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by Jesus is God on November 3rd, 2009
Why do you go to a priest,when Jesus is the only mediator between God and man?1 Timothy 2:5,For there is one God and one mediator between God and man,the man Christ Jesus.No where in scripture does it say to take your sins to a priest,so why do you do it?
by Marguerite on November 3rd, 2009
You could ask your priest way before you go to confession. I'm sure he will let you have a face to face confession and you can hand him the note. Then he will give you advice, give you penance to do, and forgive you your sins in a blessing. I don't think your priest will be surprised by your sins.
by Riding the last galaxy on May 17th, 2010
In John 20:23 Jesus told His disciples, “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." The very core of the Gospel message is the truth that the way someone has their sins forgiven is by having faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. In Acts 10:43-44, when Peter was sharing the Gospel, he said “everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
First John 5:1-5 tells us only he who believes in Jesus will overcome the world. Luke 5:20 says. “When Jesus saw their faith, He said ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’” Colossians 2:13-14 says Jesus forgave all our sins. All these passages confirm that Jesus is the one who forgives sin and He forgives all of our sins. If we have had genuine faith in Him, someone else cannot later decide we are not forgiven one sin or another. So, what exactly did Jesus mean in John 20:23?
Only God can forgive sins and Christ, being God, has the power to do so as well, but He never communicated any such power to His disciples, nor did they ever assume any such power to themselves. The key to understanding the meaning of John 20:23 lies in the previous two verses: “Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” He sent them, as He is sending us, to bring the Good News of the way to salvation and heaven to the whole world.
Jesus was leaving the earth physically, but promised God would be with them in the person of the Holy Spirit living in them. As they proclaimed the Gospel, they could honestly tell people who believed in that message that their sins were forgiven, and they could honestly tell people that did not believe in the message that their sins were not forgiven and that they stand condemned in God’s eyes. Jesus said, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).
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by Answerbag Staff on November 9th, 2010
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by Ombliss22 on February 10th, 2012
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You're reading I want to go to confession but there are some things I just cannot face saying. Is it possible to write them down and give the priest a list of what I want to confess?
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Comments
Because in the catholic Church, we believe that Jesus could forgive sins and passed on this ability to his dsciples who in turn have passed it on down the Church. When I go to confession, I am not confessing to the priest but through Jesus, to God. The priest is just there to help.
There are many references in the bible to confessing sins to one another too. And I find it brings me a true sense of peace once I have been to confession.
by Anonymous on November 3rd, 2009
Show me in scripture where Jesus passed it on to the desciples and they passed it on to the church.Otherwise it is your opinion and the bible says let God be true and every man a liar.
by Jesus is God on November 3rd, 2009
Jesus breathed upon His disciples saying: 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained' (John 20:22-23
by Anonymous on November 4th, 2009
Anonymous, John 20:23 is the verse relied upon as the strongest to support this position of the Lutherans and Roman Catholics. This they claim is their right and power given to them by God to forgive your sins. To obtain the correct teaching of Verse 23, as any Bible student knows, you must compare all other Scriptures that pertain to the same subject or verse in question. When all Scriptures pertaining to the same subject AGREE, then you have the correct teaching of that subject or verse. If not, then you have a wrong interpretation or application of the verse or subject in question. This would then lead to a false teaching perpetuated upon the unsuspecting congregation.
Since all Scripture is given by "inspiration of God" (2nd Timothy 3:16), there can be no error or contradiction in God's Word. This is why Peter declared in 2nd Peter 1:20 that...
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any PRIVATE INTERPRETATION."
The Word "prophesy" is the Greek "propheteia" and defined by Vine's Expository Dictionary of Greek New Testament Words:
"Signifies the speaking forth of the mind and counsel of God. Though much of the Old Testament prophecy was purely predictive, it is the declaration of that which cannot be known by natural means. It is the FORTH-TELLING OF THE WILL OF GOD, WHETHER WITH REFERENCE TO THE PAST, THE PRESENT, OR THE FUTURE."
This does not mean that one cannot understand the Scriptures for themselves. It does warn against anyone building a doctrine on one, isolated, verse without comparing all other verses on the same subject. This is why the Holy Spirit inspired Paul in his second epistle to Timothy, verse 2:15, to emphasize the value of studying the Word of God for yourself.
Confessing to a priest is not necessary as there is only one Mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus.
1st Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God, and ONE MEDIATOR between God and men, the man CHRIST JESUS."
Romans 8:34, "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, WHO ALSO MAKETH INTERCESSION FOR US."
John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME."
# Hebrews 7:25, "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him (Christ), seeing he (Christ) ever liveth to MAKE INTERCESSION FOR THEM."
1st John 2:1, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an ADVOCATE with the Father, JESUS CHRIST the righteous:
Isaiah 53:12, "...and he (Christ) bare the sin of many, and made INTERCESSION FOR THE TRANSGRESSORS."
Emphasis added to parts of the verses for clarity.
by Riding the last galaxy on May 17th, 2010