Do we still need to go to confession?

Question

well why would I want to tell my sins to a mere mortal who is also capable of sin as I am, and God read our thoughts and hearts right??? So why need for confession???

Kait: when he said "to one another" he means that to admit our sins to the one who we wronged, right???

But sometimes priests does not give absolution

Answer 1

No, you do not need to go to anyone else to confess your sins. Ask yourself: if God is really God, doesn't He already know my sins? And if Christ already died for my sins, how can a human being forgive me for them? If you're a Christian, this is a real no-brainer. You go to God in prayer, confess what you did wrong, ask forgiveness (for real, be repentant), and then ask His help not to do that anymore. And MEAN IT. God bless.

Answer 2

There are a number of very good reasons.

1. It is a big trap to fall into to believe that you never have to be accountable to anyone but God. Other humans are here to help be a safety net by knowing us and our faults and helping us overcome them.

2. You can receive reassurance of God's forgiveness and a listening ear for anything that you want to discuss with the priest.

3. You offended or harmed more than yourself and God and should ask forgiveness from a representative from the community that feels the repercussions of your sin. This can also help assure you are free from the guilt of your sin.

4. Lastly, you get a free counseling appointment and free advice on how to repair any damage that you may need to repay to relationships or institutions.

5. It says that we should be accountable to anther human being right in scripture:

15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.(from James)

Answer 3

You don't have to tell your sins to a "mortal" as you call it. All you need to confess to is God. No one else. You can tell other people ONLY IF YOU WANT TO. But, no where in the Bible does it say you have to confess it to mortals...only God.

Answer 4

One of he greatest criticisms Protestants make against the Catholic Church questions our practice of sacramental confession. "Why tell your sins to a priest when you can go directly to God?" they ask. Our reply? Because this sacrament is one of the greatest blessings Catholics have. A sacrament - which no other church has - providing us with absolution of sin. The wonderful Catholic sacrament of reconciliation (confession) through which we who are repentant are assured of the Lord's forgiveness by one of God's special representatives, our priests.

Where in the Bible does Jesus give priests the power to forgive sins? In John 20, verse 23, Jesus says to the disciples, "As the Father has sent me so I send you...receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained." Jesus clearly expected the successors of the disciples, the bishops and priests down through the centuries, to continue His work...to preach, to pray, to forgive our sins when we are truly sorry for our failures.

The New Testament tells early Christians, "confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, and this will cure you (James 5:16)." The admonition is as important today as it was then.

God's Representative

Catholics do not confess sins to a priest instead of to God. We confess to a priest representing God. The prayer of absolution, which the priest prays while administering the sacrament, says "I absolve you from your sin the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." It is in God's name the priest forgives, not in his own name.

When Catholics receive the sacrament of reconciliation, we have the opportunity not only to be forgiven, but to receive advice from the priest...kind and wise counsel as to how to do better in the future, living the Christian life.

Healing Relationships

Sin offends not only God, but others. The Body of Christ, the Church, is wounded whenever we sin. (Adultery, anger and racism are obvious examples.)

When the priest speaks the word of absolution, we are forgiven by the Church as well as by God. We are reconciled. Our relationships are healed.

The priest can also advise us, offering ways in which we might make up, to some extent, the offenses caused others.

A communal celebration of the sacrament provides a rich opportunity to experience the social nature of sin and forgiveness. At the same time, penitents at these services confess sinfulness and receive absolution privately, protecting confidentiality.

Answer 5

This was created to stop people from bottling up secrets or problems in there lives becoming an issue within them. By spilling them it no longer becomes a secret which releases the stress and anxiety of keeping it a secret and getting a point of view by a stranger who will never disclose your secrets.

Answer 6

When it comes to confession of sin, believers are told in 1 John 1:9 to confess their sins to God. God is faithful and just to forgive our sins as we confess them to Him. James 5:16 speaks of confessing our trespasses “to one another,” but this is not the same as confessing sins to a priest as the Roman Catholic Church teaches. Priests / church leaders are nowhere mentioned in the context of James 5:16. Further, James 5:16 does not link forgiveness of sins with the confession of sins “to one another.”

The Roman Catholic Church bases their practice of confession to a priest primarily on Catholic tradition. Catholic do point to John 20:23, “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." From this verse, Catholics claim that God gave the apostles the authority to forgive sins, and that authority was passed on to the successors of the apostles, e.g. the bishops and priests of the Roman Catholic Church. There are several problems with this interpretation. (1) John 20:23 nowhere mentions confession of sin. (2) John 20:23 nowhere promises, or even hints, that the authority to forgive sins would be passed on to the successors of the apostles. Jesus’ promise was specifically directed to the apostles. (3) The New Testament nowhere states that the apostles would even have successors to their apostolic authority. Similarly, Catholics point to Matthew 16:19 and 18:18 (binding and loosing) as evidence for the Catholic Church’s authority to forgive sins. The same three above points apply equally to these Scriptures.

Answer 7

Jesus came so that we could ALL have a relationship with God through him- no middle man required. Confess your sins to God- he is the only one who can forgive you

Answer 8

Because God Himself ordained that that very mortal would have the power to minister God's forgiveness to you. What part of "whose sins YOU forgive, they are forgiven them" do you find ambiguous? A mere mortal ministers baptism to you. A mere mortal ministers marriage to you. Why would you have a problem with a mere mortal ministering forgiveness to you, especially when Christ Himself so clearly stated that it was His intent?

Answer 9

I've always wanted to confess about doing something extremely wierd.

Answer 10

Tell it to God. If you trust someone who is in Christ, tell them, but only if you trust them. People who hold you accountable may be a good thing for you. But tell it to God, you can trust Him with anything.