Why do people have such problems with priests forgiving sins when Jesus told them?

Question

"what is easier to say you are healed or your sins are forgiven?" He was saying when someone is healed that is exactly what has happened is that their sins were forgiven. We love to hear about how people were healed but we want to hold their sins to them? I say that if men can heal through the name of Jesus then, they can also forgive sins--just like he said. Now, where is your argument?

so Jesus can heal through men's intercession but he can't forgive through them? Oh come on!

Loon: go to John 21--read to 24

Loon: read your Bible Jesus SAID it was no different. Forgiving sins and healing are the same thing.

Answer 1

"Individual, integral confession and absolution remain the only ordinary way for the faithful to reconcile themselves with God and the Church, unless physical or moral impossibility excuses from this kind of confession." There are profound reasons for this. Christ is at work in each of the sacraments. He personally addresses every sinner: "My son, your sins are forgiven." He is the physician tending each one of the sick who need him to cure them. He raises them up and reintegrates them into fraternal communion. Personal confession is thus the form most expressive of reconciliation with God and with the Church.
Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: "All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession, even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly."
When Christ's faithful strive to confess all the sins that they can remember, they undoubtedly place all of them before the divine mercy for pardon. But those who fail to do so and knowingly withhold some, place nothing before the divine goodness for remission through the mediation of the priest, "for if the sick person is too ashamed to show his wound to the doctor, the medicine cannot heal what it does not know."

Answer 2

Many Evangelicals think the Catholic priesthood is not a valid part of God's plan. They point to sayings like "call no man father." Some consider Jesus' condemnation of the hypocrisy among some of the priests of his day as a blanket dismissal of the priesthood. They sometimes unearth the failings of some modern priests as proof of their theory and speak of empty rituals performed according to the "traditions of men." Catholics certainly don't think the priest is God. Catholics believe the priest simply does what Jesus commissioned the apostles to do, which is to serve the Church, that is Christ's body on earth.

Answer 3

The Jesus of the New Testament does not seem to have been telling priest to forgive sins so as to set up a structure for what would eventually beceom the Roman Catholic church. He seems to have been telling everyone that they needed to forgive the sins of others who had hurt them by their actions (forgive as you wish to be forgiven.)

If such is the case, he was doing away with any middle men and directing everyone to forgive.

IN the early Roman Catholic church, there was no sacrament of reconciliation or confession. One confessed direcctly to God or, if one had committed a public sin, he/she confessed in front of the entire congregation. After such a sin, especially if it involved the doubting of or renoucing of the faith or was some other serious sin, the individual was often placed outside of the community until such time as the community thought they had atoned and were ready to be brought back in as members upon the condition that they not repeat their sin.

The Catholic church began to implement the sacrament of penance upon the royals as well as upon the clergy and monastic religious first. Then, only a bishop could hear confession and only he could absolve. It served to control both groups and gave the church an enormous amount of control and power. Later, realizing that this same could be employed upon the laity with the same results, it became on of the seven sacraments.

It is an intersting psychological fact that although persons are often willing to forgive another person, they seldom seem willing to forget what happen. This often leads to one being reminded of his/her sin at a later time (usually during a heated argument.)

IN the Old Testament, God says that he hold people in his hand as though they were a tatto on his palm. Virtually everyone knows how hard it is to remove a tattoo.

On must wonder if forgiveness whthout completely erasing the memory of the sin is true forgiveness or not?

Answer 4

I think Protestants must be illiterate. The Scriptures make it very clear Jesus authorized men to forgive sins:

"Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.'" -- John 20:21-23

Answer 5

If by "people" you mean Protestants, it would be because God forgives sins, not man.

If you can point out the verse in the Bible where God tells priests/apostles/etc. to go and forgive men for their sins in His stead then perhaps we would also believe it.

Edit: "so Jesus can heal through men's intercession but he can't forgive through them? Oh come on" In a nutshell, yes. Healing of physical ailments and forgiving sins (which would mean knowing absolutely that the person is actually forthright and truly repentent--something a human cannot do.) are totally different and cannot be used synonymously.

Meg: So I can forgive you of your sins? What do you need a priest for? It always helps to prove your point when you make a sweeping judgment on anothers abilities or lack thereof. Oh, no it doesn't it just makes you look stupid. Nice job.

Answer 6

Jesus had the right to forgive sins because He is God. Only He has this ability, for it is against Him that man sins. We are to forgive those who do wrong against us, but only God's forgiveness can redeem man from eternal punishment. When Christ died on the cross, He became the head priest forever. The curtain in the temple when He died on the cross was torn from top to bottom by God as an indication of this. Before Christ's death, God used to communicate with man through human prophets and priests, but Christ's death and resurrection changed everything. Now we can go to God directly through Christ.

