Help Me Understand Confession In A Scriptural Context

[Singinbeauty]

I don’t want to turn this into a debate and I am not trying to be arguementative. If I am coming off that way I do apologize but I just wanted to ask a question and offer a comment at the same time…

As most of you know I am a non-denominational protestant. The subject of ‘confession’ has puzzled me to no end. When I read posts like Paris’ it always gets me wondering… Please allow me to show you how so that maybe some of the mystery of ‘confession’ can be dispelled…

First of all, I don’t even think I know of the scriptual context used to identify this sacrament so if you can provide it that would help so much in my quest for understanding. I guess that would be step number one.

Next, I do wonder if you do not have a priest to confess to why can you not go to a trusted brother or sister in Christ or even straight to God Himself for absolution? Doesn’t the bible say to confess your sins to one another. It doesn’t necessarily say to confess them to a priest. This is step number two for me…

(As for my comment, Paris, as you may know we all sin. We all have our stumbling blocks but why does YOU sinning have to come between your celebration of the birth of YOUR Saviour? Please do not take this as uncharitable but it seems kind of selfish to stop all the joy just because YOU slipped up. This should bring you even MORE joy. Not less. To know that even though you slipped up Jesus was born and died so that you wouldn’t have to be eternally punished for this slip up. REJOICE, again I say REJOICE. For Christ came to this earth to save you from yourself and you sinful nature. Because He was born in the most miraculous way and loved us SO much we do not have to be sad or cut off from God anymore. Have JOY in spite of your sin. Confess it to God and know that He forgives you. He LOVES you. And He doesn’t want you to become distraught over a sin that He forgives when you confess it. Yes, we need to not sin. But really, it’s not possible for ANY of us not to sin. So God in His infinate wisdom and love gave us a way to be forgiven for all that we do.)

Lord, my God, Almighty… As I write these words to You I am tearing up. Thank You so much for loving me and being born here on this earth to save us all. Thank you for providing Faith so that even though I have never seen You face to face I can feel You. On this day we celebrate Your birth and the day that You came to save us. Thank You for loving ME. Even though I don’t deserve it. Even though there are times when I feel like no one else see’s me I know in my heart that You will always see my beauty. I am forever indebted to You. Thank You for giving me that knowledge that even though I think, in my mind and heart, that I no longer deserve to live YOU show me how much You want me to accomplish. I have worth in You oh Lord. ~Amen

 

[Michael_Francis]

This was split off by me because the question is a very good one that many of you can give SB good answers on.
God bless!

 

[edward_george]

Consider this: There are two times in the whole Bible, once in the Old Testament, and once in the New, that God breathes on man. The first is when God gives life to Adam and Eve in the Garden. The second is when Jesus breathes on the Apostles

21 He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost. 23** Whose sins** you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.

John 20:21-23 www.drbo.org

The Apostles weren’t mind readers. In order to know what sins to forgive, they had to know what sins had been committed. This forgiving power is so important, that God breathes on man to instate it. The Apostles then passed on the power to their successors. What would be the point in giving the first generation of Christians the opportunity for forgiveness and absolution if the Christians through the ages couldn’t have it? When the Apostles created their successors, the first bishops, they transferred this power to them.

For more, see scripturecatholic.com/confession.html

-ACEGC

 

[Strider]

The Scriptural reference is John 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.22 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any they are retained.”
So, on Easter Sunday, Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit into his apostles (already ordained as priests at the Last Supper) and geve them authority to forgive sins.
He did not, however, give them the power to read minds, which is why we have to confess our sins to a priest… When we confess to a priest, it is Jesus who hears us and Jesus who absolves us through the faculties of the priest.
John 20:21, just before this says, “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.”
Thus, Jesus established sacramental confession. You can tell a friend your sins, but that friend does not have the authority, or Spirit, from Jesus, to absolve you.
Hope this helps.

