The Benefits of Confession

The recent Clint Eastwood movie Gran Torino made me understand why some cradle Catholics become lapsed Catholics. I highly recommend the movie despite its language and violence because Gran Torino does contain a very central Christian theme in the movie. I won't give too much details as not to reveal spoilers but Eastwood portrays a lapsed Catholic widower named "Walt Kowalski." Kowalski is a stubborn Korean War veteran who wasn't fond of the idea of confession and especially to the young priest in the movie Father Jankovich.

I feel that the confession part of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is something that keeps many away from Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy. We all are embarrassed by our sins and we don't like talking about them. Some Christians feel that our sins are between God and ourselves and they don't feel that they need to confess their sins to anyone. However, scripture shows us that confession is good and that Jesus gave the apostles the ability to forgive sin:

• James 5:16: "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."


• John 20:21-23: Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
• 2 Corinthians 2:10: "If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake."

Confession Requires Humility

I feel that Confession is something keeps many away from the Catholic church. Does anyone really like to confess their sins to someone else? I know that I don't but we have to remember the importance of humbling ourselves before God:

• Peter 5:6: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time."

• James 4:6: "...'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'"

Jesus tells us of the importance of being humble like a child:

• Matthew 18:3-4: ..."I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Why Confession is Good

It is often said that churches are the hospitals of the emotionally wounded. Many Christians carry around lot of "junk in the trunk" emotionally from their past. It is often easier for us to forgive someone else's sin against us than our own sin sometimes. However, for others it is not. If we hang on to sins committed against us, it is against God's will and the Devil loves a vengeful hard heart. Satan is an opportunist and he loves to enter these emotional wounds and inflict more damage. Remember the power and importance of forgiving:

• Matthew 6:14-15: "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
• Matthew 18:21-22: Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."

Confession helps keep us on the right path spiritually and helps us unload the unnecessary emotional baggage we carry around. Whether you think that your sin is personal in nature, chances are that it still affects somebody or is a sin against building God's Kingdom on earth. One can confess their sins to a member of church, but confessing your sins to one central figure like a priest prevents your sin from being spread and distorted through gossip (another sin).

Whether or not that you believe a priest can forgive sins through the power of the Holy Spirit, confessing your sins to a priest does allow a well-educated spiritual man to give you advice if you continue to stumble.

Here is where my own life experience comes in. I was a casual friend of the late Darrell Porter (1982 World Series MVP). Before I came to know Darrell, he fought his own battles with drug and alcohol addiction when he played baseball in the 1970s. It was with the Kansas City Royals that he got his life together and became a born-again Christian. He wrote a book about his journey titled: "Snap Me Perfect: The Darrell Porter Story. "

Darrell was one of the most beautiful Christian men you would ever hope to meet. A devout family man and Christian that had a radiant personality. Darrell was always smiling and doing work for the Lord and telling his story. He was a very active member in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Friends said he led bible studies at his Baptist church. He always signed his autograph with a scripture. The autographed baseball I have, he signed it with Proverbs 3:5-6.

Well, one Monday afternoon in August 2002, sadly Darrell was found dead at a local park. Dead at age 50. Shockingly, an autopsy revealed that he had died from effects of cocaine use. Like so many, I just couldn't believe it and thought he had gotten his life together for good. I cried at the loss of such a good man and especially the thought of how devastating his loss had to be his wife and children.

Many times since his death, I often wondered if Darrell had ever confessed to anyone that his personal demons had resurfaced and that he was stumbling again. I also wonder if he had been Catholic and had to confess his sins, that he might still be alive today.

