Category Archives: Activity-Practice

absolution

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ABSOLUTION. Signifies acquittal.

It is taken also from that act whereby the priest declares the sins of such as are penitent remitted. The Romanists hold absolution a part of the sacrament of penance: and the council of Trent and that of Florence declare the form or essence of the sacrament to lie in the words of absolution. “I absolve thee “of thy sins.” According to this, no one can receive absolution without the privity, consent and declaration of the priest; except, therefore, the priest be willing, God himself cannot pardon any man. This is a doctrine as blasphemous as it is ridiculous. The chief passage on which they ground their power of absolution is that in John 20:23  “Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.” But this is not to the purpose; since this was a special commission to the apostles themselves, and the first preachers of the Gospel, and most probably referred to the power he gave them of discerning spirits. By virtue of this power, Peter struck Ananias and Sapphira dead, and Paul struck Elimas blind. But supposing the passage in question to apply to the successors of the apostles, and to ministers in general, it can only import that their office is to preach pardon to the penitent, assuring those who believe that their sins are forgiven through the merits of Jesus Christ; and that those who remain in unbelief are in a state of condemnation. Any idea of authority given to fallible, uninspired men to absolve sinners, different from this, is unscriptural; nor can I see much utility in the terms ministerial or declarative absolution, as adopted by some divines, since absolution is wholly the prerogative of God; and the terms above-mentioned, may, to say the least, have no good influence on the minds of the ignorant and superstitious.

[Buck]

Absence

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The concept behind absence is that there are obligations and duties implied, and the particular person in question is not living up to those duties, and the most obvious beginning point is a physical presence where those duties are being performed. At church, absence implies that each and every believer has a duty and obligation to be at church to participate in the activities there. The lack of attending is a basic “absence” which is a lack of physical presence, but the concept goes further, in that that person does not participate in the activities that take place there.

Doubting Thomas is a classic New Testament example, where the resurrected Christ appeared to the disciples, and Thomas was not there, and he missed out on the activities there. There is therefore a twofold thought, one of not identifying correctly because of a physical absence, and then there is the idea that a physical absence also including a missing out on blessings and on contributions that the person can or could of made to the activities at that church reunion.

-DCox

 

Merriam-Webster defines this as…

a state or condition in which something expected, wanted, or looked for is not present or does not exist : a state or condition in which something is absent.

a failure to be present at a usual or expected place

a period of time when someone is not present at a place, job, etc.

 

Absence.

  • Missing, uncounted Eccl 1:15
  • Purposeful separation John 14:28
  • Feared reunion 2Co 12:20-21
  • Believers reunited Phil 1:25-26
  • Remembering those absent 1Th 2:17

[Anderson]