Results 1 - 3 of 3
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Can a priest forgive sins? | John 20:23 | Makarios | 7591 | ||
John is not saying that the apostles or anyone else has the power to "forgive" sins in a priestly confessional, as Rome teaches. Instead, the apostle is teaching that when we go out and preach the gospel, as Jesus commanded us to, we are doing exactly what His Father sent Him to do. If men accept the gospel, then we have the right to inform them on the basis of the promises of Jesus, "Your sins are forgiven because you have placed your trust in Jesus Christ." If men reject the gospel, we also have the right to inform them on the same basis, "Your sins are not forgiven; they cannot be forgiven until you believe in Jesus Christ." The apostle John is actually teaching that all Christians have this declaratory power, not just Catholic priests. In other words, every Christian- great and small- has the right to tell a new believer on the basis of Christ's promises that his sins have already been forgiven him by Jesus Christ. The Bible does not state that any priest has the exclusive right to forgive sins on Christ's behalf. This is a prerogative of all believers which comes under the biblical teaching of the universal priesthood of believers- the fact that every believer in Christ is "a priest unto God" (1 Peter 2:5,9). Protestants, therefore, do not believe that it is necessary for a person to confess his sins to a priest before God will forgive him. Protestants assert that all believers have been given the right of access to God through Christ and are able to go directly to God in prayer. 1 Timothy 2:5 declares, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." If Christ is the true mediator between God and man, as the Bible plainly says, then men should confess their sins to Him, not to a priest. Biblically, there is no necessity for the often humiliating experience of the confessional if Jesus Christ alone has already forgiven us the full divine penalty for our sins. There is no fear that someone will not perform the acts of penance properly before God will grant forgiveness. There is no reason to be concerned about obligations to the Church, no need for confusion over whether or not one's sins are truly forgiven, and no reason to be terrified of purgatory for errors committed in this life. |
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2 | Can a priest forgive sins? | John 20:23 | stjames7 | 183835 | ||
Several common misconceptions regarding Catholic confession of sins: The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches that God alone can forgive sins and that sin “is a rupture of communion with him”. The priest therefore is not the one who is forgiving sins rather it is indeed Christ who is present in the sacrament. Catholics are free to confess their sins directly to God at any time. However, sin harms not only our relationship with God but our relationship with the Church, whose members make up the body of Christ. Jesus tells us that we are forgiven only as far as we forgive those who hurt us (MT 11:3-4) and that we should reconcile ourselves to our brother before offering a sacrifice to God (Mt 5:23-24). We must reconcile not only before God but also before the Church. The role of the priest is also to act as a spiritual advisor, giving suggestions for a plan of action to avoid sinning again. He advises penance not as a condition of forgiveness, we are forgiven with the words of absolution in the confessional, but as an act of sincerity on the part of the penitent. If we say we are sorry but continue to sin anyway, then we have never truly repented. The Catechism explains the sacrament in detail. (CCC 1440-1470 and 1113-1134) 1 Peter 2:5 is written within the context of God’s people being part of the new temple. The Mosaic Law forbade any but the priests from entering into the Temple Holy of Holies which contained the presence of God. The new temple is Christ who is the cornerstone; anyone can approach Jesus, likening to us a priestly role. Instead of the physical sacrifices made by the temple priests, we are called as a priestly people to make spiritual sacrifices. Lastly, I have found that myself among many others feel a most profound sense of peace given through the grace received during reconciliation. The act of confession is a humbling experience to have to look at my sins for what they are but it’s far from humiliating. |
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3 | Can a priest forgive sins? | John 20:23 | DocTrinsograce | 183839 | ||
Hi, Stjames... The post to which you are replying is almost six years old. :-) In Him, Doc |
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