C
Church_Militant
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Protestantism’s OSAS works out as nothing more than a vehicle for rationalizing sin in a person’s life without worthwhile accountability or contrition, since they don’t have to actually face another believer to confess their sins and risk those sins being retained if the confessor senses a lack of real contrition and purpose to amend their life.
According to you every Protestant is a hypocrite.So what you are saying is that for those twenty eight years you were an evengelical you were too. I know a number of Spirit filled Evangelicals and they have to ask for forgiveness for their sins all of the time. There is no such thing as a perfect Christian. In Romans 7:14-25 Paul writes “My own behavior baffles me”. "For I find myself not doing what I really want to do but doing what I really loathe…I often find that I have the will to do good, but not the power. That is, I don’t accomplish the good I set out to do, and the evil I don’t really want to do I find I am always doing…It is agonizing situation, and who on earth can set me free from the clutches of my sinful nature? Then he adds, “I thank God there is a way out through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The Bible tells us that if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fullfill the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
I could say the same thing about Catholics going to confession. Most Catholics I know go out and commit the same sins they confess to a priest. The Bible does say to confess your sins to one another, but that is by choice. It is not a commandment. That doesn’t mean you have to go to a priest to confess. It can be any believer. A priest cannot forgive and grant absolution from your sins.
All sin is mortal. The division of sin between venial and mortal sin is based on self righteousness. People want to think they are better than other people because they don’t commit certain sins. Someone on this forum said that if there was no such thing as mortal sin then Jesus would not have had to die on the cross. That is a frightening statement. The Bible says “All have come short of the Glory of God”.I’m well familiar with the passages that you cite, and no Catholic would deny them, however, the fact that one struggles with sin does not invalidate one’s faith. It just gives us another reason to thank God for the sacramental provisions that He has equiped the church with for our help and growth.
Obedience brings more grace and ultimately victory and peace. What does the Word of God say to do when we sin? Confess it. (James 5:16 & 1st John 1:9) This concept goes all the way back to the Old Testament if you look into it.
No ma’am it does not. It is by command. Nothing in any of the passages on confession of sins in the Word of God offer it as optional. If you can provide me with chapter and verse to show that it is “by choice”, then I’ll gladly admit I am wrong, but it won’t happen…because I know my Bible well enough to make that statement with full confidence. But please… feel free to offer whatever you think willl support that belief of yours. I have opened a new thread over in apologetics just for this discussion, so please offer what you will.
Pax tecum,
P.S. Please note that this thread is not really about OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved or eternal security of the believer.) It is a discussion of the commmandment of the Word of God to confess our sins and to help clarify for Alfie (and perhaps others) the need and provision in the Word of God for the Sacrament of Reconcilliation. OSAS is strictly a side issue and has been dealt with many times before in other threads. Please stick with the topic of confession.
We slip up whether we want to or not - and if we waited till we were certain we’re not going to sin again before we went to confession, well we’d never go because we can never be certain, it’s that simple.
