Confession: Give Up the Tapes!!!

by prophecor 5 Replies latest jw friends

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  prophecor

  (According to James5:14-16) Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they should pray over him after anointing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The intense prayer of the righteous is very powerful.

  In light of the above scripture, is confession something that should be shared amongst our bretheren in general, or as could be defined within the context of scripture, to the elders alone?

  Though not having properly established boundaries within the organization, I now see, in that life as well as without of the Hall, the wisdom in having a means of protecting oneself from the harm that can come from gossip, libel and slander, from those who either do not have your best interest at heart, or who are in no position to have such shared information of your life's history, as they could not handle the information properly. Giving over confidential information of ones self, often has a way of coming back to bite you.

  Is it best to just keep certain information between you and God alone, or can there be a middle ground with which to confess your sins to your brothers and sisters in general?

  Should confession, according to the above scripture, be reserved for the elders in the congrgation exclusively?
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  pennycandy

  My take on this scripture is of seeking help from trusted friends, fellow believers, in the form of prayer, not for forgiveness. Seeking out someone else to support you, help where needed, and pray for you when you can't handle something alone. I don't see it as seeking a judgement, or a redemption of your sins.

  If everyone helped instead of judged, maybe people, especially witnesses, wouldn't be so leery of confiding in others.
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  prophecor

  If everyone helped instead of judged, maybe people, especially witnesses, wouldn't be so leery of confiding in others.

  So I was told, long after coming in, however, to keep your problems to yourself and don't talk too much. Was it really that confining, I thought it was just me, but everybody seemed to be uptight!!!
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  tonyend

  Well, when I was hardcore in I would have felt an obligation to report any and all thoughtcrime so it's probably better to keep your mouth shut.
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  vitty

  So many confess a sin then are DFs or have a public reprof

  I always believed if you confessed you should be forgiven, as long as it was legal, in fact I didnt believe you SHOULD confess, unless you really wanted to.

  I always thought it was between you and Jehovah, but if you dont confess and the elders find out, wham your out, even if youve prayed for forgiveness and feel you have recieved it!!!!!!!!

  Talk about misapplying scripture, AGAIN:
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  marsal

  I agree with you Pennycandy. Your take on this scripture is also the view that most Christian churches have.