 

[jax8686]

1Cr 11:27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink [this] cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

This is why we do not partake in the Eucharist if we are in a state of mortal sin. Basically, you go to communion in a state of sin, your just sinning more…

 

[Tom]

Singinbeauty:

First of all, I don’t even think I know of the scriptural context used to identify this sacrament so if you can provide it that would help so much in my quest for understanding. I guess that would be step number one.

This has pretty much been covered except to point out the context, who was in audience when Jesus instituted this Sacrament? It wasn’t the masses as in Matthew 5, it wasn’t the numerous disciples who followed Him, it was the Apostles, and only the Apostles who He granted this power, He instituted His Church to be everlasting, continuing, Apostolic succession is the way His gift of forgiveness continues.

Singinbeauty:

Next, I do wonder if you do not have a priest to confess to why can you not go to a trusted brother or sister in Christ or even straight to God Himself for absolution? Doesn’t the bible say to confess your sins to one another? It doesn’t necessarily say to confess them to a priest. This is step number two for me…

It is only the successors of the Apostles, current Bishops and those they grant this gift, priests who have this authority, granted by Jesus Himself. Jesus is the one who is forgiving the sin; the priest is only acting with the authority granted by Jesus.
As an aside note on confession, to make a good confession you must search your conscience. You must remember the faults, sins and sincerely seek forgiveness. This is therapeutic; it actually relieves your conscience. Why do you need to “tell” a priest, can’t I just ask Jesus? Well, no, you can’t, you need to do it as He instituted. He instituted it for reasons. Think of how humbling it is to bare your soul to another person. If you’ve never done it just imagine telling your deepest secrets, your personal sins to another person.Why would you confess directly to Jesus? You think He doesn’t already know your sin? It’s not confession when we pray to Jesus, it’s a request for grace. I believe God intends for us to be humbled by the experience, perhaps it will tend to make us think next time prior to sinning? Telling it directly to Jesus? Not so much humbling or embarrassing is it? Jesus gave His Apostles the power to “retain” the sin, to not forgive the sin, what an awesome power He bestowed upon His Church. How can you be absolved if you go straight to Jesus? You’re not allowing His Church to utilize the power He gave to the Church. You also cannot be sure He forgave you can you? Hearing the words of absolution after making a good confession you know for sure, no doubt. After you’ve carried a sin in your soul, it is so renewing to know for sure you are forgiven. This in no way means we don’t continually pray to Jesus an ask Him for the grace to improve our spiritual lives.

 

[Scott_Waddell]

It is defined dogma that “The exercise of the Church’s power to forgive sins is a judicial act.” (Ott 423.)

This is an incredible piece of good news. When Christ gave the power of binding and loosing, he set up a lower court in a manner of speaking. The good news is that Christ promised that the rulings of this court will be honored. Since God is present in all the sacraments, one IS confessing to God.

Of course one can confess to God and to others outside of the sacrament. But the problem is that it is confession in the abstract. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people say they don’t think they confessed correctly, or don’t feel adequetly forgiven, etc. That is the good news about the sacrament. One does not have to torture oneself like this because God in His mercy has given us a real Church invested with real authority. And when it says your sins are forgiven you must accept the ruling, drop the baggage of sin and guilt, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and go in peace. “Go in peace” is not some hippy platitude. It’s an order. And it is one of the most wonderful orders to obey.

 

[RobNY]

First, the Scriptural context for the sacrament, as you requested.

We were going over this in other topics, but here is what I wrote in that topic:

ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/GOTOCON.HTM

This works too.

Somewhere else, I was writing on this, and I copped something from Subrosa’s posts (a poster who posts often) as well as a link he gave (the one above). I’ll paste what I had there, here. (WHat I said sort of molds the link and what subrosa said in the specific instance that I’m quoting.)

Perhaps if you coupled this with JaneFrances’s wonderful post.

Jesus came to forgive sins. His mission was truly a mission of reconilliation.

Jesus preached about the forgiveness of sins, see the parables of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11ff) or the Lost Sheep (Lk 15:1ff), and His teaching that “There will likewise be more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner than over 96 righteous people who have no need to repent.” (Lk 15:7)

Jesus himself also forgave sins. The woman caught in adultery (Jn 8:1), or the woman who washed His feet with her tears. (Lk 7:36-38ff). (We also pray for forgiveness in the Our Father.)

