A logical question arises: why does the sin go nowhere – and I was baptized, and I communed, and I was married, and I was anointed, and I confessed.., and I did not love, and I still do not love. Why? Because we do not declare (priests) and do not declare ourselves (Christians do not take the initiative to learn the faith of the Church), we understand the sacraments incorrectly, illusorily, we approach the sanctuary incorrectly, so instead of healing the soul and body, “many are sick, and some even die”!!!
To understand what happens in confession, we first need to understand what “to forgive a sin” means. Since sin is forgiven in every sacrament of the Church, for greater clarity let’s consider the sacrament of baptism and marriage (about marriage – in the second part). We will now speak extremely anthropomorphically (inadequate images taken from everyday reality, understandable to most), to somehow encourage us to repentance, thinking, and we will give examples (inadequate, like all examples – illustrations), which will somewhat help us shed light on this area of spiritual life.
The main reason for the “ineffectiveness” of the sacraments is that we treat them as magical actions that work without our will, without faith, without understanding, automatically, and we think that this is the end of the spiritual effort, the achieved goal, when this is – only the beginning. In every sacrament of the Church, the fullness of the Holy Spirit is given (God does not give the Holy Spirit by measure – V.A.), but we receive Him in “portions,” “by measure” of our spiritual state and ability to contain God! Therefore, the sacraments that the Church performs are always the beginning of a certain spiritual process, growth, not the end. The end depends on who participates in the sacrament. Let’s try to realize this. But before we start talking about baptism, let’s answer your question that naturally arose – what about reconciliation with God in confession? Reconciliation with God (who is Love, and only Love, and therefore is not angry with anyone, does not get annoyed, does not reject, does not take offense, does not seek revenge, does not repay according to merits – V.A.), restoration of communion with the Creator, occurs in every sacrament (with proper preparation for it, sincere repentance), but the consequences of the rupture with God (sin as a wound, a disease) and existence in
the illusory world – are treated (coming to senses and returning to an adequate state), self-realization as a personality and realization of life as love) over the years… Consequences are treated, not forgiven! Therefore, we will focus on overcoming the consequences of sin and in these reflections understand (and only then, perhaps, grasp – V.A.), how to prepare for the sacraments so that “forgiveness”, “reconciliation”, restoration of communion with God happens.
In one of the Orthodox creeds we read the following words: “I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.” (The holy fathers explain that the phrase “one baptism” also includes all other sacraments of the Church, so we can, for example, read: I acknowledge the sacrament of marriage for the remission of sins… – V.A.). So, let’s start with this first sacrament, through which we enter, are born into the Church – the Theanthropic organism. What happens in baptism? What do these words mean, – “in baptism, sins are forgiven, forgiven”? Let’s try to understand this with examples taken from everyday life. We will take the example-image from medicine and the biological, organic form of existence. (By the way, these images, symbols given by the Lord and the apostles, the father just deciphers them and makes certain emphases – V.A.).
Baptism is the beginning of Christianity! But the beginning of Christianity is not yet Christianity, it is the edge of two Covenants – Old and New. (The beginning of a house is not yet a house, the beginning of a road is not yet a road, the beginning of time is not yet time…). Baptism is to get “access” to the Body of Christ, formally become a member of the Church, but not yet actualize this membership. But let’s say it with a parable: baptism is the transplantation (transplantation) of an “organ” from a half-dead body, doomed to death (the “world that lies in evil,” “the fashion of this world passes away” – that is, it perishes, and is doomed to destruction; science tells us (we know well) that humanity, as a biological species, is mortal) into a healthy body (the Church – the Body of Jesus Christ). In modern medicine, it is considered that an organ transplanted into a new body always remains “foreign,” so for it to function in the new body, it is necessary to adjust the body to it, i.e., suppress its immune system, which produces antibodies, as a reaction to the presence of “foreign” in the body. For example, when a flu virus enters the body, in the body, as a reaction to the “foreign,” antibodies begin to be produced (about two weeks), which should kill it. In the Church, the perspective is better – to completely resemble the Body, to become a native organ, a member of the Body, to become God by grace and a partaker of the Divine essence. In medicine, in the case of transplantation, we adjust the body to the organ, in the Church – the organ changes to resemble the Body, becomes native. Everything the opposite. (It is very important to understand: we do not use the Church for ourselves, adjust it to ourselves, but we change ourselves in the Church; we do not impose our laws on the Church, but try to live by the Law of the Theanthropic Organism; we do not change the Church, but we change ourselves in the Church). In real life, if an organ with some infectious diseases is transplanted into another body, it will be a disaster for the body (the whole organism) and its immune system – it will also have to treat the diseases brought with the sick organ. With such an organ, a double action occurs – it is accepted in the organism and simultaneously treated from the diseases with which it is infected. The immune system of the new organism creates antibodies, whose task is to destroy the viruses of the transplanted organ – the healing process begins. But this is provided that the organ lives the life of the body – is nourished, “consumes”, “partakes” of the blood, in which the life of the organism and medicine (antibodies) are delivered. Therefore, the fact that an organ is transplanted into a healthy body does not mean that it is already its own and also healthy. But if it is in the dynamics of the life of the body, in “communication” with other organs and the brain, will perform the impulses (will) of the nervous system, be in agreement with life (at least, be influenced by…), it will be assimilated and healed. The process of becoming in the Ecclesiastical Body is almost analogous to the biological (do not forget that we speak figuratively, and in reality “everything is not that, and all not so”). In the Body of Christ in baptism, an “alien” and sick organ is “transplanted” (the disease of godlessness and the symptoms of this disease – passions, lust). Membership is actualized when this organ begins to “feed” on the Blood of the Body, “eat” the nutrients produced by the Body, and will be in organic connections, “communication” with other organs of the Body of Christ, that is, when the baptized – a potential Christian, – begins to live the Eucharistic ecclesiastical life, will commune of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, will be in organic (not legal) relations with the Head (God Jesus Christ) and other members (saints) of the Body of Christ. Without the Eucharist, without life in the Body and by the Body, for the baptized there is no life, because from the old body (the world that lies in evil) he was taken, torn away, and the umbilical cord cut, and in the New Body – the Church he did not take root (better to say, does not want to live the Divine life – by the Blood of Jesus Christ, the Body of the Savior, the Integrity, which is bestowed on all members of the Body). That is why we say that pagans are better off than nominal Christians!!! They can still be transplanted into a healthy Body – the Church, but where to transplant nominal Christians?!