Catholics have confession, what do Protestants have if they sin?

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Great post, Richard; it seems that you have put the ball back in the catholic’s court! These are awesome answers to their allegations!👍
The ball back in our court? The game has not even begun with your false belief,so…WHAT BALL?
 
👍:thumbsup:Bravo, Richard, good answer! It is chronicled throughout the Bible, how mighty men of God went directly to Him to confess their sins, and plead for forgiveness! David, Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Paul, and the list goes on. Jesus pretty much tells us that He will be our Mediator between us and the Father! Nowhere in scripture does Jesus say togo to confession with a priest!👍
Partially true but also WRONG! Tell me what part of John 20:19-23 do you not comprehend?
 
I’m the OP, just to let everyone know I haven’t abandoned the thread I am still reading it, it’s just going a little over my head 😛

Thank you for everyone who has answered so far. 🙂
 
Wow. It took me a while to get through all the postings on this thread.

I recently had a discussion with someone on this very subject and so when I saw the title, it piqued my interest. Many go through great lengths to explain why they only have to ‘go straight to God’. That’s very nice that they can comfort their own hearts on that matter.

But it brings to mind the question that was posed to Jesus of why Moses allowed divorce. He said it was because of the hardness of our hearts. Does hardness of hearts have something to do with confession also? Maybe people don’t want to confess to a priest because they deny the priesthood altogether and have hardened their hearts against the New Eucharistic Covenant?

Jesus wants us to be One Church, One Body. This fracture only hurts and damages, true repentance is needed and we need to listen to Jesus as He speaks through His Church.

I for one, have been trying to soften my heart for years,

God bless each and every one of you.
 
Partially true but also WRONG! Tell me what part of John 20:19-23 do you not comprehend?
Perhaps John20:19-23 has a line drawn through it in his bible.🤷
How can one not comprehend this.

Matthew
 
This may be a simple question but it’s puzzled me recently.

If I was to commit a serious sin, I can go to confession to seek, and receive, forgiveness. But what do Protestants do in such an occasion, if anything at all? How can they be assured of God’s forgiveness for their sins?

Note - I’m not specifically looking for answers from Protestants themselves, but that would be interesting.
In theory, they have assurance from the bible.
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

(I’m speaking of the evangelical, sola scriptura sort)

While the bible does speak of Jesus giving power to the Apostles to forgive sins in His name, and St. James writes of telling your sins to another to be forgiven and healed; in practice, here’s what it looks like.



finit. Nobody really does anything about it. It is a rare protestant who spends time seeking forgiveness and doing penance. The sacrament of Confession is what brought me back to the Catholic Church. It was very odd to raise children without a working concept of the sacrament. Even kids sin. What are they supposed to do with that? Children were not even allowed to be baptized. So, in practice, you just kind of ignore it and hope it goes away. Of course, that hope is rooted in 1 John 1:9, and it is a blessed assurance. Even though you don’t “feel” forgiven.

The Sacrament gives you a tangible “I Know I’ve Been Forgiven” feeling, that is not present to evangelicals, unless they are able to conjure up that feeling all by themselves.
 
There is no argument about Jesus giving up His Kingship, to become a humble servant! John 1:14 says:“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” As a human being, like us, He could not heal, perform miracles, or forgive sins; only God can do that.
This flys in the face of reality #1 although we do not understand how Jesus could be both man and God. Jesus tells us very plainley we will do greater works then He.
But, Jesus, endowed with the power of the Holy Spirit, could do all these and more. When He healed the paralytic, He was confirming that He was on a level with God, and had been given the power to firgive sins!
Jesus was the son of man ! We also are adopted sons of God, if we obey His commands.

Our father who art in heaven >. We have been adopted >. We are also sons and daughters of men .# 1B, You seem to limit the text to one meaning when clearly it has two and perhaps more.
I don’t believe that John 20:21-23 gave mankind, namely the disciples, the power to forgive sins as God does; that is, was and will always be His domain.
All I can say here is, God does the forgiving and the priest represents Jesus. We know Jesus gave the power to forgive sins to the Apostles, I think it would be a stretch to say, Jesus could not do the same for the Apostles successors. What did God send Jesus as a man to do for all ?
What we do have is the power toforgive those who sin against us.So, to make people feel like outcasts because they do not have confession like catholics is uncharitable at the least!
Not so # 1B if the Cathoic Church represents Christ in its fullest sense it pre-supposes, all must search dilligently without any bias for the truth <>. Easy to say, hard to do.