If this blog hits too close to home for you, I hope that do something about it. Don't be too proud or stubborn like Walt Kowalski to humble yourself and make a confession. Humility is one of our weapons against Satan. Remember too, humility is Christlike because Jesus gave us the most ultimate example of humility:

• Philippians 2:8: And being found in appearance as a man, he (Jesus) humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

© Michael J. Cox

“Do This In Remembrance Of Me”

One of the first truths I uncovered in my spiritual journey was the need for Holy Communion (aka The Eucharist or Lord’s Supper). My mother was Catholic and my father came from a Protestant background and later became Assembly of God. Consequently, I was never baptised as an infant so that I could decide my faith when I got older. One of the Catholic beliefs that I struggled with growing up was the belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Some Christian denominations believe Holy Communion is only a symbolic act. Well, as the bible tells us, all scripture is God inspired (2 Timothy 3:16). You can’t believe some parts of the bible and not all of it. And scripture shows the importance of the Eucharist and supports the real presence of Christ in it as I will demonstrate below.

If we are all followers of Jesus our eyes and ears should perk up whenever he is quoted in the bible. And it should be important on how we remember him. So how does Jesus Christ really want us to remember him? With a special holiday for his birth? By wearing a crucifix around our neck? By putting up a nativity scene at Christmas? With a “Honk if you love Jesus” bumper sticker? All of these are good things but in Luke 22:19 and 1 Corinthians 11:24-25, Jesus was extremely clear on how he wanted us to remember him.

• Luke 22:19: “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."


• 1 Corinthians 11:24: “and gave thanks to God for it (bread). Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.”


• 1 Corinthians 11:25: In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it."

So it should be obvious how Jesus wanted us to remember him. He doesn’t say how often we should “remember him” but I feel that this distinguishes the difference between gathering together in his name for fellowship, prayer, hymns and learning (as he says whenever two or more gather in his name, he will be there) versus attending a church service that fully honors Christ.

As followers of Jesus, I feel that an integral part of a church service should be remembering Christ (as he asked to be remembered) everytime because Jesus Christ is the head of the church. If we are the Body of Christ, we should desire the fullness of His body.

Symbolic Act or Real Presence?

So now comes this issue of whether Holy Communion is a symbolic act or one with the real presence of Christ. Jesus tells us:

• John 6:53-56, Jesus says "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.”

Some Christian denominations believe that Jesus was talking in parables here and they believe that Jesus’s teachings are the flesh and blood. They point out scriptures in John Chapter 6 (6:35 and 6:48) when Jesus says “I am the bread of life.” It is important to note that John was the only one of the four Gospels that did not write a personal testimony about the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper (link).

Proof of Real Presence

Apostle Paul gives us the insight that Holy Communion has the real presence of Christ to the members in church in Corinth with the following scripture:

• 1 Corinthians 10:16: “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?

If Holy Communion was just a symbolic act with no real presence, why does Paul indicate the seriousness of eating the bread and drinking from the cup when he says we should examine ourselves before doing so? Read below:

• 1 Corinthians 11:27-30: Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

Would partaking in a symbolic act cast judgment on oneself if it was purely symbolic? Paul says only if we do so without recognizing the body of the Lord and says that is why many of the members of the Corinth Church were weak and sick.

A beautiful contemporary Christian song I recommend everyone listen to is "Upper Room" found at this link. It is the third song on the picklist: http://www.catholicmusicnetwork.com/cmn_cd_detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=50559

© Michael J. Cox

Please note my May 1st, 2009 blog on Real Presence

Salvation by Faith Plus Love

One of the longstanding arguments between Protestantism and Catholicism centers on the issue of salvation. Many Protestant denominations believe eternal life is achieved by “Faith Alone” whereas Catholics believe in “Faith plus Works.” Some Protestants believe that we are saved by “Grace Alone.” While there some scriptural truth to all of these, I propose an even greater truth that we are saved by “Faith plus Love.” Please bear with me as I will support my belief with scripture. My intentions are not to inflame or create dissension, but rather to achieve harmony and unification on the issue with all Christians.

Faith Alone?

Martin Luther, the “Father of Protestantism,” believed in “Sola Fide” or salvation by Faith Alone. Examining scripture on the issue, it would be a truth to say that we are saved by Faith but it would be misleading to say that we are saved by Faith Alone as I will illustrate.

