Why do The Roman Catholic Church Ask a man to forgive them of there Sins? Why do you pray to Mary a died soul?
May 3, 2011 by refl
Filed under Church stained
Is Confession of Sins a Biblical Practice?
Christians are to confess their sins to God—not men. Notice David’s example in Psalm 51. No man can forgive sins. Neither has any man other than Jesus Christ, our High Priest, been given the office of mediator between mankind and God. The apostle Paul was inspired to write: “Therefore He [Christ] is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). The apostle Paul also writes in I Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” Thus, the Bible clearly shows that confession of one’s sins ought to be made to God, not to a fellow human being.
John writes that, when we sin, “we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,” who is “the propitiation [the atoning sacrifice] for our sins” (I John 2:1-2). He is faithful to forgive our sins when we confess to Him (I John 1:9). Therefore, we can come boldly to God’s throne of grace (Hebrews 4:14-16).
The Scriptures do tell us that we may confess our faults to one another for the purpose of praying for each other (James 5:16). However, there is a difference between seeking a brother’s help in overcoming a fault—a human weakness—and confessing sins of the past. The latter should usually not be done because only God can forgive sin. God forgets our sins once He removes them (Hebrews 8:12; Psalm 103:12), but humans do not forget, and once others know our sins, our relationships with them can be stained forever.
Some try to use John 20:23 to prove that persons in ecclesiastical offices have the power to forgive sins. This verse reads: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” This verse does not mean that mere men can actually forgive sins in a spiritual sense, something God alone can do (Mark 2:7-10; Luke 5:21-24). Christ speaks these words to His future apostles in the context of the authority He was giving them within their commission (see John 20:21). Here, He gives them the power to put out of the church, or disfellowship, those who are dissenters or heretics (see Romans 16:17-18; I Corinthians 5:1-5; I Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15; I Timothy 1:18-20) and to bring them back into the congregation upon repentance (II Corinthians 2:6-10).
All very true.
Jesus through the gift of the Holy Spirit gave His apostles the power to forgive sin in His name.
Because it is a religion full of idolatry.
Why do you pray to Mary a died soul?
are we going to beat that dead horse again ?
Their church has become infected with idolatry.
I agree with you, which is why I left the Catholic Church. I’m now a very happy non-denomination guy…..
There are a couple priests on here that will give you very good, very detailed explanations of why.
Amen. God never says to ask some guy to forgive us of our sins. No pope or priest dude is our representative of God on earth. Only God is our representative. He is the only one we can talk to and ask to forgive our sins. He’s the only one who CAN forgive our sins. The priest is just a man. Not God.
As I best understand you question: It is one of the catholic organization’s doctrines.
You could probably get a better answer from someone that attends meetings at this organization.
Because of a few verses, such as “whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven”. The Apostles were given the authority to forgive sins, and therefore, through apostolic tradition, the power is passed on to priests.
I think as a former Roman Catholic that it is has something to do with the fact its easier to manipulate people in your congregations if you know there deep dark secrets, and this is the reason that this biblical passage is so interpreted.
I know it is said that priests are not supposed to repeat what they hear, but if this is so, someone needs to explain to me why I had people telling me things I confessed in the church, and trying to blackmail me with them?
The practice is used for purposes of extortion only, and its evil.
How much of that is New Testament? You do know that it was the Catholic Church that compiled the New Testament, right? So, why are you worshipping a Catholic document?
Who cares what Catholics do. It’s just as easy to rip into practices of your church, too.
Wow, this question is like flypaper for the most intolerant fundies on all of Y!A.
Your question wasn’t a question by the way, it was a hate sermon.
And I’m not going to address a single point you made because it’s been done a million times before and you’re just beating the living fertilizer out of this very dead horse. Go search for the answer if you really want to hear it, which I doubt you do.
The Priest is the visual representative of Christ on Earth.
Jesus gave them the power to do so.
Part of the Reconciliation process is “Through the ministry of the Church, may GOD grant you pardon and Peace. And I absolve you of your sins IN THE NAME OF the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
You can print this stuff all day & unless you understand the Catholic Religion you’ll just never get it.
There are also many Catholics who don’t understand their own religion.
Even though I don’t believe in a God….after studing Religions of the World…..I understand the beliefs behind the Catholic Religion.
It’s called Penance and it is part of the Catechism. In Roman Catholicism, they believe that although a mortal cannot forgive sins, the Priesthood can be an outlet to hear them and give penance. The rest is up to the individual. That is what I learned anyway. Here is a website about penance and stuff:
That is what they the followers are taught from the beginnings of their religion.
