's some modern-day research now that supports what you're saying, even from a medical point of view, that if people will confess... if we can use the word sins... or their faults. I've had some of the world-leading psychologists on saying most of the sickness is because people have harbored in the wrong that they've done and they don't know how to release it. They don't know how to get it out. They don't know how to get healed."
Couched in some prievous comments about the Romans sending spies to see what the Christians were doing before Christianity became legal, Fr. Seraphim had a little more to say:
"You went to the priest. You went to Christ through the priest and when you made that confession and when you felt this hand of Christ, you, so to speak, make the sign of the cross on your head and say... thy sins are forgiven, go in peace."
"I have seen more healing there than I have as an Evangelical evangelist going around seeing many wonderful things. I see more genuine healing there at the confessional."
Referring to the Roman spies in the first centuries, he says:
"So they see these people making their confession in a circle...confess your sins one to another (reference to James 5:16)...when the church became legal, now anybody can come and so you're not going to confess your sins to 200 people that aren't even Christians." You're not gonna because you can't trust them. They're going to go out, they're going to tell this and they're going to tell that, throwing your pearl before swine. So yeah, you don't want to do that. So, by confessing the priest, who represents Christ, an icon of Christ. So by confessing to God through the priest, you are an actuality confessing to the people who represent that Body of Christ." (reference to 1 Corinthians 12:12, 12:27, Romans 12:4-5).
He explains that the priests also make their general confession to the people:
"This is why after we make a confession, every one of us, including your priests. It goes like this and he bows to the people and he says - forgive me, forgive me, because when I did wrong I've also sinned against you cause we are the body. It's not just me and this is the way it's always been."
Hopefully, this interview will make you think more about confession, its history, and what it actually is and not just the anti-Catholic caricature and misunderstanding that it's usually made out to be.
We fear confession because we don't know its theology, its history, or its Biblical mandate.
Click below to view the video of the interview of Fr. Seraphim Cardoza on The Dove.
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