Hi sousley,
Your from allegan that is kinda cool ! and from what I understand you saying is that someone who does not take penance serious in the first place is probably not sorry for their sins. That sort of answers my question I guess perhaps my real problem is its hard for me to understand you have to do other things after you confess your sins.
As an evangelical I’m told all I have to is be sorry for my sin and ask for forgiveness from God. Evangelicals do say you should try to apologize to someone if you hurt them but its not nesscesary for salvation. I admit this method has problems with those who abuse it or those in bondage to addictions who may need to talk to someone get help in other ways other than just feeling sorry and confessing their sin to be freed. I guess it comes down to what is the correct method of repentance ?
Matt Holt
I know what you mean, but I think it is encouraging that your pastor makes a point of bringing the idea that the community can be hurt by our sins. Too often, I hear the “just between me and God” philosophy which I think tends to alienate us from feeling any responsibility toward our community.
I guess I think that first and foremost, God is intimately present with His creation and that His patterns of paternal judgement are seen in a somewhat less spectacular way by us everyday. As far as penance goes, or penalty, or penitentiary, or repent (as you offered), we see everyday applications as a shadow of God. If we commit a crime, the judge sends us to the penitentiary until we’ve “paid the last farthing” and can rejoin the community again. If our own children stay out past curfew, we give them a penalty by grounding or some other thing. These are all forms of discipline to keep us on the right path. In the same way, God is the Almighty Judge and Heavenly Father, and as a loving God, is worthy to demand penance from us for our failures. If I am unwilling, it would be as my child rebelling against me when I try to ground him.
When I think of the OT, and consistent actions of repentance there (like sackcloth and ashes, renting garments, presenting their livestock to the priest to be offered as a sin offering to God, etc) there was clearly a great effort to make atonement. I realize that the New Covenant brought changes, but I feel that it is too much of a departure to say that now all I have to do is go to my room and tell God, “I’m sorry for my sins” and that’s it. I don’t mean to sound as though I’m over-simplifying; I’m sure that folks are more pious than how I’m making it sound. But also I think it lends this idea that God is very much distanced from us; that somehow He is “up there” and I’m “down here” living my life. It becomes difficult then for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven when we picture Him so far away. So asking God to use us as instruments of prayer, alms-giving, and all penitentiary acts allows us to be vehicles of His will and witnesses of faith here on earth.
So there ya go. Two cents worth from the guy hiding in the back pew!
