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mark_a
Guest
Because they don’t. They would need to become Catholic or Orthodox if they feel the need to confess to and receive absolution from a priest.
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selah603
Guest
I am new in joining this topic, so please forgive me if I repeat something that was said previously.
As a former evangelical, I was very involved with radio, church and other such activities. I saw no need to confess my sin to anyone else except to ask Jesus. When I “saw the light” and became Catholic, I fell in love with the sacrament of Reconciliation. All the previous years, when I asked God to forgive me, I have to say honestly that I didn’t not always feel peaceful or assured that I was forgiven. Going to my first Reconciliation was an amazing moment for me. I knew that it wasn’t the priest, but Jesus working through him. I never felt such a lift of the heaviness of sin as I did that day. It is one of my favorite sacraments.
I say all the above for this reason: quite naturally my evangelical friends were horrified and saddened by my conversion. Shortly afterwards, I was having lunch with a dear friend when somehow Confession came up. She was appalled. “You don’t really do THAT do you?” I was asked. “You only need Jesus to forgive your sins”.
I agreed with her and then pointed out a passage from Scripture.
I told her that in Scripture we are exhorted to “confess our sins, one to another”. I then asked her who was she confessing her sins to…
That seemed to quell the discussion. Many times, knowing a Scriptural rebuttal is the best thing when confronted about these “Catholic issues”… Since many are Bible only Christians, we have to go there to back up and explain the essence of the Church.
Btw, I know way too many Catholics that avoid the sacrament like the plague. We have some evangelization to do within the Church also.:
As a former evangelical, I was very involved with radio, church and other such activities. I saw no need to confess my sin to anyone else except to ask Jesus. When I “saw the light” and became Catholic, I fell in love with the sacrament of Reconciliation. All the previous years, when I asked God to forgive me, I have to say honestly that I didn’t not always feel peaceful or assured that I was forgiven. Going to my first Reconciliation was an amazing moment for me. I knew that it wasn’t the priest, but Jesus working through him. I never felt such a lift of the heaviness of sin as I did that day. It is one of my favorite sacraments.
I say all the above for this reason: quite naturally my evangelical friends were horrified and saddened by my conversion. Shortly afterwards, I was having lunch with a dear friend when somehow Confession came up. She was appalled. “You don’t really do THAT do you?” I was asked. “You only need Jesus to forgive your sins”.
I agreed with her and then pointed out a passage from Scripture.
I told her that in Scripture we are exhorted to “confess our sins, one to another”. I then asked her who was she confessing her sins to…
That seemed to quell the discussion. Many times, knowing a Scriptural rebuttal is the best thing when confronted about these “Catholic issues”… Since many are Bible only Christians, we have to go there to back up and explain the essence of the Church.
Btw, I know way too many Catholics that avoid the sacrament like the plague. We have some evangelization to do within the Church also.:
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Denise1957
Guest
Maybe this has already been mentioned, but many (or some) Protestants believe in justification by faith alone, so they don’t really have to even admit to having sinned at all. They’re still going to Heaven anyway, no matter what. As long as they accept Jesus a thier Lord and Savior, they’re going to Heaven. I believed that when I was a Protestant. That’s a far cry from what Catholics believe, of course.
Hi, Denise, I’d like to see a source for a communion that claims this.
1 John 1
- If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. *
Jon
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Denise1957
Guest
Hi Jon, I’m not sure that I’m up for searching for a source of a communion which claims this. I think that Baptists believe it, though. I have a sister who is evangelical who believes it. She’s a former Campbellite, but she’s attending a non-denominational church now. Don’t know if that’s an official Campbellite stance, though. I know that Lutherans such as yourself don’t subscribe to the faith alone thing, which is really good. That’s why I said many or some Protestants believe it.
Thanks, Denise.
Lutherans are certainly sola fide folks, but certainly not the way your sister describes it.
I honestly don’t know much about Campbellite teaching. So thanks for the response.
Jon
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jrtrent
Guest
Lots of good answers already. Being Anglican, I’ll just add a few quotes from the “Homily of Repentance and of True Reconciliation unto GOD”:
Who is the true Priest, but he which is the Priest for euer, after the order of Melchisedech? Whereby this holy Father [a reference to Ambrose] doeth vnderstand, that both the Priesthoode and the Law being changed we ought to acknowledge none other Priest for deliuerance from our sinnes, but our Sauiour Iesus Christ, who being soueraigne Byshoppe, doeth with the Sacrifice of his Body and Blood, offered once for euer vpon the Altar of the Crosse most effectually cleanse the spirituall leprosie, and wash away the sinnes of all those that with true confession of the same doe flee vnto him.
