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"Private Absolution ought to be retained in the churches, although in confession an enumeration of all sins is not necessary." —Augsburg Confession, Article 11 In the Lutheran Church, Confession (also called Holy Absolution) is the method given by Christ to the Church by which individual men and women may receive the forgiveness of sins; according to the Large Catechism, the "third sacrament ...
Confessional Lutherans maintain that faithfulness to the Book of Concord, which is a summary of the teachings found in Scripture, requires attention to how that faith is actually being preached, taught, and put into practice. Confessional Lutherans believe that this is a vital part of their identity as Lutherans.
An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism, an expansion of this primary source of Lutheran doctrine widely used for teaching in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, says the following in regards to the Seal of the Confessional: The pastor is pledged not to tell anyone else of sins to him in private confession, for those sins have been removed. [3]
The rite for General Confession, as well as Holy Absolution, are contained in the Lutheran hymnals. [7] The Lutheran Churches affirm the seal of the confessional, which mandates that a priest can not disclose the contents of a confession to any third party as he is acting in persona Christi. [18]
Lutherans uphold the need for confession and absolution, but reject the notion that Confession should induce guilt or anxiety to the Christian. Absolution is offered for all sin, not just sins that can be recounted in a confession, as it is impossible for a man to know all of his transgressions.
However, the historic practice among Lutherans of preparation by private confession and absolution [16] is rarely found in American Lutheran congregations. [17] [18] For this reason, often a brief order or corporate rite of confession and absolution is included at the beginning of Lutheran liturgies.
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The Book of Concord (1580) or Concordia (often referred to as the Lutheran Confessions) is the historic doctrinal standard of the Lutheran Church, consisting of ten credal documents recognized as authoritative in Lutheranism since the 16th century.