non-Catholics: Sins after Baptism --?

[stewstew03]

Jer,

I reject Psychology.

And Psychology rejects you…

 

[Bix]

I’m under the weather, so forgive me in advance if this is not cohesive.

It seems to me there is much confusion and misunderstandings from both sides. Clearly, I’m in agreement with Catholicism, but having grown up in a southern Baptist church and continued attendance and active roles through adulthood, I understand both sides and am often sadden how Protestants are viewed.

Some confess to God, some their preacher and some also confess to another member in a conversational way. The Bibe says to confess your sins to one another.

Protestants really have much they can share with the Catholic Church. They are not brought up with all the things Catholics take for granted. Simple things like confession, staying on track without the guidance Catholics have readily available or even prayers. They have to figure these things out their own many times.

Example- spontaneous prayer is a type of praying listed by the Catholic Church. This is all we had growing up. We had the Lord’s prayer and a few prayers for children, but that was it. Spontaneous prayer is something that doesn’t come as easy to some Catholics when in times of need or when beginning to deepen their faith because they were so blessed to have so many beautiful, effective prayers passsed down. We had to learn the hard way!

Staying on track to not sin- again, on our own pretty much. Many Protestants live good Christian lives, but can you imagine how much easier or better they would be if they had all the Catholic Church has readily available?!

Praying for forgiveness and feeling as if you’ve been absolved from sins as a Baptist required much deep prayer and thought as well as conviction.

Someone mentioned something about the humility in confessing to a person or priest - true. However, do you have any idea how much easier and faster that is? Wow!
I’m not downplaying it- I’m saying Catholics are lucky. Confession is not taken lightly by Protestants. Also, I’m aware of a few Catholics who go to confession simply to receive communion or just to feel rid of guilt without any true plan or question on how to avoid it again. Confession is about the person’s heart. If the person’s heart isn’t in the right place - I don’t feel their confession is valid in any scenario.

We were pretty much on our own to reach Jesus. It’s a tough path for those who truly try to live properly. So, please consider all sides and remember how fortunate we are.

 

[JonNC]

Well, I wasnt sure if the OP wanted personal opinions, or church doctrine. I stated what I do to receive forgivness. The pastor at my LCMS church said that confession is between the sinner and God. Of course there is the Holy Euchrist. That is important. But, in order to make sure we dont eat and drink unworthily, we should have asked for the forgiveness first.

Batman,
I certainly didn’t mean to step on your toes with this. I just felt like the responder to your post was agreeing with something that you weren’t exactly saying.
Sure, confession is between God and the sinner, but God Himself placed the powers to bind and loose in the hands of the Church, so we ordinarily take our confession to the pastor/confessor. I heard it once said that while the pastor/confessor absolves, it is God who forgives. And nothing stops us from taking our sins to God in prayer, as we do in the Lord’s Prayer.

Jon

 

[Jerusha]

Some confess to God, some their preacher and some also confess to another member in a conversational way. The Bibe says to confess your sins to one another.

And then there is the Internet.

Simple things like confession, staying on track without the guidance Catholics have readily available or even prayers. They have to figure these things out their own many times.

So true. Catholicism has a voluntary structure which encourages people to develop, learn, and mature spiritually. Many Protestant denoms have no such structure.

 

[Crumpy]

If the person’s heart isn’t in the right place - I don’t feel their confession is valid in any scenario.

We were pretty much on our own to reach Jesus. It’s a tough path for those who truly try to live properly. So, please consider all sides and remember how fortunate we are.

I’ve been reading the patristic comments in the Intervarsity Press commentary on Romans, one in their series of Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture.

The reason I started this thread is because I am so concerned about what I “think” I’m reading in Paul, that when we’re baptized, we die WITH Christ. The sin-prone part of us becomes like a corpse, or so it’s supposed to. We are supposed to become corpse-like in the face of temptations to sin.

Now, Catholics believe in confession to a priest with absolution. Taking what Paul seems to be saying and what Bix says above, What I expect ALL Christians to be saying that this is their goal, to live sin-free lives or nearly so.

For Catholic, the “sign” of each of the sacraments contains what it signifies. So, there is a formality, in the normal course of things, about dealing with our sins. Jesus told the apostles that “he that hears you hears me.” That gives the Catholic priesthood the authority to preach in the name of Jesus Christ. (skipping a lot) The Catechism of the Catholic Church also teaches how the sacrament of Penance also re-establishes a spiritual healthiness with the Church, which has been wounded by sin, as well.

Jesus told the woman caught in adultery to “go and sin no more.” Bix hits the Catholic nail on the head on this point. in not so many words.

The IVP commentary has one of the early writers saying ALREADY in the early centures, that people sin when they discount God in their lives or when they dismiss the seriousness of their sin. When Catholics themselves take this as seriously as they should, they have to overcome these tendencies of us all to rationalize our sins and standing with God.

As a lifelong Catholic, I do not see our priests as lacking authority, based on the words of Christ, and on the apostolic traditions of the Church. We humbly do not dismiss the sovereignty of God to show mercy and forgiveness in any circumstances to whom he chooses.

 

[Jesusismyfriend]

Non-Catholics believe that they can go directly to God for confession of sin. No priest or go-between is needed. And most will also say that in order to not get stuck in the sin, there needs to be repentance as well. Then the belief that Christ does forgive the sins of those who trust in Him, and eventually believing you have been forgiven.

 

[JonNC]

Non-Catholics believe that they can go directly to God for confession of sin. No priest or go-between is needed. And most will also say that in order to not get stuck in the sin, there needs to be repentance as well. Then the belief that Christ does forgive the sins of those who trust in Him, and eventually believing you have been forgiven.

Well, you can go directly to God, as the Lord’s Prayer says, but scripture also tells us the Church has the power to bind and loose. So, Lutherans confess sins to the pastor, either within the divine worship, or in private confession. In either case, the pastor announces the grace of God, and states absolution, saying “as a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority,** I **therefore forgive you all of your sins.”

Jon

 

[plainatheart71]

I was raised United Church of Christ so this is what I am going on. This & the Assembly of God that I attended later as an adult. We were taught that we needed to go to the altar and pray and confess if we had sinned and needed forgiveness. We were to go to the altar if we had any needs and the minister would pray with us.
Since being in the Catholic Church I believe that I do need to confess my sins to the priest but first I go to the Lord in prayer and repent and ask His forgiveness.
I believe that being taught that we needed to go to the altar is a big part of the reason I and many other protestants have struggled with feeling like we had to get saved again.