The same homily recognizes two types of confession that Christians are bound to make:
an vnfained confession and acknowledging of our sinnes vnto GOD, whom by them we haue so grieuously offended, that if he should deale with vs according to his iustice, wee doe deserue a thousand helles, if there could bee so many. Yet if wee will with a sorrowfull and contrite heart make an vnfained confession of them vnto GOD, hee will freely and frankely forgiue them, and so put all our wickednesse out of remembrance before the sight of his Maiestie, that they shall no more bee thought vpon (Ezechiel 18.27). . . That confession which is made vnto GOD, is required by GODS Law, whereof Iohn the Apostle speaketh, saying, If we confesse our sinnes, GOD is faithfull and righteous to forgiue vs our sinnes, and to make vs cleane from all our wickednesse. For without this confession, sinne is not forgiuen. This is then the chiefest and most principall confession that in the Scriptures and worde of GOD wee are bidden to make, and without the which wee shall neuer obtaine pardon and forgiuenesse of our sinnes.
. . . besides this there is another kinde of confession, which is needefull and necessary. And of the same doeth Saint Iames speake, after this maner, saying: Acknowledge your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that yee may bee saued. . . The true meaning of it is, that the faithfull ought to acknowledge their offences, whereby some hatred, rancour, ground, or malice, hauing risen or growen among them one to another, that a brotherly reconciliation may be had, without the which nothing that wee doe can bee acceptable vnto GOD . . . It may also be thus taken, that we ought to confesse our weaknesse and infirmities one to another, to the end that knowing each others frailenesse, wee may the more earnestly pray together vnto Almighty GOD our heauenly Father, that he will vouchsafe to pardon vs our infirmities, for his Sonne Iesus Christs sake, and not to impute them vnto vs, when he shall render to euery man according to his workes. . .
So we confess our sins unto God, and we confess our faults one to another, but there is no auricular confession to a priest recognized as being needful. However, this is not to say that there is no value in talking to your pastor, or some other able Christian, about issues that are causing you trouble and grief:
let vs with feare and trembling, and with a true contrite heart, vse that kinde of confession, that GOD doeth commaund in his worde, and then doubtlesse, as hee is faithfull and righteous, hee will forgiue vs our sinnes, and make vs cleane from all wickednesse. I doe not say, but that if any doe finde themselues troubled in conscience, they may repayre to their learned Curate or Pastour, or to some other godly learned man, and shew the trouble and doubt of their conscience to them, that they may receiue at their hand the comfortable salue of GODS word: but it is against the true Christian libertie, that any man should bee bound to the numbring of his sinnes, as it hath beene vsed heretofore in the time of blindnesse and ignorance.
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ephesians2
Guest
Hello Denise. All protestants should believe in justification by faith alone. That is what makes them protestant, not another, so if they don’t then they are just using the name ‘protestant’, but clearly are not. A bit like the term ‘Christian’. That word is thrown around by many, but they obviously just use the title. They do not truly live it out. I agree with Jon, a protestant is supposed to believe in ultimately confessing their sins to God, if they don’t believe they have to, they have a perverted sense of the gospel and the Word and the reason Christ came. Their church probably is not doing a very thorough job explaining that, if they attend that is. A person does have to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, obviously if he or she does not, then they are not a Christian, whether protestant or catholic or EO. Maybe what you are referring back to is when a protestant does not confess their sins outwardly and dies in their sin. Is that what you mean when you say ‘they don’t really have to admit to having sinned at all’? A true Christian will have a deep sense of remorse for what they do against God. Whether they confess it to another of go straight to the Father, they will have their sinned exposed to their heart. That is how the Holy Spirit works.
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wondrousgnat
Guest
At times I have gone directly to God. I have said: “God forgive me my sin. Oh good the commercials over. Now back to the show.” That is a confession? Is there any real remorse? Was it good enough to even be shallow? That does not involve actually making the effort to turn the tv off, get in the car. drive to church, wait in a overly short line, confessing to someone who has a direct link to Peter, and then kneeling at the pew for a few minutes.
And afterwards I do feel better which does not happen any other way.
And afterwards I do feel better which does not happen any other way.
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GKC
Guest
As my late rector used to say, when he heard confession, it was really overhearing confession. The confession he overheard was being made to God.
All may, some should, none must. Anglicans consider corporate confession in the Mass valid and efficacious. Always remembering what I say about Anglicans.
GKC
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JustaServant
Guest
You know dude, you’re coming dangerously close to proselytizing, which is a bannable offense.
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Denise1957
Guest
Sorry I didn’t explain myself very well. By faith alone, I mean the idea that a Christian doesn’t have to “work out their salvation with fear and trembling” as St. Paul said. They believe that as long as they are a Christian, they’ll go to Heaven when they die.
Let’s say that a Protestant doesn’t believe in confessing and having remorse for sin, or, they don’t believe that they have sinned. After all, who is to tell them what is or isn’t sin, when allowed to interpret the Bible on their own? So, if a Protestant doesn’t believe in confessing sins, or doesn’t believe that they do sin, do they still believe that they’ll go to Heaven? I would imagine that it’s different, maybe, for different denominations. If a person is not remorseful for having clearly sinned, do they risk going to Hell? Because for Protestants, there’s only two possibilities - Heaven or Hell. One or the other. What is the criteria for determining if a Protestant Christian will go to Heaven or Hell? And who is the ultimate person on this earth who decides this?
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