#2
The word cannot be properly understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, i.e. confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy.
This word, this call to repentance, is not simply the words of forgiveness granted by any earthly authority (Roman Catholic, or any other), but a call to make your confession and repent before God, and that the forgiveness and transformation is a divine office of God.
Why do we still need this kind of admonition? Well, even the Lutheran Church itself struggles with this… the current Lutheran Book of Worship makes the bold statement that a “called and ordained minister” can forgive sins – a claim that seems to fly in the face of this thesis. (The actual wording seems to date back as far as 1919, the oldest service book I can find with this text, however the service book includes a warning of hell and damnation to those who don’t truly repent – however my copy is loaned out and I cannot put the text into this post.) Even outside the Lutheran or Catholic tradition this seems to continue having relevance – forgiveness of sins can be tied to a charismatic experience or just granted after reception of communion. Be careful, false promises from a false teacher are like counterfeit bills – they might look like the real thing, but you’ll find they have no currency with God when you try to spend them.
Treasure the fact that God alone, the Lord of the universe, grants us the gift of being able to come before His honor. Do not settle for the pale substitute of man-produced, man-granted and only man-deceived forgiveness and repentance.