Numerous scriptures support the concept of Salvation by Faith and here are a few examples:

• John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
• John 5:24: "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."
• John 6:40: "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
• John 6:47: "I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life."
• Acts 16:31: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved."
• Romans 10:9: "That if you shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved."

Catholicism teaches Salvation by “Faith plus Works(Deeds)” which there is scriptural proof to support this as well. However, it is important to point out that Catholicism does not teach that one can earn their way into heaven: Our salvation is through Grace and a gift from God to believers and not of Works Alone (See Ephesians 2:8-10). The reason why Catholic teaching is truthful is that if we truly have Faith, we will see proof of our faith in our actions:

• James 2:14-18: "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds(works)? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
  
• Romans 2:6-7: God "will give to each person according to what he has done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.
• James 2:26: As the body without the spirit is dead, faith without deeds is dead.

Jesus confirmed that belief that he was the Son of God isn’t enough:

• Matthew 7:21-23: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"
• Matthew 25:43-46: "I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me. He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
  

The book of James points out the validity of Faith plus Works and even states that we are not saved by Faith Alone:

James 2:20-24: “You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.”

A scripture in Galatians 5 supports the above and illustrates that Works of the Law (in this example circumcision) was insufficient by itself for salvation:

• Galatians 5:6: For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Overall, Works/Deeds are byproducts of Love and Faith--if it done without expecting anything in return.

But here is another example of achieving Salvation that centers around the Ten Commandments. But note that these involve love of God (obeying God’s commands) and loving thy neighbor:

• Matthew 19:16-19: “Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." "Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'

Finally, here is another scripture regarding Holy Communion (The Eucharist) being tied to Salvation that I believe is both Faith Plus Love.

• John 6:53-54: Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

My belief that this is scripture that is both Faith Plus Love is due to the fact that if we believe in Jesus Christ and want eternal life, we will do this. Christ never asks us to remember him with a crucifix around our neck or a special holiday for this birth, he says about Holy Communion “Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25). If we love Jesus, we will honor his wishes by partaking in His body and His blood to remember him.

Grace Alone?

Another belief amongst some Protestants is that Salvation is achieved by “Sola Gratia” or by Grace Alone. It is true that we are saved by God’s grace as found in the following scripture.

• Ephesians 2:8-9: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

I have already demonstrated why we are not saved by Faith Alone and it is important to note that we are not saved by Works/Deeds Alone (as the scripture above points out) or Works of the Law Alone (Galatians 2:21). But are we saved by Grace Alone? Nowhere in scripture does it state that we are saved by anything “alone.” To believe that we are saved by Grace Alone would cause us to ignore all other scriptures on salvation and scripture is an all or none proposition--meaning that you have to believe all scripture or none of it.

Is it possible that we can be saved by Grace Alone? Yes, with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). A good example can be found in Luke 23:39-42 with one of the criminals who was hanging on a cross near Jesus. One criminal said: “Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don't you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Yet, what did Jesus say? Jesus replied “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

This is clearly an exception to the rule and example of God’s grace. But wait a minute here, isn’t God’s grace love? God’s grace is love because it is something positive that we receive when we don’t really deserve to receive it.

Conclusion

If you step back and look at scripture on the issue of salvation, every scripture on salvation can be placed into one of three categories: Faith, Love or Faith+Love. So how important is Love? Consider this. God created us in his image (Genesis 1:27). God loves us and God is love (1 John 4:16). Loving him and loving others is what pleases God and he sent His Son to set an example for us. Ephesians 5:2 tells us to: “live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Jesus = Love because he was the greatest example of love (1 John 3:16)

Apostle Paul tells us the importance of Love in 1 Corinthians 13:2: "If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

Jesus tells us the importance of love in Luke Chapter 10:

• Luke 10:25-28: "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 13:13 “These three remain: faith, hope and love.” Is the greatest of these Faith? No, as Paul writes “the greatest of these is love.”

© Michael J. Cox