Peace,:compcoff:
 
You are reading something into this that is not there!:eek: You want me to call the pope holy father, but I won’t, it is not proper! There is no scripture giving man the authority to call anyone, let alone the pope a name reserved for our Heavenly Father. Jesus addresses God as such in John 17:11. And you don’t hear Jesus telling His disciples to call any one man Holy Father, because Jesus knows there is only one. If it were meant for us to address our pastors and leaders by that title, then we all would!😉 And I have been cursed and lambasted by catholic friends and co-workers before I joined this forum for not addressing the pope as holy father. No disrespect, he just isn’t that to me; he is the leader of the catholic church, so “sir,” would be an appropriate greeting!👍
[/quote]
 
This flys in the face of reality #1 although we do not understand how Jesus could be both man and God. Jesus tells us very plainley we will do greater works then He.

Jesus was the son of man ! We also are adopted sons of God, if we obey His commands.

Our father who art in heaven >. We have been adopted >. We are also sons and daughters of men .# 1B, You seem to limit the text to one meaning when clearly it has two and perhaps more.

All I can say here is, God does the forgiving and the priest represents Jesus. We know Jesus gave the power to forgive sins to the Apostles, I think it would be a stretch to say, Jesus could not do the same for the Apostles successors. What did God send Jesus as a man to do for all ?

Not so # 1B if the Cathoic Church represents Christ in its fullest sense it pre-supposes, all must search dilligently without any bias for the truth <>. Easy to say, hard to do.

Peace,:compcoff:
Since it is not entirely clear whether John 20:21-23 gave man the power to forgive sins, then it becomes a matter of interpretation! You see it one way, everyone else sees it another way. God really doesn’t need anyone between Him and the confessor; because He is all that! But I have nothing but respect for you all who believe so strongly in all that you believe in!👍
 
In theory, they have assurance from the bible.
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

(I’m speaking of the evangelical, sola scriptura sort)

While the bible does speak of Jesus giving power to the Apostles to forgive sins in His name, and St. James writes of telling your sins to another to be forgiven and healed; in practice, here’s what it looks like.



finit. Nobody really does anything about it. It is a rare protestant who spends time seeking forgiveness and doing penance. The sacrament of Confession is what brought me back to the Catholic Church. It was very odd to raise children without a working concept of the sacrament. Even kids sin. What are they supposed to do with that? Children were not even allowed to be baptized. So, in practice, you just kind of ignore it and hope it goes away. Of course, that hope is rooted in 1 John 1:9, and it is a blessed assurance. Even though you don’t “feel” forgiven.

The Sacrament gives you a tangible “I Know I’ve Been Forgiven” feeling, that is not present to evangelicals, unless they are able to conjure up that feeling all by themselves.
So you’re coming from a exclusionistic position by implying that only catholics get a tangible"I Know I’ve Been Forgiven " feeling! Not very Christlike!😛
 
Wow. It took me a while to get through all the postings on this thread.

I recently had a discussion with someone on this very subject and so when I saw the title, it piqued my interest. Many go through great lengths to explain why they only have to ‘go straight to God’. That’s very nice that they can comfort their own hearts on that matter.

But it brings to mind the question that was posed to Jesus of why Moses allowed divorce. He said it was because of the hardness of our hearts. Does hardness of hearts have something to do with confession also? Maybe people don’t want to confess to a priest because they deny the priesthood altogether and have hardened their hearts against the New Eucharistic Covenant?

Jesus wants us to be One Church, One Body. This fracture only hurts and damages, true repentance is needed and we need to listen to Jesus as He speaks through His Church.

I for one, have been trying to soften my heart for years,

God bless each and every one of you.
That is so farfetched, it borders on ludicrous! Just because we don’t feel the need to confess to a priest, does not mean we don;t believe in the priesthood!
 
That is so farfetched, it borders on ludicrous! Just because we don’t feel the need to confess to a priest, does not mean we don;t believe in the priesthood!
Ah, but the the priesthood of all believers is not the same as the ministerial priesthood (as of the Catholic Church through the sacrament of Holy Orders).
 
Yes, he does admit his sin. Perhaps you missed this part of my post "he in no way confesses his sin to Nathan as in the Catholic rite of confession.

Let us look at 2Sam12 v 13 again:

13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

You said:"]Yes, he does admit his sin"!

Richard, this is what is done at the sacrament of confession, admittance of guilt. When sins are orally accounted for to the priest, it is an admittance of guilt.

Even though the sacrament has not been instituted here, you can clearly see the forerunner of the sacrament.

And when Nathan says the absolution, there is another element of the sacrament, the absolution. There is the forerunner, the prophet Nathan, and today, the priest announces the words of absolution.
David does that in Psalm 51"
 
Since it is not entirely clear whether John 20:21-23 gave man the power to forgive sins, then it becomes a matter of interpretation! You see it one way, everyone else sees it another way. God really doesn’t need anyone between Him and the confessor; because He is all that! But I have nothing but respect for you all who believe so strongly in all that you believe in!👍
Hi,yes we believe the CC indeed is the body of Christ however it has some missing sheep ! and 1B yes you have hit the nail right on the head, 2000 thousand years of interpreting and approximately 500yrs of renegotiating God’s word.

