You must do both. You must make an Act of Perfect Contrition and go to Confession.
I know Protestants can’t. Also, I don’t think you have to make perfect contrition, meaning, you are sorry for your sins because you have offended God, not just for fear of Hell. That would completely defeat the point of Confession if you did.
The aim of going to Confession is to confess your sins because you have offended God, and not because you are scared of going to Hell. We should always be trying to make a perfect contrition.
Precisely!
Hi\owever, the Church has ruled that imperfect contrition is all that is required for absolution in Confession. Regardless of what may be more perfect, please do not make statements that are contrary to what the Church has ruled. It is very difficult for to achieve perfect contrition - we may say the words, we may hope that we mean them, but we may still have some fear of hell involved, therefore, not achieving perfect contrition. The requirement for perfect contrition, which you appear to claim, would make it almost impossible for any of us to receive absolution.
First, in order for a sin to be a mortal sin, the person must be aware that it is a mortal sin. There are many sins the Catholic Church teaches to be mortal sins (i.e. missing Mass on Sunday), that Protestants don’t understand to be sins at all. For really big mortal sins that every human heart knows to be a big sin, Protestants have access to perfect contrition. Perfect contrition doesn’t have to be a set prayer; it is when the person is truly sorry for their sin, arising not from fear of punishment but out of love for God.
If you go to confession, you can have imperfect contirtion and still be forgiven. That has always been the teaching of the church.
That is correct. I should have clarified my first post. It seemed that they indicated that you can do either/or. I meant to show that you cannot make an Act of Perfect Contrition and skip sacramental confession.
I can’t speak for all other fellow Protestants, but in my faith I was taught to make confession to God. I was taught that God was loving and listened to our prayers and to our confessions. We didn’t need another person to intercede for us with Him. However, pastors will hear confessions and guide you through them. They will pray with you and for you. The act of confessing sins does NOT guarantee redemption. Christ says, “for by grace have you been saved by faith, this is not of your own doing but a gift from God.” Your faith and belief in Christ is what will save you as a Christian. If you reject this gift then you have a problem.
It’s true that your faith in Christ is necessary—however—are you saying that once your “saved” it doesn’t matter what you do because you’re “saved”? That contrition for your sins isn’t necessary because Jesus already died for you and you’re “saved?”
Yes, except for the mercy of God.
That is exactly what Protestants believe. They say that the Sacrifice of Christ at Calvary forgave all sins totally, and once you accept Christ Jesus into your heart and accept him as your savior, you are saved. Period. No chance of going to Hell, and they never did believe in Purgatory. Once you accept Christ, you will never want to commit sins again, but even if you do,
His sacrifice took care of everything. The key is accepting Christ as your savior. It’s a one shot deal.
Hi aria, I’m sorry that you were hurt by reading the opinions of some Catholics that are posted on this forum. Even those who may post less-than-diplomatic opinions usually have good intentions. But there is a division between Catholics and Protestants that is difficult to mend as we usually view things like interpretation of the Scriptures and Sacraments differently. Like you I believe in grace–but I believe the Sacrament of Confession is a beautiful grace from God–a sacrament institued by Christ. I believe we find this in the Bible when the Risen Jesus said to his Apostles "if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven…"John 20:23
Not all Protestants believe that way. There are many denominations that do not accept “once saved always saved” theology.
And any Protestants who sinned, make a sincere confession to God–and if God gives you the chance, make a Sacramental confession.
When I first read your post, I was absolutely furious; then, because I realized ignorance is not always bliss, I let it go. Today I reread your post and came up with the same conclusion. If you don’t know what you’re talking about, then maybe you shouldn’t say anything. Your callous remarks are some of the reasons why there are still so many problems between faiths.
(it’s those hot-headed ancestors coming through) But I have to keep telling myself that not everyone is well versed in manners and etiquette. I will forgive you and pray for you. Oh yeah…Protestant faiths DO HAVE SACRAMENTS, and I still don’t believe in Purgatory.
Aria – you’re a Lutheran. In other words, you come from a theologically sophisticated tradition. Catholics are often assaulted by “Bible Christians” who really do believe a lot of the things you assert (rightly) that Lutherans do not. Once-saved-always-saved; once saved you will no longer sin; requiring people to go to Church on Sunday is absurd because it isn’t in the Bible – you’ve probably covered most of the ground. gardenswith kids is right: we need to remember that people coming here are not all cut out of the same anti-Catholic mold (although there are enough to keep us busy).Palmas85: How good of you to explain what Protestants believe.
PiusXIII: I’m sorry that you misunderstood me. If you really read my posting you would have read how the Lutheran service encompasses the entire order of the Mass…including the confession of sins. We just don’t go to another person to intercede for us. As far as “good works” go, hmmm…that poses another strong question of different beliefs. You don’t get to heaven by good works; but being a good person is not just a “Christian thing!” Yes, we follow and live by the 10 Commandments, but so do many other faiths. And there are laws that also follow the Commandements. BUT, isn’t a lot of being a good person human nature? I certainly hope so. I have Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and agnostic friends. All are very kind, loving people. They don’t steal or kill. They live a life that many Christians should reflect; but yet they don’t believe in the same things a Christian does. Do I wonder if their goals of eternal life are the same? Of course I do.
Now, a question for you Pius…I take it that you go to Confession on a regular basis, and from what I’ve read from your posts, you are a good person. If a person goes to confession on a regular basis, confesses his/her sins, and then turns around and does the same exact sins, is that person truly forgiven of those sins? (said person has no medical/mental afflictions) Many Protestant faiths believe that confession without repentance, and without professing their faith and belief in Christ would not give forgiveness from God for those sins. I hope that helps a little in clearing up what some Protestants believe about confession.
Palmas85: I just reread your post again. You said that Protestants believe that once you’ve accepted Christ you “never want to commit sins again.” You are so wrong, because I have accepted Christ and I am a Christian, but everytime I read your post some very unpleasant thoughts cross my mind.
Gardenswithkids: I thank you for your kind, loving ways of trying to smooth things out. You are truly blessed with a gift. The man I’m dating is Catholic and we often have discussions about our different faiths. He told me once that one of the reasons that he was attracted to me was my strong convictions in my faith and belief in Christ. I’m as strong in my Lutheran beliefs as he is in his Catholic. Yes, we have some discussions on faith, the Bible, and beliefs. We don’t tear each other down, we love each other for our differences. Hmmm…I think this has helped me make some pretty important decisions.
Everyone, have a wonderful day.