Confession to priests only

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How does one answer the question, “Why is confession reserved only for priests and bishops and not to all believers, since both Catholic and Protestant believe in the preisthood of all beleivers?” I’ve made some headway in a debate with my faterh using scripture to show that God allows men to forgive sins and the Bible teaches taht we should “confess our sins to one another” (James). But how can one make a distinction from when Jesus gives a command that is to a specific group (ie. the Apostles->Bishops->Priests) and when his command is for all of us? Is this a question that simply boils down to Authority?

Thanks,

Ken
 
Navy Ken:
How does one answer the question, “Why is confession reserved only for priests and bishops and not to all believers, since both Catholic and Protestant believe in the preisthood of all beleivers?” I’ve made some headway in a debate with my faterh using scripture to show that God allows men to forgive sins and the Bible teaches taht we should “confess our sins to one another” (James). But how can one make a distinction from when Jesus gives a command that is to a specific group (ie. the Apostles->Bishops->Priests) and when his command is for all of us? Is this a question that simply boils down to Authority?

Thanks,

Ken
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Generally speaking, you can confess anything you want to just about anybody.

But if one is looking for Absolution from those sins, that authority was given only to the Apostles and their heirs. Ask you father under what authority could the universal priesthood absolve the penitent of sin.
 
My response would be that the church, which has authority over the administration of the sacraments, has reserved this function to the ordained ministerial priesthood. Ineed, in the early church, confession was made in the assembly to all gathered there. We have preserved that litugically in the penitential rite at the beginning of mass. One can see, however, how this would become an occation of sin for the members of the assembly and the practice developed of confessing one’s sins to the presider (priest) guarunteeing some form of privacy when revealing our inner most sins.

Also, we know, that a priest is ordained to operate on belhaf of (aka in the person of) Christ. To hear the words of the priest is, in reality, to hear the words of Christ . . . “I absolve you from your sins . . .”

To sum up, I would say, the form of the sacrament developed as a pastoral response to the needs of the community for a personal experience of Christ’s forgiveness and to protect the sinner from the sanctimonious and to protect the assembly from the near occasion of commiting the sin of sanctimony.

This is just my analysis of the history.

Ross
 
Very interesting, informative, and excellent answer Ross.

Greg
 
Navy Ken:
How does one answer the question, “Why is confession reserved only for priests and bishops and not to all believers, since both Catholic and Protestant believe in the preisthood of all beleivers?” I’ve made some headway in a debate with my faterh using scripture to show that God allows men to forgive sins and the Bible teaches taht we should “confess our sins to one another” (James). But how can one make a distinction from when Jesus gives a command that is to a specific group (ie. the Apostles->Bishops->Priests) and when his command is for all of us? Is this a question that simply boils down to Authority?

Thanks,

Ken
Click to expand...
“But how can one make a distinction from when Jesus gives a command that is to a specific group (ie. the Apostles->Bishops->Priests) and when his command is for all of us? Is this a question that simply boils down to Authority?”

By looking at who He is specifically speaking too. In John He grants the Apostles the ability to forgive sins in His name. He grants the Apostles His own authority which allows them to appoint or Ordain successors. This is not granted to everyone.

“Why is confession reserved only for priests and bishops and not to all believers, since both Catholic and Protestant believe in the preisthood of all beleivers?”

This is true we do both believe that all the Baptized share in the common priesthood of Christ. But Catholics also believe in a separate and distinct Ministerial Priesthood granted through the reception of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Following after the priesthood of the old Covenant. Not everyone could offer sactifice only those “set apart” for that function and purpose.
 
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