His mission, of course, reaches its climax in his passion, death and resurrection, whereby sin is conquered. But when he ascended to heaven, he didn’t mean for his ministry of reconciliation to end.

Paul, in second Corinthians, speaks of the ministry of reconcilliation.

2 Cor 5:18 And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation

Ministries, of course, are performed by ministers. Priests and bishops are ministers, of course. Paul says that he entrusted “us,” that is, men.

2 Cor 5:19 namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation

.

Paul calls himself and others “ambassadors.”

2 Cor 5:20 So we are ambassadors for Christ

, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God

Remember

Remember, an ambassador is an official representative of someone. That’s exactly what the priest is, an ambassador for Christ, with Christ’s power entrusted to him, as Jesus says to the Apostles:

John 20:22-23

he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

But notice what he does as well as says. He breathes on them.

Bible quiz: what’s the only other time God breathes into man?

The answer is Gen 2:7 where he breathes life into the man he has created. Now, Jesus, the Son, breathes His life into His Apostles His priests, so that through them He will “breathe” life into the souls of contrite sinners. In this scene, Christ instituted the sacrament of penance and made His Apostles the ministers of it.

(Note that you can’t choose whose sins to forgive or retain unless they communicate those sins to you. This presupposes come sort of confession.)

Now, this sort of hits why we can’t go to anyone else. Perhaps we can confess our sins to other Christians, but they haven’t been given the authority by Christ to forgive sins that we didn’t commit against them. Since God is offended by every sin, he can forgive every sin. If I wrong you, SB dearest, I would ask for your forgiveness. But I couldn’t ask for your forgiveness for a sin I committed against someone else, could I?

On the other hand, the priest has been vested with the authority of forgiving sins from Jesus Christ (John 20:2-23), so he has the authority to forgive our sins before God, not just between persons.

 

[arieh0310]

In addition to the passages listed:

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

The testamony of the early Church is also telling, here are a couple:

“Confess your sins in church, and do not go up to your prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life. . . . On the Lord’s Day gather together, break bread, and give thanks, after confessing your transgressions so that your sacrifice may be pure” (Didache 4:14, 14:1 [A.D. 70]).

“[The Gnostic disciples of Marcus] have deluded many women. . . . Their consciences have been branded as with a hot iron. Some of these women make a public confession, but others are ashamed to do this, and in silence, as if withdrawing from themselves the hope of the life of God, they either apostatize entirely or hesitate between the two courses” (Against Heresies 1:22 [A.D. 189]).

 

[Semper_Fi_1]

Hi Singin’, I know you asked for Scriptural context… and others have provided it to you… but as you should know by now Catholics aren’t sola scriptura so it’s always good to know the full story too. I’ll give you the verses from the Catechism which back up our understanding of the Sacrament of Penance (often called Confession) (which is practiced in all Apostolic churches, East & West).

Here we go…

christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/healing.htm

God bless,

p.s. it should be noted that the Sacrament is practiced in two different ways in the church. in western Catholic churches, the common practice is in a confessional. the confessional is not necessary to have a confession and can be said anywhere, but for privacy reasons it’s in a confessional. in eastern Catholic (both united with Rome and schismatic) churches it is usually said inside the church in front of an icon of a saint.

 

[gardenswithkids]

*he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” *John 20:22-23

One more point: Jesus gave not only the power to forgive sins, but the power to retain sins. Is that a power that Jesus gave to every Christian? I certainly hope not!

