Confessing Sins to a priest?

Question

I have posted the subject of confession of sins to a priest in the past, and every time there are two overwhelming responses:
1) Its not scriptual
2) Only Catholics do that

Well, regarding #1: I always post a link with ALL the scripture references, but nobody bothers to read it.
MY QUESTION: Will you read this link and constructively comment on it?
http://www.catholic.com/library/Forgiveness_of_Sins.asp

Regarding #2: In fact, over 80% of Christians DO confess their sins to a priest.
MY QUESTION: Are you aware that Eastern Orthodox Christians, Traditional Anglican Christians, Coptic Christians, ALONG with Catholic Christians all practice this Sacrament of Confession, and, combined, this represents over 80% of ALL Christians?

TO "Guessses": Am I Catholic? Are you new here?

And some of you STILL havent read the link. At least do me the courtesy of looking.

Hey, does it look like the edge of me Santa hat is turnung blue?

To davidm: It IS taught in Scripture. You just don't want to admit it. READ THE LINK.

Answer 1

Some claim that confessing to a priest is not biblical. In John 20, we read of Christ appearing to the disciples on Easter Sunday. He breathed on the apostles giving them the authority to forgive, and not to forgive. This means they had to hear the sins in order to forgive/not forgive. Jesus then says “as the Father has sent me, so I send you”. This means the apostles are to continue Christ’s mission, the essence of which is the forgiveness of sins. In 2 Corinthians, St. Paul describes the apostles as ambassadors of Christ’s work of reconciliation. In the Epistle of James we read that the presbyters (priests) are called to pray for the sick and forgive their sins. Why are priests called to perform this task? Obviously, the priests have an authority that ordinary Christians do not.

It is clear that Christ gave the apostles the power to forgive sins.



The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the seven sacraments Christ gave his church. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is also known as the Sacrament of Penance or Confession. This sacrament can set us free from our sins, and from the burden of guilt that comes along with our sins. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation – confession – we are brought back into union with God. Our sins separate and damage our relationship with our Lord, and it is through this most powerful sacrament that our relationship with the Lord is repaired and strengthened. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation we can walk more closely with the Lord once again, without the burden of our sins weighing us down and distancing our relationship with God.

Some ask why Catholics confess to a priest rather than just going straight to God. Some claim that confessing to a priest is not biblical. But that is not true.

We confess to a priest because that is the way Jesus instigated the sacrament. It is at his command that we confess to one another. When we sin against the Father our sins also affect our Christian family. Confessing sins to a priest is something that was a universal practice and never debated in the Early Church.

Jesus himself was able to heal not only the physically sick, but the spiritually sick as well. Christ had the power to forgive sins (see Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:5-12).

He passed on that power to forgive sins in his name to his Apostles.

"Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father." (Matthew 18:18-19)

"Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I sent you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (John 20:21-23)

Jesus entrusted his Church with the power of forgiving sins through this most wonderful sacrament. The priest is simply the one who acts in persona Christi (in the person of Christ) in the confessional, but it is our Lord who forgives our sins. The priest grants absolution (sets us free from our sins) using the power Jesus entrusted to his Church. It is through Christ, however, that our sins are forgiven.

St. Paul tells us, "And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us." (2 Corinthians 5: 18-20)

Does this mean that we shouldn’t speak and pray directly to God and express sorrow for our sins? Not at all! In fact for daily faults that is exactly what we should be doing. But for more serious offenses, for grave and mortal sins, we must repent and confess through the Sacrament of Reconciliation because that is what Christ commands us to do.


Reconciliation (also known as Confession and Penance): Penance is a Sacrament in which the sins committed after Baptism are forgiven.
Biblical references: Matt 9:2-8; Jn 20:22-23; 2 Cor 5:17-20; James 5:13-16;
Matt 18:18; 1 Jn 5:16

Answer 2

The concept of a confessor is not a bad idea. I know quite a few Protestant denominations that encourage it. Of course God is the one to forgive sins, and it is only necessary to confess to Him - but there's something about telling another actual human being what you've done that firms up the repentance. I'm iffy on the whole "priests forgiving sins" thing, but I'm assured by Catholics that they understand the forgiveness ultimately comes from God. On that basis, I'm fine with it.

Answer 3

Your statement that over 80% of Christians confess their sins to a priest is NOT accurate or provable. 80% of Christian RELIGIONS consider confession necessary, but this does NOT mean that 80% of Christians engage in confession.

Here's another tidbit. FEWER than 25% of the population of the planet even BELIEVE in the notion of 'sin' to begin with. The other 75%-plus think that sin is merely a human concept. And guess what? They're RIGHT!

Answer 4

What is the point if Christ's death forgave all our sins? The death of Christ was perfectly sufficient to forgive all the sins of all His people, just as His resurrection perfectly and completely justified His people. By going to a man to receive forgiveness of sins is saying Christ didn't get the job done, His work was insufficient.

Mat 1:21 And she will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.

Col 2:13 And you, being dead in the deviations and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all the deviations,

Heb 10:10 by which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Heb 10:11 And indeed every priest stands day by day ministering, and often offering the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
Heb 10:12 But He, offering but one sacrifice for sins, "sat down" in perpetuity "at the right hand" of God,
Heb 10:13 from then on expecting "until His enemies are placed as a footstool" of His feet. (Psa. 110:1)
Heb 10:14 For by one offering He has perfected in perpetuity the ones being sanctified.

Answer 5

OK first of all I am christian and at the same time wiry of catholics in my opinion you only confess your sins to god and having someone say that they are a messenger of god like a priest does leaves room for corruption and ive heard some strange things about catholics it's something about their teachings that just don't sit well with me

Answer 6

Congratulations, love. you're probably one of the few who actually try to find things out for yourself before getting on the computer and revealing that you most likely have even attempted to find correct answers for yourself! Good Job!!

Answer 7

Catholicism is a beautiful God given gift. There is a lot more going on in Catholicism than confession.

A Catholic

http://www.vatican.va

Answer 8

This the same answer to the same question!

The concept of confession of sin to a priest is nowhere taught in Scripture. First, the New Testament does not teach that there are to be priests in the New Covenant. Instead, the New Testament teaches that all believers are priests. 1 Peter 2:5-9 describes believers as a “holy priesthood” and a “royal priesthood.” Revelation 1:6 and 5:10 both describe believers as “a kingdom and priests.” In the Old Covenant, the faithful had to approach God through the priests. The priests were mediators between the people and God. The priests offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. That is no longer necessary. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can now approach God’s throne with boldness (Hebrews 4:16). The temple veil tearing in two at Jesus’ death was symbolic of the dividing wall between God and humanity being destroyed. We can approach God directly, ourselves, without the use of a human mediator. Why? Because Jesus Christ is our great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-15; 10:21), and the only mediator between us and God (1 Timothy 2:15). The New Testament teaches that there are to be elders (1 Timothy 3), deacons (1 Timothy 3), bishops (Titus 1:6-9), and pastors (Ephesians 4:11) – but not priests.

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.

Again, the concept of confession of sin to a priest is nowhere taught in Scripture. We are to confess our sins to God (1 John 1:9). As New Covenant believers, we do not need mediators between us and God. We can go to God directly because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

Answer 9

I confess my sins to God,no one else! He is the ONLY one to forgive me of them.

Answer 10

In response to so many who claim"that's between God and me!".....have you never heard that God reveals Himself to the humble, not the proud?