Confession

[maria83]

Why do Catholics confess their sins to God through a priest? Can they not do this alone through prayer? How does the priest have authority to forgive in God’s name? He is only a man. Does God forgive when I go directly to Him in prayer? The Bible talks about asking for forgiveness and receiving it.

 

[pablope]

Why do Catholics confess their sins to God through a priest? Can they not do this alone through prayer? How does the priest have authority to forgive in God’s name? He is only a man. Does God forgive when I go directly to Him in prayer? The Bible talks about asking for forgiveness and receiving it.

Sure…but where does God say how to go about asking for forgiveness and receiving it?

In John 20:21-23 "Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Notice that Jesus sends the apostles in the same way that the Father sent Him. The Father sent Jesus with all power and authority which included the power to forgive sins. So also Jesus sends the apostles. Jesus breathes on the apostles and says, “receive the Holy Spirit.”

So…How is one to confess, what is the manner one is to confess one’s sins?

The clue to go to the OT:

Job 42:

7 After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer.

Question: Why did God, who spoke directly to Eliphaz, not just forgive him directly? And why did God order him to go through Job? What was God’s purpose?

 

[maria83]

Thank you for the information. But the story of Job is in the Old Testament. There are a lot of things in the Old Testament that we dont live by today. How do we know the priests today have the authority you claim?

 

[pablope]

Thank you for the information. But the story of Job is in the Old Testament. There are a lot of things in the Old Testament that we dont live by todayQUOTE]

The OT is a prefigurement of the NT. And God’s word is eternal and God is the same as always and does not change.

So where does God change His mind in his command to go through Job in the passage I shared?

As I said, the roots of confession are found in the OT.

Another one: 2Sam 12 (please read the whole chapter, will only cite this verse):

13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”

Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for[a] the LORD, the son born to you will die.”

Question: Why did God send Nathan to David to confront him for his sin?

Here, King David admits his sin to Nathan, the prophet, and Nathan pronounces the absolution. This seems like a forerunner of the sacrament of confession, doesn’t it?

How do we know the priests today have the authority you claim?/

 

[guanophore]

 Why do Catholics confess their sins to God through a priest?

That is how Jesus wanted it to work.

Can they not do this alone through prayer?

They can, and the should!

How does the priest have authority to forgive in God’s name? He is only a man.

Jesus gave it to him.

 Does God forgive when I go directly to Him in prayer?

It is possible, if it is a perfect confession.

The Bible talks about asking for forgiveness and receiving it.

Yes, but not for mortal sins.

 

[guanophore]

Thank you for the information. But the story of Job is in the Old Testament. There are a lot of things in the Old Testament that we dont live by today. How do we know the priests today have the authority you claim?

The OT is a prefigurment of the new.

Matt 9:8
8 When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.

Notice that it is plural…not just such power to Jesus to “men”.

 

[pablope]

Thank you for the information. But the story of Job is in the Old Testament. There are a lot of things in the Old Testament that we dont live by today. How do we know the priests today have the authority you claim?

In addition…think about this question I asked:

Question: Why did God, who spoke directly to Eliphaz, not just forgive him directly?

And why did God order him to go through Job? What was God’s purpose?

Reflect on this further…and you will come to understand why the sacrament of confession.

 

[po18guy]

Paul! Paul is New Testament. Paul forgave sins, as an ambassodor for Christ, and* in the person of Christ*:

2 Corinthians 2:10
King James Version (KJV)
10 “To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ”

Notice that Paul had forgotten the sins, just as Priests, who absolve us from sin, also forget - in emulation of God, Who forgets.

Remember that Christ gave His Church absolute authority over sin. See Matthew 16:19 and Matthew 18:18, as well as John 20:23. And, when Jesus forgave sin, He told the person in plain Aramaic, that their sins were forgiven (Matthew 9:2, Mark 2:5, Luke 5:20, Luke 7:48). We are supposed to hear those words of absolution, just as Jesus taught. The Priest acts in persona Christi, just as Paul did.

 

[Church_Militant]

These articles from my blog may help.
Catholic Confession
Scriptures About Penance

 

[bzkoss236]

This should also help:
The Forgiveness of Sins

 

[mab23]

Why do Catholics confess their sins to God through a priest? Can they not do this alone through prayer? How does the priest have authority to forgive in God’s name? He is only a man. Does God forgive when I go directly to Him in prayer? The Bible talks about asking for forgiveness and receiving it.

Great Question Maria - to add to everything that is posted look at the early church fathers as well and what they did

I mean we have the didache, letter of Barnabas, St Ignatius of Antioch, and many more who write about confession in the first century its clear they understood it as Catholics do today… below is a link to the actual writings as well as many more - God Bless

staycatholic.com/ecf_confession.htm

 

[JonathonofOhio]

In addition…think about this question I asked:

Question: Why did God, who spoke directly to Eliphaz, not just forgive him directly?

And why did God order him to go through Job? What was God’s purpose?

Reflect on this further…and you will come to understand why the sacrament of confession.

I’d just like to add this to what have you said:

Through the law of Moses, God gave specific ritual ways for individuals to confess their sins. In Leviticus 5:5-6 we read after a litany of sins, “…whoever is guilty in any of these cases shall confess the sin he has incurred, and as his sin offering for the sin he has committed he shall bring to the Lord a female animal from the flock…The priest shall then make atonement for his sin.” There must be a confession of sin, penance of sacrifice, and the involvement of a priest. It is the priest who makes atonement, which means to remove an obstacle to reconciliation. Leviticus 5:10 goes on to say, “Thus the priest shall make atonement for the sin the man committed, and it will be forgiven.”

Jesus said this:

Think not that I am come to make void the law or the prophets; I am not come to make void, but to fulfill.

Matthew 5:17