Just look around at the world # 1.can you see all the thousands of Christian Communities singing I’ll do it my way ? .😃

God Bless,🙂

"God needs nothing but what does He want " ?
 
Let us look at 2Sam12 v 13 again:

13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

You said:"]Yes, he does admit his sin"!

Richard, this is what is done at the sacrament of confession, admittance of guilt. When sins are orally accounted for to the priest, it is an admittance of guilt.

Even though the sacrament has not been instituted here, you can clearly see the forerunner of the sacrament.

And when Nathan says the absolution, there is another element of the sacrament, the absolution. There is the forerunner, the prophet Nathan, and today, the priest announces the words of absolution.
Nathan uses his little story to show David that he had sinned before God. Verse 13 shows that the story works, David sees his sin and Nathan recognising that David gets it and has genuine repentance merely acknowledges that God accepts this repentance. As He would anyone who sincerely comes to Him.
Nope. As I showed you, Psalm 51 was written after David admits his sin to Nathan, after he had confessed and the absolution by Nathan. So David is not confessing in Psalm 51, he had already done that.
Let’s take a look at all of Psalm 51

Psalm 51
1Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

If you read this Psalm and still hold to this statement “So David is not confessing in Psalm 51, he had already done that” To paraphrase Isaiah There is noone so blind as those who will not see. The whole point of the Psalm is confession. and a plea for mercy, not from Nathan, but from God.
No, Richard. The sacrifice is “8Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams…”. The OT prefigurement of Christ is the Lamb, as in the events of Passover. Christ has never been referred to as a bull or ram.
All of the animal burnt offerings were types for the sacrifice of Christ.
This just shows your misunderstanding of the sacrament of confession. It is still God forgiving the sins in the sacrament, but acts through the priest. It is similar to God’s command to Job, and what Nathan does when he absolves David. All are acting under God’s command. And it is as God wills it and we obey as He commands.
Actually pablope this shows your misunderstanding of your own “sacrament”
This from the seventh session of the Council of Trent cannon 11

CANON XI.-If any one saith, that, in ministers, when they effect, and confer the sacraments, there is not required the intention at least of doing what the Church does; let him be anathema.

According to the council of Trent in order for the sacrament of confession or any sacrament to be valid there must be the INTENTION OF THE MINISTER. So If the intention of the minister is not there it really doesn’t matter if he pronounces the absolution words the penitant is still in his sins. So apparently it isn’t Jesus who gives absolution in this Catholic rite but the priest.
 
Nathan uses his little story to show David that he had sinned before God. Verse 13 shows that the story works, David sees his sin and Nathan recognising that David gets it and has genuine repentance merely acknowledges that God accepts this repentance. As He would anyone who sincerely comes to Him.

Let’s take a look at all of Psalm 51

Psalm 51
1Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

If you read this Psalm and still hold to this statement “So David is not confessing in Psalm 51, he had already done that” To paraphrase Isaiah There is noone so blind as those who will not see. The whole point of the Psalm is confession. and a plea for mercy, not from Nathan, but from God.

All of the animal burnt offerings were types for the sacrifice of Christ.

Actually pablope this shows your misunderstanding of your own “sacrament”
This from the seventh session of the Council of Trent cannon 11

CANON XI.-If any one saith, that, in ministers, when they effect, and confer the sacraments, there is not required the intention at least of doing what the Church does; let him be anathema.

According to the council of Trent in order for the sacrament of confession or any sacrament to be valid there must be the INTENTION OF THE MINISTER. So If the intention of the minister is not there it really doesn’t matter if he pronounces the absolution words the penitant is still in his sins. So apparently it isn’t Jesus who gives absolution in this Catholic rite but the priest.
Nope! Problem is that as a Protestant and as many Protestants,you do not acknowledge or know about “types” in the OT which are superseded by something or someone in the NT.
 
Nathan uses his little story to show David that he had sinned before God

. Verse 13 shows that the story works, David sees his sin and Nathan recognising that David gets it and has genuine repentance merely acknowledges that God accepts this repentance. As He would anyone who sincerely comes to Him.

The little story of Nathan is what happens to a true penitant. One recognizes the offense, and accepts it and admits it. David did this. This is the same thing that happens in the confessional. A recognition of the offense, and admittance and a desire to reconcile to God by going to confession.

As has been pointed out, it is God acting through Nathan, when Nathan absolves David. Nathan would not have said the words of absolution without God’s ok.

Again, a forerunner of the sacrament of confession.

Let’s take a look at all of Psalm 51
If you read this Psalm and still hold to this statement “So David is not confessing in Psalm 51, he had already done that” To paraphrase Isaiah There is noone so blind as those who will not see.
 
The little story of Nathan is what happens to a true penitant. One recognizes the offense, and accepts it and admits it. David did this. This is the same thing that happens in the confessional. A recognition of the offense, and admittance and a desire to reconcile to God by going to confession.
 
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