 

[BlestOne]

Singing Beauty,
You have heard from others about the scriptual references to reconcilliation so I thought I would share a few things that aren’t in scripture.
Back in the 1960’s (before such research was considered not politically correct) There was a study done about Americans and suicide. What they found was that among all Americans there was one group of people that had a significantly lower suicide rate than any other group. That group were Catholics. When they did further reseach they found that the suicide rate for practicing Catholics that went to confession on a regular basis was so miniscule it was practically non-existant. Further studies into why this was so revealed that those who went to confession felt that they could discuss anything no matter how personal or embarassing with their parish priest. The study concluded that practicing Catholics had a lower suicide rate because they had a close personal relationship with someone that would advise them without judging them so they were more likely to be open and discuss personal matters and receive good advice, thus they were not burdened by guilt that would make them feel desolate and hopeless enough to commit suicide.
On a personal note, I have seen the graces of reconcilliation in my own life and in those around me. Most people that encounter reconcilliation for the first time as an adult, do so with fear and trepidation. It is only natural that they fear telling someone else their sins, afterall, we spend so much time hiding that part of ourselves from others. It brings a sense of humility, not humiliation as so many fear. When we confess to a priest, we get it off our chests in a very non-threatening atmosphere, we receive the best advice, and we by vocalizing our sins, truly come to realize that we don’t wish to repeat the sin again. I have sponsored a few people into the church through RCIA. They are usually very nervous about confession the first time. I always tell them that the priest has undoubtedly heard worse before and will again, so why fear it? Truly, one of my most miraculous moments came during a pennance service and reconcilliation. Ever since that moment I have really come to love this sacrament. When I really spend the time to examine my conscience and make a full confession I know I will leave the church feeling so uplifted and at peace. My kids never fight me when I tell them we are going to reconcilliation. This is a miracle to me since my sisters and I certainly found every excuse not to go with the family when we were teens. What was the difference? When I was young, we feared confession because we were taught to fear it. Not directly, but telling an 8 year old that if they don’t go to confession they will go to hell is a scary prospect for a kid. When my own kids were going to first reconcilliation prep I went to classes with them to see if I was wrong in fearing all those years ago. I couldn’t believe my ears!!! It was the most beautiful thing, they explained how when we do something that we know is wrong we are hurting our relationship with God because he is all good and because of that when we sin, we damage our relationship with God. To repair our relationship with God we need to repent and ask for forgiveness. Then the teacher explained John 20 to them. It was incredible! These kids actually got it!!! Because of the way they were taught, my kids actually like to go to confession…wow!

 

[kayla]

Hi Blestone,

I really liked your response to Singingbeauty, sometimes advice from the heart is somethimes all that some people can digest.
The sacrament of reconcilliation is by far one of the most wonderful sacraments that we as Catholics have
I would like to know if you have axcess to the article of Americans and Suicide?
thanks,
Kayla

 

[RiverRock]

Hi Singing! Long time, no song. Did you ever go to a Mass, as I begged you several months ago?

 

[BlestOne]

kayla:

Hi Blestone,

I really liked your response to Singingbeauty, sometimes advice from the heart is somethimes all that some people can digest.
The sacrament of reconcilliation is by far one of the most wonderful sacraments that we as Catholics have
I would like to know if you have axcess to the article of Americans and Suicide?
thanks,
Kayla

I read it many years ago while helping my ex study for his degree in psychology. It was before the internet, so no, I wish I did have it still, but the many moves and getting rid of anything that belonged to my ex wiped it out of my household. If I do find it by some miracle, I will post it here at CA for everyone.

 

[Singinbeauty]

Thank you all who have written your answers here! I have gotten a lot of information to process… This I like! There has been a lot of talk about how going to a priest and talking gives those who are practicing catholics peace and a safe place to confess their sins… I guess I just have a hard time understanding (remember, I have grown up protestant so something like this is rather foreign to me) why you can’t just go to God and feel the same kind of peace. I do. I know that if I am truly sorry for something I have done I can go to God and confess it to Him and He forgives it on the spot. Remember I said if I TRULY am sorry… this is no complacent ‘I’m sorry’ like you would say as a child when mom or dad MADE you say your sorry… I am talking TRULY sorry. And we also have people we can go to to confess these sins to get help through our most difficult temptations when just confessing to God may not be enough because our sinful nature just seems so strong.

