I am curious about something that was brought up in the WT study today on sin
and repentance, though not in the article, the elder conducting the study
said that even if a person has repented from a sin or practice of a sin, no
matter how long ago, he should still tell the elders, even if he was not in
that congregation for a long time.
What scriptural viewpoint is there for this? or could a person be
accountable for something they have not confessed to the congregation
although they feel that Jehovah has forgiven them, and has progressed?
And are all sins the same, for example if the sin was habitual addiction
such as tobacco or alcohol, compared to adultery pedophilia fornication, or
other gross sins. I can only answer by what the WT or elders say, but would
want another's opinion scripturally if possible.
The scripture that elders usually have in mind to encourage
confession of sins is the one where James writes: "Therefore openly confess your
sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may get healed." (James
5:16) James is really emphasizing Jehovah's provision of loving older men in the
congregations who are appointed for the purpose of caring for his sheep. That is
why James says: "Is there anyone sick among you? Let him call the older men of
the congregation to him, and let them pray over him, greasing him with oil in
the name of Jehovah. And the prayer of faith will make the indisposed one well,
and Jehovah will raise him up. Also, if he has committed sins, it will be
forgiven him." (James 5:14,15)
Elders have no authority to forgive sins, except the ones that someone has
committed against them personally!* (Eph.
4:32) Their only authority is to guide, care for and shepherd God's sheep,
helping them where they need help, for which they "will render an account."
(Heb. 13:17) Since we are all imperfect we all sin many times, falling short of
Jehovah's righteous standards. The apostle John realistically says, "If we make
the statement: 'We have no sin,' we are misleading ourselves and the truth is
not in us. If we confess our sins (to God), he is faithful and righteous so as
to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Of course,
we need to feel genuine remorse, regret over any sins that we have become guilty
of. And we must confess and express our remorse to Jehovah in prayer, asking for
his forgiveness. Jehovah has provided the means to have our sins forgiven. That
is why Jesus died, so that we can gain forgiveness and continue to enjoy a close
personal relationship with our heavenly Father. (1 John 1:8-2:2)
Some who have committed sins in the past, perhaps many years ago, have felt the
need to go and confess to the elders, only to end up regretting it. Believe it
or not, there are sexual perverts among us, elders who like to pry into the
private affairs of brothers and sisters, especially of a sexual nature,
demanding all sorts of detailed descriptions regarding the persons behavior, for
their own gratification, claiming that divulging such information is important
for evidence of repentance, but which are obviously none of their business. I am
aware of some brothers/sisters who went to the elders to confess to past sins
only to be humiliated and then disfellowshipped, even though it was obvious by
their spiritual prosperity that Jehovah had forgiven them. Sadly, many
unqualified elders mistake disfellowshipping for discipline. (see
"Disfellowshipping - Is it Discipline or
Punishment?")
Some bad habits, such as you mention, addictions to tobacco, alcohol,
pornography, etc., we may need help with in order to overcome them. Therefore,
rather than hiding these or trying to win the battle on our own, it would be
best to pray fervently to Jehovah for help and then seek out a mature and loving
elder and ask for assistance. That is what James had in mind in writing his
counsel, as I quoted above. We must always keep in mind that it is our
relationship with Jehovah that is the important issue, and although we may be
able to hide our secret sins from others, including the elders, we cannot hide
what we are from Jehovah. (Heb. 4:13)
Not all sins are the same. Although the apostle John assures us that "if anyone
does commit a sin, we have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous
one. And he is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins," yet, at the same time,
Paul warns us that "if we practice sin willfully after having received the
accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left,
but there is a certain fearful expectation of judgment and there is a fiery
jealousy that is going to consume those in opposition." (1 John 2:1,2; Heb.
10:26-31)
I hope this answers your concern.
*
Footnote:
There are those who believe that elders (or priests)
have the authority to forgive sins, referring to Jesus' words at John 20:23: "If you
forgive the sins of any persons, they stand forgiven to them; if you retain
those of any persons, they stand retained." These are not sins against God but
rather against the individual who is wronged. (Compare Luke 17:3,4; Matt.
6:9,12; 18:15-18; Acts 7:60)
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