Does the Bible tell us to confess?

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Can anyone tell me where in the Bible, does it tell us to confess to one another? I know I have heard that but can’t find it.
Also, a protestant friend of mine just can’t understand why we just can’t tell our sins to Christ, why we have to go through a priest.
Can anyone give me a answer in a nutshell?
thanks for your help!
 
Here is a good article on confession from This Rock magazine. Not only does it point on the scriptural references, but also some of the Early Church Fathers (including ones from the time of the apostles:
CONFESSION (This Rock: February 1997)
PF
 
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kayla:
Can anyone tell me where in the Bible, does it tell us to confess to one another? I know I have heard that but can’t find it.
Also, a protestant friend of mine just can’t understand why we just can’t tell our sins to Christ, why we have to go through a priest.
Can anyone give me a answer in a nutshell?
thanks for your help!
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#1
Jas.5

  1. ]16] Therefore* confess** your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.

    #2 Because Christ commanded it.

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

    Forgiveness of sins brings peace. Not the giving of the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore this is an authority given to the Apostles and passed on by them. Also note that he “breathed on them”. The only other time God breathed on man was when he breathed on adam giving him physical life. Here he gives spiritual life through the forgiveness of sins, which was lost in the garden.

    There is far more biblical evidence of the Catholic position than I can do justice to in a post. But I hope this helps.A good book on this is Scott Hahn’s “Lord Have Mercy”.

    By the way, if you ever want to look up a passage there are several good search engines online. www.unboundbible.com, biblegateway.com or the rsv which I prefer:

    hti.umich.edu/r/rsv/browse.html

    Blessings
 
James 5:16 which reads "**16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. **

Now to confess ones sins is only done when seeking forgiveness. To receive forgivness from God for sins committed against His goodness we need to confess to those who have the power to forgive i.e. a Priest.

After all they have the power to forgive and retain.

This link will sort them out!! scripturecatholic.com/confession.html 😉
 
Aside from the whole issue of the fact that Christ commanded it, as others have said, the whole thing brings peace. We are forgiven if we truly repent. God knows when we have trule repented. Do we? I know that, as a Protestant, I was always wondering is my repentance was genuine, and consequently, if I had been forgiven. Now I know that I have been forgiven because Christ’s minister tells me so.
 
As an additional note, the only response I have heard regarding this by a Protestant is that the Bible says this is blasphemy to confess to a mere man, which is quoted here from the Bible.
“Why does this man speak that way? 5 He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” Mark 2:7

This by the way, is really quoted out of context and is quoting the Scribes speaking against Jesus. Would you rather be on Jesus’s side or against Him? Read this in context, Mark demonstrates that Jesus as a man has the power to forgive sins, which He then passes on to the Apostles when he breathes on them.

Some of the other passages against confession taken from the Bible by non-catholics are passages from the Old-Testament which of course is before Jesus came and established the sacrament of confession.

God Bless
Scylla
 
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Fergal:
James 5:16 which reads "**16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. **

Now to confess ones sins is only done when seeking forgiveness. To receive forgivness from God for sins committed against His goodness we need to confess to those who have the power to forgive i.e. a Priest.

After all they have the power to forgive and retain.

This link will sort them out!! scripturecatholic.com/confession.html 😉
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I will use this post. I cant do better, thanks Fergal.
 
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
 
Sir Knight , THANK YOU!

1st John 1: 8-10 has been one of my favorite passeges for about 20 years. God will forgive you - yes.

But how can He forgive unless you tell Him your sins? On earth the only ones who were given the ordinates that were given to St Peter are the validly ordained Priests - when the Bishop laid hands on them the day they became Priest they recieved the ability to hear a confession.
 
Originally Posted by Fergal
*James 5:16 which reads "**16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. ***

Now to confess ones sins is only done when seeking forgiveness. To receive forgivness from God for sins committed against His goodness we need to confess to those who have the power to forgive i.e. a Priest.

After all they have the power to forgive and retain.