I guess my next question would be… When Jesus is talking to the disciples and apostles in the bible do you see Him talking to those who are called to lead in the Church and when He is talking to the masses He is talking to the rest of us?

Thank you for your kind and thoughtful answers…

 

[Tom]

Singinbeauty:

I guess my next question would be… When Jesus is talking to the disciples and apostles in the bible do you see Him talking to those who are called to lead in the Church and when He is talking to the masses He is talking to the rest of us?
Thank you for your kind and thoughtful answers…

Great question, Jesus teaches on several levels. For example He teaches to the crowd, then retires to instruct His Apostles, two different levels of instruction. In John 6 we see Him teach to the crowd, then to the large group of disciples, then finally to His Apostles. Each group receives a different level of instruction. After His resurrection He remains on earth to guide His Church and instruct them, promising “the Church” He will send the Holy Spirit to guide them to all truth. Unfortunately many Protestants feel they were also promised the Holy Spirit would lead them to all truth, however, even though they may live in the Holy Spirit, the promise to be led to all truth was only given to His Church leadership, remember there is only one Spirit but many gifts. That’s one reason there are so many different denominations claiming to have the “truth”. Only His Church which retains Apostolic succession is promised this. For our Sacraments, such as reconciliation or the Eucharist, it is only to His Apostles, and by Apostolic succession the present day Bishops. So it is only to the validly ordained Bishop (there are valid Bishops apart from the roman rite) who may authorize the Sacraments.

 

[Traditional_Ang]

Singinbeauty:

I think that what you’re trying to describe is something called “Perfect Contrition”. It’s just that most of us don’t have Perfect Contrition. Our motives for feeling sorry are usually not pure, and, even when they are, we don’t necessarily feel that way.

Confession not only makes up for any deficits that I may have regarding my level and quality of contrition (as long as I really do want to stop sinning and am asking for God’s help and forgiveness), but I get the assurance that God has forgiven my sins and put them away from me, and I am given “Ghostly Counsel” which is to help srengthen me so I can avoid those sins and the near occasion of those sins.

I can’t get the last two talking to God on my own. It’s just in the way we as human beings operate…

Singinbeauty:

Thank you all who have written your answers here! I have gotten a lot of information to process… This I like! There has been a lot of talk about how going to a priest and talking gives those who are practicing catholics peace and a safe place to confess their sins… I guess I just have a hard time understanding (remember, I have grown up protestant so something like this is rather foreign to me) why you can’t just go to God and feel the same kind of peace. I do. I know that if I am truly sorry for something I have done I can go to God and confess it to Him and He forgives it on the spot. Remember I said if I TRULY am sorry… this is no complacent ‘I’m sorry’ like you would say as a child when mom or dad MADE you say your sorry… I am talking TRULY sorry. And we also have people we can go to to confess these sins to get help through our most difficult temptations when just confessing to God may not be enough because our sinful nature just seems so strong.

Confessing our sins and talking about what led up to them will help us to see what conditions led to them or what the “near occasions” are so that we can begin to take steps to avoid them. The “Ghostly counsel”, the Prayers and the Penance are also supposed to show us how much we ned to rely on the grace and the mercy of God as well as his help during times of temptgation and trials. If we see how much we need God’s help, and know that the Holy Spirit is there to help us overcome temptations and to pick us up when we fall, we’ll be less likely to sin repetitively.

This Sacrament isn’t just for the Forgiveness of sins, but for their remission and the granting of Grace and the Holy Spirit so that we can begin to avoid sins.

The Scrament of Penance is a HEALING Sacrament, just like Holy Unction, or the Annointing of the Sick.

Singinbeauty:

I guess my next question would be… When Jesus is talking to the disciples and apostles in the bible do you see Him talking to those who are called to lead in the Church and when He is talking to the masses He is talking to the rest of us?

Thank you for your kind and thoughtful answers…

I would look and read the whole Scripture, and see if our Lord is replyingf to someone or asking someone a question. There are times where it will be obvious, but most of those will be supporting Catholic Doctrines (Like the giving of the Keys to Simon Peter).