Answer 7

Catholics don't worship mary. People need to actually read a book before they open their mouth. Like I said, the Priest is the channel.


I think you misrepresenting this argument. It is not the priest who actually does the forgiving. Catholics believe he is the channel in which they are speaking to God. That is why priests have to keep it a secret. They are aiding you in asking God for forgiveness.

Answer 8

I find it funny that many who are against the Catholic church offering reconciliation say they confess to one another.

So they DO believe you can confess and be forgiven through another person.

How much better is it to go to someone who is well schooled in theology. Someone who knows the bible through and through. Rather than your neighbor or your best friend.

Answer 9

You are forgetting the accusation made by the Pharisees. “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Jesus did not question the validity of their accusation because it was true. Only God can forgive sins. However, Jesus threw them a curve ball. "Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’?"

The point is that both are impossible with man--but not for God. So by Jesus healing the man, He demonstrated His deity, and thereby His ability to forgive sins.

Jesus gave the disciples authority in His name to heal as referenced in Matthew 10:1
Jesus also gave the disciples authority to forgive and retain sins in John 20:13
Both are demonstrated in Acts as seen in Acts 3:6 (and others) as well as Acts 8.

The question is, are we as individual believers given such authority? (note: we are all priests according to 1 Peter 2:9) Can I walk into a hospital and say to anyone be healed? If so, I could do the same with forgiving or retention of sins. Only the disciples were given this authority for the setting of the foundation of the early church.

No, as individual believers, we are witnesses that the penitent can come to Jesus and pray and ask for the forgiveness of all sin. This is the extent of the individuals authority in regard to sin. (Note however, that we are not talking about personal offenses toward one another, but rather positional sin between the individual and God.)

Remember, when considering a teaching for doctrine, there must be multiple scripture to confirm it. I do not see very much evidence of individual believers forgiving sins, nor a sliver of teaching by Paul that affirms it.

When talking about the salvation and forgiveness of the individual, I would be very reluctant to say "I forgive you of all your sins" and give a false sense of security. At least with saying to someone "Rise up and walk", it can be proven that you do not have such authority and thereby can be nullified in your lack of position. So best not to hold to such a teaching as being doctrine. It may very well be that God will hold you in account for leading the penitent astray.

Answer 10

Actually, He wasn't saying what you allege. You've got it wrong on 2 points. First is the healing of the paralyzed man. Second is absolution. The man had 2 needs.
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Grumbling in the crowd. Teachers of the Law accuse Jesus of blasphemy for daring to forgive sins. They don’t think about the man’s need for spiritual healing. They don’t rejoice about his forgiveness and new life. They just complain about Jesus exceeding His authority.

Jesus, knowing their thoughts, prepares to address the man’s other need, the need for physical healing. “Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? … Then He said to the paralytic, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home’” (Matthew 9:5-6). He demonstrates His authority to perform the greater miracle (forgiveness) by performing the lesser miracle (healing the man’s paralysis).

The physical miracle is recorded simply and powerfully, “The man got up and went home” (Matthew 9:7). No fanfare. No headlines. No vivid, detailed account of the miracle. “The man got up and went home.” Yet in those few words we see a man given a new lease on life – no longer helpless, unable to work, depending on others to carry him, now able to walk and perhaps run and care for himself. A physical need supplied. A precious gift. But not as great or as profound as the spiritual healing of forgiveness.

Today Jesus still goes about the task of both physical and spiritual healing. When He heals physically through doctors or in unexplained ways, He reminds us of His authority to forgive sins and change lives. We can come to Him with our hurts, our diseases, our problems, our concerns, physical and spiritual. He will meet our needs. Always the offer of full and free forgiveness, that inner spiritual healing. Sometimes also the physical healing, meeting our needs on both levels. Jesus still has the same power He demonstrated when He healed the paralytic.


If you're still with me, now...... Absolution. Forgiving of sins by men.
By what authority does the church forgive sins?The Office of the Keys is that special authority which Christ has given to His church on earth to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they do not repent. After His resurrection from the dead and before His ascension into heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ breathed on His apostles and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven”(John 20:22-23).
“It is not the voice or word of the man who speaks it, but it is the Word of God,who forgives sin, for it is spoken in God’s stead and by God’s command”(AC XXV.3).Absolution is the Lord’s life-giving,sure and certain word that does for us what no surgery, medicine, therapy, counseling or advice can do for us. The Lord’s word of absolutiondoesn’t cover up or hide our sin. Nor does it give us only a temporary relief that soon fades away. Our Lord’s word of absolution reconciles us to God the Holy Trinity.