BE NOT A GOAT
That’s not a very nice thing to say but I’ll let it slide… By whose authority do you say that? My words are words of love and compassion for those who are ignorant of the gospel, yours? Have you listened to the other posters comments and have any of them made sense to you at all?
Wel I am a much better Christian since I pray to God and confess to Him, and I have asked forgiveness from those I may have sinned against .
well if you are a better Christian why are you lacking in compassion when it comes to those who do not think as you do. Jesus loves all of us, even the Muslims and those who do not know Him. He picked disciples out of the most ordinary of people who themselves were sinners, people like Mark who was a tax collector. He did not condemn them before He accepted them into His life. He took them with Him and taught them and he loved them very much…Even when we sinned, Jesus gave His life for us…That should tell you something about extending Gods grace towards others.
You expect people to believe in Jesus because they heard of Jesus? How does that work?
There is nothing either in the bible, about private confession to a priest .It also breeds a kind of danger that people will walk away without reflecting on their lives ,that the priest comes between you and God and many other things
Actually I find the opposite is true. Priests help me to become closer to Christ and to become more like Him, which is what we want to do if we expect our lives to be transformed. Jesus appointed men to lead the flock… The disciples, who were shepherds who shepherded in people… They did not come between the people and Jesus, they led the people to Jesus as priests do, by teaching, and praying and giving them sacraments… Like the Sacrament of Confession which I already quoted from Scripture in my previous post…
John 20: 21 Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ 22 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 them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’
The disciples did listen to confessions of people, read the scriptures…
Matthew 3:5 Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
James 5: Is anyone among you sick? Let them call t
he elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
1John 1: 8 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 who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 Timothy 4:14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when **the council of elders laid their hands on you.
Instructions on making disciples from Jesus who is telling His disciples (chosen leaders) what to do…
Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Peter following through teaching others those instructions and baptizing them so that their sins would be forgiven… Now It is Jesus who baptized through Peter giving people the Holy Spirit but it is Peter and the Chosen leaders of the Church who listened to the confessions (for repentence) and followed up by baptizing them to receive the Holy Spirit.
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Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
On the opposite of that where in the scriptures does it say for people to confess directly to God?
But we could discuss until the cows come home and so on . I believe that it is all very well for some ,but for me it is not, for reasons I cannot tell you .
That’s fine, but if you want to be a disciple you should follow truth as the Muslims hopefully will follow truth. I showed you truth, and the truth is that there is no place in the NT that the people are instructed to confess their sins directly to God, always, there is a Man, a disciple/Priest who listened to their confession, laid hands on the sick, baptized because Jesus gave the Priests the authority to act on His behalf…
Now I understand you have some problem with the Church, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the true Church and that others share your same story. We all have our own personal spiritual journeys and IMO often it’s the ones who stray and come back that make the most zealous Catholics… ! I strayed a little bit, had some revelations with Jesus after pleading for His help, and was renewed and enlightened in my faith with the Church having had some knowledge of the truth and learned that the Church was full of truth all along, I just didn’t see it before. Someone explained it to me this way, like Jesus wasn’t recognized in His home town and couldn’t produce any miracles there, the Church was always the true Church started by Jesus Christ full of wisdom and truth but as 'familiarity breeds contempt, I didn’t know what I had all along…
