You know, that's the funny thing - the things I have confessed to the Father are turned around in my life - Somehow, some way, He always puts me in the way of folks that need my testimony. It is THERE that I confess to my brother - where I have already walked the road that he is on - where my confession is a tailor-made answer for him... and in that, when I get that nudge from the Spirit to fess up, I do so almost tearfully... I am always so amazed that YHWH is SO great as to turn my sins into victories. Were it not for my walk down the wrong path, I would not be a useful tool in saving my brother.
And likewise for me - He makes sure I stumble across someone who has already been down the path that I am struggling with. Their confession to me brings clarity, and that usually just in the nick of time. That, I think, is where confession is in it's power. Power far beyond any formal system.
I’ve always been interested in this debate about the meaning of “whose sins you forgive”. Your testimony is among the best explanations I’ve seen of the protestant idea that the exhortation is addressed to all Christians, rather than specifically, as a transmission of authority, to the Apostles and their successors. Do I understand that correctly?
Here’s my question. How does the phrase “and whose sins you retain are retained” fit into that testimony? If one of your brothers decided to retain your sins, despite your eloquent and sincere confession, would you really retain those sins? Forever?