Forgiveness

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whatsthetruth

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A quick question, if I confessed my sin of fornication with my now ex girlfriend (who is not Catholic) and we no longer partake in any kind of fornication, is she also forgiven if she is sorry we committed this act although she doesn’t believe in confession?
 
We were only confused at the time and I pushed it on her… please explain this verse.

After saying this he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit; for those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.” (John20:22-23)

So if I forgave her and she forgave me then we are forgiven? Or is this only for priests?
 
You both still committed a sin against God. She still must apologize to the one she sinned against - God - by dishonoring he body He gave to her - that is not something you can forgive her for.
 
So basically if one is not Catholic then there’s no hope for forgiveness?
 
No there is hope. There is no Sacrament. Basically I would take a look at the writings of Lumen Gentium and Nostra Aetate that cover this - to sum this up we know the same God , we have the same Baptism if Christian, or possibly not if not Christian, but we may not have that full Sacramental relationship without the Sacraments. This is a much more complicated discussion.
 
whatsthetruth said:
We were only confused at the time and I pushed it on her… please explain this verse.

After saying this he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit; for those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.” (John20:22-23)

So if I forgave her and she forgave me then we are forgiven? Or is this only for priests?
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Only God forgives sins, but the verse you provided is one aspect of the wider story of the authority God bestowed upon the apostles (and their ordained successors) to lead the Church and be sacramental instruments of His graces. In short, yes, that is only for priests, and only in the sacrament of reconciliation, and only received by the one contrite person who is confessing.

God, however, is not bound to His sacraments, so if your girlfriend never sacramentally confesses, we can reasonably hope in the great Mercy of God that she is forgiven. We simply do not, and cannot ever, know, however.
 
Having faith that God will forgive her sins and turning away from sin is what matters most.

Again, Luke 7:36-50 reports a woman ‘who was a sinner’ who came and annointed Jesus feet. Jesus declared to those around I say to you, her sins which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little" And he said to her **“Your sins are forgiven” … “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace” **
These passages show that Jesus purpose and intention is to forgive sin but forgiveness requires repentance (turning away from sin) and faith (obedience).
 
Thank you Franna - it has been a long day for me and I was having a hard time keeping it simple without going into some long drawn out explanation of ecumenicalism so I figured best to cut it short…
 
whatsthetruth said:
So basically if one is not Catholic then there’s no hope for forgiveness?
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If she doesn’t believe in confession, it sounds like maybe she doesn’t think there is anything she should ask forgiveness for? Are you worried about her, but she is not?

Or…if she does think she should ask forgiveness, yet she doesn’t believe in confession, maybe she’ll just talk to God directly.
 
I see well all I know to do now is pray for her forgiveness till the day I die. She is a christian and has been baptized and I understand where you are coming from with the holy sacrament aspect. Is there anything else I can do besides pray? I am guessing I have done all I can do at this point honestly and need to leave it in God’s hands?

I am worried about her because I still love her but we don’t associate anymore because our flesh is just to weak after had been together and sharing something sacred. I know she is praying and has already asked forgiveness through prayer so I guess she will be okay she has a lot of love and is obedient to God to the best of my knowledge.
 
Many good Protestants do not believe in confession but they are baptized which bestows a certain grace.If they ask Jesus in their heart for forgiveness,then they are forgiven.Contriteness must also proceed turning away from that particular sin.
 
Thanks Franna and everyone else that bible verse made me feel much better. God bless you all, I will pray for you before I go to bed that God protect you all and keep your spirits longing to help and comfort others. This site is such a blessing. :tiphat:
 
Have a good night and just remember that Jesus himself said;:“Your Faith Has Saved Thee” 🙂
 
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