"Confessions of Sin and Assurances of Pardon: A Pocket Resource" by Bobby G. Griffith, Jr. A Review

Confessions of Sin and Assurances of Pardon: A Pocket ResourceConfessions of Sin and Assurances of Pardon: A Pocket Resource by Bobby G Griffith, Jr.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When leading a congregation in worship, it's important to have thought through what you are about, where the Gospel of Jesus fits in, and what will be the liturgical tenor. Therefore it becomes helpful to have resources to draw from that can give you a hand. Recently Bobby G. Griffith, Jr., one of the pastors at City Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City, OK, has given ministers and worship leaders an easy-to-use, handy-sized 112 page pocket hardback for just this purpose, "Confessions of Sin and Assurances of Pardon: A Pocket Resource".

This teeny volume begins with a nice forward by Sean Michael Lucas on the importance of having confession of sin and assurance of pardon in Presbyterian and Reformed worship. Lucas, Church History professor at Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, MS, explains how Calvin himself "knew that confession had to play a significant role in corporate worship if we will grasp and be grasped by the Gospel" (9). The forward is short, but very helpful in explaining the value of well thought-out liturgy, and the importance of a corporate confession of sin.

"Confessions of Sin and Assurances of Pardon" is 4.5 inches by 7.25 inches and easily slips into a pocket or purse. There are 79 confessions of sin from a wide range of sources that include the early church, the Reformation and present compositions. Some are responsive, but the vast majority are homothumadon ("one voice" Acts 4.24). Then there are 21 assurances of pardon, all simply appropriate Scripture citations that announce the Gospel of grace to repentant, confessing sinners.

This small booklet is ideal for worship leaders and ministers as they construct their weekly liturgies. Its handy size makes it easy for a minister to carry into the pulpit. Beyond this, it would also be fitting for bible study leaders who may find it appropriate at times to lead in confession of sin with a specific study. But even better, it would make a delightful addition to one's personal devotions in morning prayer. In whatever venue it is used, the goal is to draw worshipers to the throne of grace to find grace to help in time of need; that together they may entreat, "Jesus, Lamb of God, have mercy on us. Jesus, Bearer of our sins, have mercy on us. Jesus, Redeemer of the world, grant us peace. Amen" (11). I highly recommend this book for ministers, worship leaders, men, women, girls and boys.

Thanks to Christian Focus Publications for providing, upon my request, the free copy of “Confessions of Sin and Assurances of Pardon” used for this review. The assessments are mine given without restrictions or requirements (as per Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255).


View all my reviews

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?" (Rev. Ed.) by John Fea. A Review

Image
  John Fea is a professor of history at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, PA. A university founded in 1909 by the Brethren in Christ Church. He originally published "Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? A Historical Introduction" in 2011, and it was revised in 2016. This 328-page paperback is packed full with Colonial and American history, drawing from original sources to answer that question. It is a book written "for the historically minded and thoughtful reader who is looking for help in sorting" out this question, avoiding polemics (xix). Since we live in a sound-bite culture, Fea recognizes that it is difficult to have a sustained dialogue on this topic, but he makes a valiant effort toward having that sustained dialogue. The book reads fairly straightforward, and doesn't seem to get bogged down in the contentious mudpuddles or bogs. In the end, Fea seems to get his point across. To answer the reigning question if America was founded as a Christian...
Read more

Union with Christ - An Application

Image
  (This was my weekly letter to my congregation on Wednesday, 21 February 2024) This morning in my devotional reading, I was working through 1 Corinthians 8. Though I’ve read these words a huge number of times over the years, today one verse caused me to stop and take stock.  Paul wrote, “ Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ ” (1 Corinthians 8:12). What struck me is a couple of things. First, in God’s saving work, we are – by grace alone – united (hitched, bonded, ingrafted) to Christ so much so, that what happens to us happens to him, and what is his becomes ours (think of Galatians 2:20, for example). As Sinclair Ferguson put it, “through union with Christ all that is his by incarnation becomes ours through faith” (“The Christian Life,” 110). Let that percolate in your heart for a while. Your fear, anxiety, tears, and so forth, he feels. And his “ Peace, be still ” is yours. Second, the way we treat one an...
Read more

"Ah, Lord! We are Animated by Anger and Anxiety, Fear and Fury..."

Image
I hesitate to put this out there because of the combative environment we are in at present. But I think some souls will take courage from this, and some will also join with me as we get to the end of this little composition. I am struck by the words of God in Zechariah 8. As he rehearses the waywardness and faithlessness of his people in the past, he clearly declares that he " set every man against his neighbor " (8:10). That got me thinking long ago. I started putting the pieces together and realized that one of God's acts of judgment is division, setting a man against his neighbor. That's what happened when he divided his people into the northern tribes and southern tribes (see 1 Kings 11:26-40). Because of Solomon's turning aside, allowing his wives to turn his heart away from the God of his father, David, the Lord brings about a rift in God's people. And this pattern of divisive judgment runs throughout Scripture. On the other hand, truthful unity is the g...
Read more