| Summary: | The Sacrament of Repentance is an act of reconciliation with the church body. It is the
possibility, granted by the church to those who have alienated themselves from the body
because of sin, so as to be able to return to it. Repentance is then a complete about turn or
a change of life. It is a sacrament of regeneration as it establishes for us a share in the death
and resurrection of Christ. That is why it is a sacrament through which our baptism is renewed.
The sacrament of Penance or Confession is then a new baptism and is referred to as the
mystery of the Second Baptism because it involves the forgiveness of all sins committed after
baptism. However not every sin needs the necessity of sacramental forgiveness since no
human is ever completely without sin. There are two distinct types of confession in the
Orthodox faith, namely, private confession and then sacramental confession. The church
maintains that divine forgiveness may be received either by private prayer or by the
sacrament.
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