We go to the church, also. I do not question the validity of the Catholic preisthood, and their ability to act in Christ’s stead, but neither do I question our preisthoods validity, either.
When my pastor says, “As a called and ordained servant of Christ and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all of your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen”, I know my sins are forgiven.
Jon
Jon,
With all due respect, can I like Martin Luther, start my own church? And Like Many if not all protestant pastors who got their pastorialship from a university able now to call myself an ordianed pastor and say that I have the authority to forgive my parishioners of my new church, from their sins? The answer is No.
Yes, I can start my own Church since Martin Luther paved the way there has been thousands since. But I would not be able to forgive my parishioners their sins. Why? Because I cut myslef off from the Catholic Church as Martin Luther did and Most immportantly because I am not in the line off the Successors of the Apostles, and Jesus Christ did not breathe the Holy Spirit upon me to forgive or retain sins.
Sure yes, we must confess our sins to one another as Jesus Christ says in the bible, but the sins committed against God we must go to the Church, this is the reason why Jesus Christ said: (John 20: 21-23) 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.
Jon, Jesus Christ, told us that you and I and the World must, must forgive each other the offenses and sins we have done to one another and if we don’t forgive one another then God will not for give us our sins. BUT the Church is DIFFERENT only the Church can forgive or Retain our sins. Jon, can you or I retain each others sins? NO! Why? Because we are not Successors of the Church.
Jon, Don’t you see this Authority Jesus Gave to His Church his Apostles and thier successors, no other church has this authority, only the Church that existed before all others.
Jon, (John 20: 21-23) Above Jesus Breathed on them the Holy Spirit, then after doing so, and only, only after doing so did the Apostles have the Right to forgive or retain mens sins, not before, but after Jesus Christ breathed on them the Holy Spirit.
Jon, here is where the Successors come in, above Jesus Christ said: “As the Father hath sent me, I also send you.” Jon, don’t you see the domino effect of Successors coming? The breath of the Holy Spirit Continues to this day in the Catholic Church.
It is only obvious this heavenly domino effect “As the Father hath sent me, I also send you” did not end with the Apostles deaths Cause if it did, then the gates of hell prevailed over the Church. Now how did the successors of the Apostles such as the Catholic Popes, Bishops, Cardinals, Priests of today have the Authority to forgive mens sins? it is through the Breath of Jesus Christ which is the Holy Spirit of course through the laying of hands on them from from the Apostles year after year decades after decades, century after century and here we are today
Jon, you do have to question the valdity of your pastor,no matter how good he may be as a pastor, truth is how do you know if Jesus Christ breathed the Holy Spirit onto your Pastor, in order to have the authority to forgive you the Offenses/ sin you have committed against God?
Like I said before, daily I turn to Jesus and ask him to forgive me of all my sins and it is a wonderful graces to do. BUT Jesus, wants us to go to his Church that he established on earth and therfore I go, its one of the reason Jesus Christ Left a Church, for us to run to.
Jon, without “Succession of the Apostles” the Gates of Hell prevailed. And without the Succession of the Apostles who today would be able to forgive
or retain
our sins. etc…
Your Brother in Christ,
Ufamtobie
