Confessing Past Sins Without Specific Memories in Old Age
Confessing Past Sins Without Specific Memories in Old Age
The concept of confessing past sins is rooted in biblical teachings, such as Psalms 25:7, where the psalmist asks God not to remember his sins of youth [1]. In old age, individuals may struggle to recall specific past sins, raising questions about the necessity of confessing forgotten sins.
According to Thomas Aquinas, a general confession can suffice to blot out forgotten mortal sins, as long as there is contrition, which is the primary factor in sin remission [2]. This view is supported by the understanding that confession produces its effect on the presupposition of contrition. In the Catholic tradition, contrition is considered essential for the remission of sin.
The practice of confession has varied across Christian traditions. In the early Christian church, public confession was practiced, but it was later abolished in some regions due to its misuse [5]. John Calvin notes that Nectarius, the bishop of Constantinople, abolished the custom of confessing due to its abuse. This highlights the historical development and variations in the practice of confession.
In the Reformed tradition, Charles Hodge emphasizes the importance of looking beyond oneself for salvation, implying that one's focus should be on Christ rather than dwelling on past sins [4]. John Gill, a Baptist/Reformed commentator, interprets Psalms 25:7 as a plea to God not to remember the sins of youth, suggesting that confession is made to God, and it is sufficient to acknowledge one's sinful nature in general terms [3].
The biblical basis for confession is seen in passages like 1 John 1:9, which states that if we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive us [6]. Augustine, a patristic writer, notes that the past sins are pardoned, not only for the newly baptized but also for believers, and that living in this world amidst temptations may lead to further sin [7].
The issue of confessing past sins without specific memories in old age is addressed by considering the biblical teachings on confession, the role of contrition, and the variations in the practice of confession across Christian traditions. While specific memories of past sins may fade with age, the act of confession remains an essential aspect of Christian practice, with the understanding that it is made to God, and contrition is a crucial element in sin remission [2, 6].
Sources
- Psalms “Psalms 25:7 (BBE) — Do not keep in mind my sins when I was young, or my wrongdoing: let your memory of me be full of mercy, O Lord, because of your righteousness.”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Supplement (Supplementum), Of the Effect of Confession, Art. 5: Article: Whether a general confession suffices to blot out forgotten mortal sins? I answer that, Confession produces its effect, on the presupposition that there is contrition which blots out guilt: so that confession is directly ordained to the remission of punishment, which it causes in virtue of the shame which it includes, and by the power of the keys to which a man submits by confessing. Now it happens sometimes that by previous contrition a sin has been blotted out as to the guilt, either in a gene”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 25:7: Remember not the sins of my youth,.... Original sin, in which he was born, and the breakings forth of corrupt nature in infancy, he brought into the world with him, together with all the youthful lusts and vanities to which that age is addicted; and sometimes the sins of youth are in some persons remembered by God, and punished in old age; and if not, they are brought to remembrance through the dispensations of Providence: and the people of God are chastised for them then, and are ready to fear it is in a way of wrath; see Job 13:26; which the psalmist here deprecates”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 31: sinner to look out of himself for salvation; i.e ., for deliverance from the power, as well as the guilt of sin. The law is a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. Why could not the Apostle say all this of himself? There is nothing here inconsistent with the character or experience of a true believer. It is as true of the Christian that he is not sanctified by moral suasion, by the objective presentation of truth, as it is of the unrenewed sinner, that he is not regenerated by any such outward influences. It is, 223 therefore, perfectly pert”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 59: rebuked for the sake of example. He afterwards adds, that the same custom existed at Constantinople, until a certain matron, while pretending to confess, was discovered to have used it as a cloak to cover her intercourse with a deacon. In consequence of that crime, Nectarius, the bishop of that church—a man famous for learning and sanctity—abolished the custom of confessing. Here, then, let these asses prick up their ears. If auricular confession was a divine law, how could Nectarius have dared to abolish or remodel it? Nectarius, ”
- 1 John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins,.... Not to one other; for though it is our duty to confess our faults to our fellow creatures and fellow Christians which are committed against them, yet are under no obligation to confess such as are more immediately against God, and which lie between him and ourselves; or at least it is sufficient to confess and acknowledge in general what sinful creatures we are, without entering into particulars; for confession of sin is to be made to God, against whom it is committed, and who only can pardon: and a man that truly confesses his sin is one th”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 7: Augustine — Homilies on John — 1 JOHN I. 1.--II. 11. (part 8): of Christ whom these(9) here have now confessed, who are called infants,(10) have all their sins been cleansed. They came in old, they went out new. How, came in old, went out new? Old men they came in, infants they went out. For the old life is old age with all its dotage, but the new life is the infancy of regeneration. But what are we to do? The past sins are pardoned, not only to these but to us; and after the pardon and abolition of all sins, by living in this world in the midst of temptations, some haply have bee”