# Public Confession of Sin



## Romans922 (Oct 6, 2009)

Two people have asked to Publically Confess their sin before the Church. 

What would be the process of handling this? Do it before or after worship I assume? I don't think you would do it during, it is not an element of worship.


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## BertMulder (Oct 6, 2009)

In reformed churches it is an element of worship. It would fit well in the liturgy after the reading of the law.


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## Romans922 (Oct 6, 2009)

BertMulder said:


> In reformed churches it is an element of worship. It would fit well in the liturgy after the reading of the law.



By reformed do you mean dutch?


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## fredtgreco (Oct 6, 2009)

There is a difference between a corporate public confession of sin, and the public confession of sins by an individual member. The former is an element of worship. The latter is not.


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## BertMulder (Oct 6, 2009)

Romans922 said:


> BertMulder said:
> 
> 
> > In reformed churches it is an element of worship. It would fit well in the liturgy after the reading of the law.
> ...



Not necessarily...

-----Added 10/6/2009 at 11:42:36 EST-----



fredtgreco said:


> There is a difference between a corporate public confession of sin, and the public confession of sins by an individual member. The former is an element of worship. The latter is not.



that is not the opinion of the (Dutch) reformed churches, in any case...

evident from the fact that (individual) confession of sin, when deemed necessary, has always been in the worship service...

Furthermore witnessed by the liturgical forms, for use in the public worship service, for not only the cutting off through church discipline, but also for the confession of guilt and readmittance of the penitent.

-----Added 10/6/2009 at 11:44:08 EST-----

In practice, confession of sin is normally done in consistory, and announced as such by the minister in the worship service.

-----Added 10/6/2009 at 11:48:27 EST-----

also note this article in the Church Order of Dordt, as used in our churches:


_Article 75
The reconciliation of all such sins as are of their nature of a public character, or have become public because the admonition of the Church was despised, shall take place (upon sufficient evidence of repentance) in such a manner as the Consistory shall deem conducive to the edification of each Church. Whether in particular cases this shall take place in public, shall, when there is a difference of opinion about it in the Consistory, be considered with the advice of two neighboring Churches or of the Classis. _


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## Romans922 (Oct 6, 2009)

But that is the dutch practice.

I'm looking at the Westminster Directory, and all I see is a prayer of confession. Baxter's liturgy is a prayer as well, Knox's doesn't have any mention of confession in it, Geneva's is a Corporate Confession as well as Strasbourg's. Justin Martyr's doesn't have it. So it doesn't seem to be a 'reformed' practice and if it is it is corporate. Perhaps the Dutch is but where is the historical precedent for them and their practice?

The Canon of Dort unless I am missing it doesn't put Individual or Corporate Confession of sin in the Worship of our God.


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## Sean Strupp (Oct 6, 2009)

I am only speculating but in the PCA our church discipline in done after the worship service and in the presence of members only. I am assuming that it would be the appropriate time for individual members to publically confess their sin. Great question.


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## BertMulder (Oct 6, 2009)

The 'Canons of Dordt' do not concern themselves with church discipline. Believe you mean the 'Church Order of Dordt', which I quoted above. 

I reiterate what I stated above, is that, while in the (Dutch) reformed practice it did belong in the worship service, if public confession of sin was made. However, in normal circumstances, confession of sin was not made publicly, but merely announced publicly.

For those here that can read Dutch, I will here quote what Rutgers had to say on the matter. Rutgers (of the Gereformeerde Kerken) was a Dutch authority on the matter:

185. Moet van de opheffing van censuur na schuldbelijdenis voor den kerkeraad, aan de gemeente mededeeling gedaan worden of moet die schuldbelijdenis in het openbaar herhaald worden?
1896.
303. Intusschen, werkelijk beantwoorden kan ik uwen brief ook nu niet; want hetgeen gij vraagt, is m.a.w. een korte handleiding over de toepassing van de kerkelijke tucht. Uwe zeer algemeene vragen omvatten, door die algemeenheid, bijna het geheele gebied van die tucht. En nu voelt ge zelf wel, dat er dus niet in enkele bladzijden, noch ook in een brief, op te antwoorden is. Wat Voetius in zijn kerkrecht, in de groote Verhandeling over de discipline, nog lang niet volledig afhandelde, eischt nu nog veel meer.
Toch een enkel woord op uwe vragen, zij het dan ook slechts weinig, en zonder de noodige Schriftuurlijke, dogmatische en historische adstructie.
Art. 75 K. O. wordt blijkbaar door u opgevat, alsof daarin stond, dat alle „verzoening” in het openbaar moet geschieden; 't geen geheel in strijd is met de geschiedenis van dat art., met de oude theorie en practijk onzer kerken, en met de woorden zelve van het art. dat bij zulke opvatting zelfs geen verstaanbaren zin heeft. De bedoeling is juist andersom: de verzoening geschiedt in het openbaar „door het oordeel des kerkeraads" (in het oorspronkelijke staat „ex indicio”), d.i. wanneer en ingeval de kerkeraad het noodig of nuttig oordeelt, en dan voorts nog twee genabuurde kerkeraden met dat oordeel instemmen. Anders, en dus in den regel, geschiedt de „verzoening” (hier natuurlijk geheel iets anders dan de „wederopneming” na complete excommunicatie) niet in het openbaar.

etc.

Kerkrecht.NL - Kerkrecht.NL

I cannot speak to the Westminster (Presbyterian) practice.


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## Romans922 (Oct 6, 2009)

Sean Strupp said:


> I am only speculating but in the PCA our church discipline in done after the worship service and in the presence of members only. I am assuming that it would be the appropriate time for individual members to publically confess their sin. Great question.



There is no official church discipline in this case. These two people voluntarily have requested to confess their sins publicly.


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## SolaScriptura (Oct 6, 2009)

Romans922 said:


> Two people have asked to Publically Confess their sin before the Church.
> 
> What would be the process of handling this? Do it before or after worship I assume? I don't think you would do it during, it is not an element of worship.



Andrew - 

I would only support someone's desire to publically confess their sin before the church if their sin was BOTH against the body in general and publically known by the congregation. 

Even then I'd suggest doing it in a venue other than Sunday morning worship. The reason being that at no other time are you more likely to have visitors than during Sunday morning worship... And while some visitors may be charitable of spirit and appreciate seeing the public confession... others, many others, will go out and talk about whatever offense was mentioned. In other words, don't air your dirty laundry in front of outsiders.


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## BertMulder (Oct 6, 2009)

Romans922 said:


> There is no official church discipline in this case. These two people voluntarily have requested to confess their sins publicly.



In that case, in de (Dutch) reformed tradition, it is not a element of public worship.

The only case where it would be an element of public worship if it was because of the official labours of the church (consistory) which of its nature necessitated the public confession of sin, which would not happen unless the consistory as a whole deemed it necessarily, with the advice of 2 neighboring consistories or the classis.

If members deem it necessarily, for whatever reason, to confess their guilt publicly, outside of the work of the consistory...

I would discourage them doing so publicly, and advice them to approach the parties that were aggrieved by their sin privately.


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## jogri17 (Oct 6, 2009)

BertMulder said:


> Romans922 said:
> 
> 
> > There is no official church discipline in this case. These two people voluntarily have requested to confess their sins publicly.
> ...



In the ERQ we do public confession of sin before the service as apart of the announcements and them corporately pray for them and thank God for their public confession of Sin. The ERQ if you don't know if the Reformed CHurch of QUébec (Église Réformée du Québec) and its confessional standards are the Westminster Confession of faith and the Heidleberg Catechism and so our liturgey is a combination of the two traditions and the specifics are determined by the local council.


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## Puritan Sailor (Oct 6, 2009)

Romans922 said:


> Sean Strupp said:
> 
> 
> > I am only speculating but in the PCA our church discipline in done after the worship service and in the presence of members only. I am assuming that it would be the appropriate time for individual members to publically confess their sin. Great question.
> ...



In one PCA church we attended, the elders were in the process disciplining a young man for sexual immorality but he was repentant. So they allowed him to confess his sin and seek forgiveness publically. 

But this was done in a congregational meeting following public worship, not during public worship. I think that would probably be the most appropriate venue to allow this. If the session feels the public confession is warranted, then call a congregational meeting and prepare some appropriate Scriptures for the occasion such as the importance of confession, the expected response (short and long term) from the congregation toward the repentant, and the assurance of pardon, with prayers of thanksgiving to God for granting repentance, etc.


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## Sean Strupp (Oct 7, 2009)

SolaScriptura said:


> Romans922 said:
> 
> 
> > Two people have asked to Publically Confess their sin before the Church.
> ...



I totally agree. These were my thoughts exactly.


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