This link will sort them out!! scripturecatholic.com/confession.html 😉

Exporter said:
*************** **************** ********************

I will use this post. I cant do better, thanks Fergal.
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Hi Exporter,
Yes it is a good post and each one of us must confess our sins to each other, that is confess to the one you have sinned against. As I was led to do here on this forum. This makes it more and more difficult to keep in the same sin. How many times can you go to someone and ask them to forgive you for the same sin. In sincerity the sin would cease.
As for confessing all to our Priest this is so very important.
Hebrews 5:5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him,
“You are my Son,
Today I have begotten You
5:6 As He also says in another place
" You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek”

So as Jesus lives and is our Priest forever, who would you prefer to confess to.
A man, who may also be a child molester, but who definitely is a sinner as you are,
or Christ who is even closer to you than the earthly priest and who has proved His sinlessness and ability to forgive.
If your parish priest has the power to forgive sins, he also has the power to heal, Mark 2:9 Which is easier to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven you” or to say, “Arise, take up your bed and walk”
Tell me here on this forum, do you confess to a priest who is constantly healing supernaturally, the manifestation of forgiveness.
Personally, I would rather confess to Christ, even though I can not see Him, just as you can not see a priest, I suppose, who is in a confessional with the window drawn, Hollywood style.
Please be careful
walk in love
edwinG
 
I am saddened by your post Edwin. Not because of the views you have regarding Confession but you have resorted to attacking the whole Priesthood at the expense of the few. A very easy thing for the uneducated to do. Following your twisted theory I come up with the following statement: For all I know, EdwinG, you could be a child molester since there are other lay men out there who are child molesters. Is that ok for me to infer? Well if its ok for you to infer that my Spiritual director may be a child molester because some other priests have proved themselves to be so, then it is perfectly ok to hold you in suspicion too since other lay men have also proved to be molesters.

Enough of your nonsense and down to business.
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edwinG:
Tell me here on this forum, do you confess to a priest who is constantly healing supernaturally, the manifestation of forgiveness.
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Yes I do. For there are many types of supernatural healings. It is narrow minded to think of healing as being only outward manifestations and something physical. These indeed are healings but are the most dramatic to be found. What about all the unseen healing? EdwinG I will tell you here and now that through every blessing a Priest heals, through every Mass offered through his hands a Priest heals. Through each and every prayer a Priest heals. Through spiritual advice and guidance, a priest heals.

Your definition of healing needs to be broadened. These done in the name of Christ become supernatural.

Leave aside Religion for a moment. The dictionary explains ‘healing’ as ‘restoration of health or soundness’ and again ‘to set right and to repair’ These are also done in the secret of the body of the recipient through the action of a consecrated one, and in full view of God Almighty. These indeed are supernatural healings.
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edwinG:
Personally, I would rather confess to Christ, even though I can not see Him, just as you can not see a priest, I suppose, who is in a confessional with the window drawn, Hollywood style.
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Personally you are very misguided and blind. The only ones you will manage to convince with these weak arguments are more blind folk. Therefore you are wasting your time here because us Catholics in this CA family are very much bright eyed and are proud as punch of our 20-20 vision.

I will now, in turn and in all seriousness, fraternally, give you a piece of your own advice.
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edwinG:
Please be careful
Click to expand...
 
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edwinG:
Personally, I would rather confess to Christ, even though I can not see Him, just as you can not see a priest, I suppose, who is in a confessional with the window drawn, Hollywood style.
Please be careful
walk in love
edwinG
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edwinG, you cannot possibly at this point in your career on CA Forums be unaware that Catholics confess to God, to Christ our Great High Priest, when they confess to a priest. You cannot be unaware that the ministerial priesthood of the Church participates in the Priesthood of Christ.

I might add (with a little pique, I confess) that until you have experienced the graces of this Sacrament, you really can have no idea whatsoever what you are talking about.
 
And, if I am not mistaken, church law requires you to make at least one confession a year or be considered in a state of mortal sin and barred from the rest of the sacraments.
 
EdwinG

I want to confess to who and in the way Christ tells me to. You present a false dichotomy. One of confessing to a priest vs. Christ. When we are in the confessional we know that Christ is there and hears our sins as well. He in fact already knows them but he wants us to voice them. The priest is there “in persona Christi”, in the person of Christ. Thus he has us go to a man to acknowledge them verbally. They are no longer hidden and thus have no power over us. Christ does forgive our sins. Do you deny that Christ can hear our confession to the priest.

By the way read Psalm 109. Christ was always the high priest. Yet that did not prevent Jews in the OT from confessing to priests.

Also it is interesting that you bring up the story of the paralytic.
Read the Matthew account in Chp. 9.

6] But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" – he then said to the paralytic – “Rise, take up your bed and go home.”
7] And he rose and went home.
8] When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Jesus was a man, yet there is some authority that this verse says is given to MEN. What authority is it that v. 8 is talking about?

6] But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to FORGIVE SINS" – he then said to the paralytic – “Rise, take up your bed and go home.”

So MEN forgive sins. Who are the other MEN Christ is talking about. And your logic that priests must be causing people to get up and walk is refuted here as well. Christ cured the man’s physical ailment to show that he had the authority of God. In Matt 28 he says that all authoriity has been granted to him and he granted it to his apostles.

be careful. 🙂

God bless
 
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