To my fellow Christians, why do you not all believe that confession is for all Christians?

Question

James 5:16 Therefore 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. (This one shows that we do not need to confess to a priest but to one another.)

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (confessing our sins whether to God or another helps us to be purified and to be made righteous.)

Maguyver~
In the King James it says fault, this is the word (παράπτωμα) and meaning from the original text. This is how it is pronounced in English (paraptōma) and fault is an english word used for it.
paraptōma
Thayer Definition:
1) to fall beside or near something
2) a lapse or deviation from truth and uprightness
2a) a sin, misdeed
Part of Speech: noun neuter
paraptōma
par-ap'-to-mah
a side slip (lapse or deviation), that is, (unintentional) error or (wilful) transgression: - fall, fault, offence, sin, trespass.

SmellyCat~ Please see above note to MaGuyver.

Answer 1

I believe we should confess our sins to others, but we had better be careful who we tell our sins to. Everyone in the church is not saved and your business in their hands is only fodder for gossip.

Answer 2

The first question is why are protestnts so oppsoed to confessingtheir sins to each other. Saint james said we need to do this to be healed..in short sin is a disease that must be cured. The guy who posted about jerking off a while back was a great example of this fact, he had a sin he wanted to over come it he asked. The main reason that some one would not confess to a sin is becuse they are embarrased by it and this would be the sin of pride stoping them from confessing. Speaking as an Orhtodox christian I do feel that the cronic sins that I want to stop first are more common when I don't go to confession.
The fact some people will use confessions against is the reason we confess to a priest who is suppsoed to be a spiritual father and the Church has been given pwer to figive sins as it is the body of christ.
You can take that any way yyou want but No mater who you feal you can confess your sins to, as far as I am concerned you can use the R&S as your confestional the fact remains confession relieves a lot of spiritual burdan and can alow us to learn how to over come a sin as other people have been in the same boat.

Answer 3

James 5:16 is not a commandment, it's a recomendation (and a good one too). 1 John 1:9 is talking about agreeing with God that your sins are vile and disgusting outloud with your mouth. To believe that confession to another specific person can make you any more cleansed from those sins is unbiblical and propostorous. You are giving man the job that only God can do, and did do so perfectly.

Answer 4

Naturally, you have a point here, but it's a point I have to see be argued against by any Christian, but there are is always the possibility that there are those who do.

I, not being Catholic, don't believe in confession to a priest, and nor can I even imagine one absolving me of any sins. On the other hand, though, I believe in confession by the mouth and of the heart to God. It is when you do this (i.e. seek repentance) with an eager and sincere heart then you are made pure from unrighteousness.

Answer 5

Confess your faults. It's called accountability and bearing one another's burdens. It is not called using your brothers or sisters in Christ for mediation although we can pray for one another. This by no means supports a confessional to a priest as Jesus is the only mediator between God and man. Only when we repent of our sins to Jesus Christ can we find remission and forgiveness of our sins. These two verses do not have the same meaning. We must first make things right with our brother and sister before we bring our gift to the alter or it won't be acceptable to God.

Answer 6

Yes, confess your sins to your Heavenly Father, not to a flesh man.

Edit:

Your Father did something awesome for you in the following verse:

And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; Matthew 27:51

The above veil separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. Only the high priest was allowed to go behind that veil. He acted as an intercessor between the congregation and God. After the veil was rent, God invited all who will to communicate directly with Him. No intercessor required.

Answer 7

The Bible actually states that we should confess our FAULTS to one another. This is so we can assist each other in prayer. Confession of sin can only be made to the Father through our high priest, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Answer 8

As most biblical theologians understand the James 5 passage, in context the author is talking about Christian community relations. So when it tells us to confess your sins to each other, this is for two reasons.
1) Because you have sinned against that person and need their forgiveness or...
2) For accountability so that you can get out of the sin you are in

As the book of Hebrews and Peter state all believers are priests in the priesthood of Christ. This leads us to the understanding that the only one who can forgive sins on Earth is Christ (God), as Christ states many times. Other believers cannot take away your sin, only He who died for them can take them away.

Answer 9

according to the bible "The wages of sin is death" (Rm 6:23) that means everyone who has to die is a sinner. a priest is a sinner. can a sinner forgive another sinner? Impossible. The teaching of the Catholic Church of confessing sin to a priest is not biblical and man-made.

Jesus Christ even says not to call anyone father:
Matthew 23:9
And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.

but Catholic priest among other denominations which broke from the Catholic church call themselves priests. Because they want to be like God which is impossible. that's why we got kicked out of heaven in the first place. Confess your sins to God not man.

Answer 10

All believers are clergymen. to circulate right into a confessional, that sometimes has a rose engraved in o.ok.above the front to it, by using the way, is to prepare witchcraft. The prepare of putting something below the rose is a manner of hiding it. this is not canceled out because of the fact this is not completed in accordance with the want of God. Catholicism is against God because of the fact this is witchcraft and God does not see the ritual of confessing to a clergyman in a confessional, and the repetition of rote prayer after that as the thank you to safeguard the sin on your existence. God will pay attention his toddlers. His ears are open to the cry of a contrite and humble heart.

Answer 11

Simply put, you tell others when you have sinned against them; however, you confess them to God. ONLY God can forgive sin. No priest can do that...ever.

And to Wilmer above:
We were NEVER in Heaven before. That is a heresy taught by Mormons and the Shepherd's Chapel.