If that doesn’t work, read what the Early Church Fathers had to say about the passage in question. They were the ones God used to decide which Books went in the New Testament and which ones didn’t.

If that doesn’t work, then find a priest or ask here.

I hope that helps.

In Christ, Michael

 

[NotWorthy]

Our friend Bob Stanley tells how the priests’ ability to forgive was pre-figured in the Old Testament.

**GOD uses His priests as His instruments of reconciliation. The New Covenant priesthood is prefigured or ‘typed’ in many places in the Old Testament. Here are several examples from the Old Testament of reconciliation and atonement being performed by a priest:

Leviticus 4:20, “…Thus the priest shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.”

Leviticus 4:26, “Thus the priest shall make atonement for the prince’s sin, and it will be forgiven.”

Leviticus 4:32, “Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.”

Leviticus 4:35, “Thus the priest shall make atonement for the man’s sin, and it will be forgiven.”

Leviticus 5:5-6, “…then whoever is guilty in any of these cases shall confess the sin he has incurred, and as his sin offering for his sin he has committed he shall bring to the Lord a female animal from the flock, a ewe lamb or a she-goat. The priest shall then make atonement for his sin.”
See also Leviticus 5:10,13,16,18, 12:8, 14:18-20,31, 15:15,30, 19:22.

Leviticus 6:7, “And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord; and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he has done in trespassing therein.”

Leviticus 7:7, “Because the sin offering and the guilt offering are alike, both having the same ritual, the guilt offering likewise belongs to the priest who makes atonement with it.”

Leviticus 16:32, “This atonement is to be made by the priest who has been anointed and ordained to the priesthood in succession to his father.”

Leviticus 19:20-22, “If a man lies carnally with a woman . . . they shall not be put to death . . . but he shall bring a guilt offering for himself to the Lord, to the door of the tent of meeting, a ram for a guilt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him . . . before the Lord for his sin which he has committed, and the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him.”

Numbers 6:11, “The priest shall offer up the one as a sin offering and the other as a holocaust, thus making atonement for him for the sin he has committed by reason of the dead person.”

Numbers 15:25, “And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them…”

Numbers 15:28, “And the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for him who sinned inadvertently; when atonement has been made for him, he will be forgiven.”

Take Care!

Notworthy
**

 

[NotWorthy]

****The prophets in the Old Testament spoke in GOD’s Name, in the first person. Here are examples…

Deuteronomy 18:18-19, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kinsmen, and will put My words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I commanded him. If any man will not listen to My words which he speaks in My name, I Myself will make him answer for it.”

Ezekiel 3:4, “And He said to me: Son of man, go to the house of Israel, and you shall speak My words to them.”

****Clearly, the Apostles were given the authority to remit sins, or to bind them, in the person of Christ. How are they to accomplish this if they do not know what sins to remit or to bind? The sinner is required to confess his sins as shown.

1John 1:8-10, " If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
**
**The Apostles obviously would not live forever, and sin will always be with us, so they passed the authority on to others.

2Corinthians 2:10, “Whom you pardon anything, I also pardon. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I have done for your sakes, IN THE PERSON OF CHRIST.”

The priest says in the confessional, “I absolve you of your sins.” The priest is acting in Personna Christi, in the person of Christ. Since the priest is acting in the person of Christ, then it is Christ to whom you confess your sins. It is Christ alone who remits them. Jesus Christ uses the priest as His voice and His hands.

As mentioned earlier, the prophets of the Old Testament spoke in GOD’s name. They spoke IN THE PERSON OF GOD. The priests of the New Covenant speak IN THE PERSON OF CHRIST.
GOD never changes.

Matthew 9:5-8, “For which is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven you, or to say arise and walk? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power to forgive sins” - then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your pallet and go to your house”. And he arose, and went away to his house. But when the crowds saw it, they were struck with fear, AND GLORIFIED GOD WHO HAD GIVEN SUCH POWER TO MEN.”

The New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is revealed in the New.

Take Care!

Notworthy