Yes, I have gone and it is yet another way that God reaches out to us to give us His grace and forgiveness because as we know, Jesus won forgiveness at the cross and we are sure of that forgiveness because scripture tells us it has been won. The thing that I know people forget and even balk about is how God doles out that forgiveness that was won and He does so by His Word, yet, don't we see people forgetting about that and scoffing it when it's revealed to them? He gives us that forgiveness won at the cross in the waters in baptism because His Word is there, He gives us the forgiveness won at the cross in the Lords Supper because we receive His body and blood and we receive His forgiveness at the cross won when our pastors and priests share the gospel with us (His Word). Private confession has absolution and this isn't the pastor giving forgiveness but that same forgiveness won at the cross and how do we know that, yet we do know it because again and again we have God's Word there in that absolution and as a favorite pastor once told me You can never have too much Jesus and look at that Jesus who keeps giving us His forgiveness.
