I am not talking about Christ, I am saying no one Else has the authority to forgive sins. Not even the Apostles. Can you give me a scripture where an apostle forgives sins. Mk 2:7 “Who can forgive sin’s but God alone.” Now if there is one Mediator between man and God, but Jesus alone. Why would you go to a priest. The problem is the way men see and interpret Gods Word. Please provide scripture to support the apostles forgiving sins.
Whyis it that everyone who says that we shouldn’t confess sins to a priest takes Mark 2:7 out of context as a proof text? In context you will see that this quote is an accusation made aginst Jesus by the Pharisees! Here is the passage in its entirety:
*1: And when he returned to Caper’na-um after some days, it was reported that he was at home.
2: And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them.
3: And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
4: And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay.
5: And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.”
6: Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,
7: “Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8: And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question thus in your hearts?
9: Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,
Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, Rise, take up your pallet and walk’?
10: But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” – he said to the paralytic –
11: “I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.”
12: And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
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As for the sacrement question, no we are not shown an example of the sacrament of confenssion as a model in the Holy Scriptures, but that does not mean is did not happen. We know that the Apostles (and the Apostles alone) were given this power and authority in the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John:
*19: On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
20: When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
21: Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.”
22: And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
23: If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” *
Jesus sent them to continue His work and establish the Church. And they were very clearly given the power to forgive sins. Why do Protestants just completely ignore this verse? The sacrament of reconcilliation is clearly in the scriptures.