Biblically speaking it is called “another gospel”. Which will profit them only their just reward for their error.
We confess to God THROUGH the Priest.
We ask the Blessed Mother to intercede for us we don’t ask her for forgiveness either.
You might get yourself a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Christians are dumb
Its a church teaching, established by the Apostles who were taught by Jesus. In the Gospel of John Chapter 20 verse 23 Receive the Holy Spirit, For those whose sins you forgive they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain they are retained. Jesus gave this authority, to the Apostles who established the Catholic Church without the bible since it did not exist at that time. Through apostolic succession they passed down this power throughout the ages. Frankly I am frustrated by the idea that the church came from the bible. That is false, Jesus clearly stated that Peter is Rock and upon that Rock he would build His Church the Bible came roughly 375 years later. The mass had already been established and many of the traditions of the Catholic Church were being practice. They did not write everything down, even the Gospel state they could not write down all the miracles that Jesus did because there were so many. My question to you is why are you not following the teachings of the Church Jesus established?
Good grief. I’m with the poster, Kevin.
*******************DRINK*********************
John 20: 20
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
21
(Jesus) said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, SO I SEND YOU.”
22
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit.
23
Whose SINS YOU FORGIVE are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
DUH!
And souls don’t die.
Some claim that confessing to a priest is not biblical. In John 20, we read of Christ appearing to the disciples on Easter Sunday. He breathed on the apostles giving them the authority to forgive, and not to forgive. This means they had to hear the sins in order to forgive/not forgive. Jesus then says “as the Father has sent me, so I send you”. This means the apostles are to continue Christ’s mission, the essence of which is the forgiveness of sins. In 2 Corinthians, St. Paul describes the apostles as ambassadors of Christ’s work of reconciliation. In the Epistle of James we read that the presbyters (priests) are called to pray for the sick and forgive their sins. Why are priests called to perform this task? Obviously, the priests have an authority that ordinary Christians do not.
It is clear that Christ gave the apostles the power to forgive sins.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the seven sacraments Christ gave his church. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is also known as the Sacrament of Penance or Confession. This sacrament can set us free from our sins, and from the burden of guilt that comes along with our sins. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation – confession – we are brought back into union with God. Our sins separate and damage our relationship with our Lord, and it is through this most powerful sacrament that our relationship with the Lord is repaired and strengthened. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation we can walk more closely with the Lord once again, without the burden of our sins weighing us down and distancing our relationship with God.
Some ask why Catholics confess to a priest rather than just going straight to God. Some claim that confessing to a priest is not biblical. But that is not true.
We confess to a priest because that is the way Jesus instigated the sacrament. It is at his command that we confess to one another. When we sin against the Father our sins also affect our Christian family. Confessing sins to a priest is something that was a universal practice and never debated in the Early Church.
Jesus himself was able to heal not only the physically sick, but the spiritually sick as well. Christ had the power to forgive sins (see Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:5-12).
He passed on that power to forgive sins in his name to his Apostles.
“Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.” (Matthew 18:18-19)
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I sent you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” (John 20:21-23)
Jesus entrusted his Church with the power of forgiving sins through this most wonderful sacrament. The priest is simply the one who acts in persona Christi (in the person of Christ) in the confessional, but it is our Lord who forgives our sins. The priest grants absolution (sets us free from our sins) using the power Jesus entrusted to his Church. It is through Christ, however, that our sins are forgiven.
St. Paul tells us, “And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us.” (2 Corinthians 5: 18-20)
Does this mean that we shouldn’t speak and pray directly to God and express sorrow for our sins? Not at all! In fact for daily faults that is exactly what we should be doing. But for more serious offenses, for grave and mortal sins, we must repent and confess through the Sacrament of Reconciliation because that is what Christ commands us to do.
Reconciliation (also known as Confession and Penance): Penance is a Sacrament in which the sins committed after Baptism are forgiven.
Biblical references: Matt 9:2-8; Jn 20:22-23; 2 Cor 5:17-20; James 5:13-16;
Matt 18:18; 1 Jn 5:16
We confess through the priest to God. God forgives our sins through the priest.
Just as the sacrament of baptism or marriage requires a priest…but it’s God who applies the grace. God baptizes and marries us through his priests here on earth. He also forgives our sins through them.
Mary is not dead, she is alive in Christ as we all will be when our earthly bodies die.
Your misinterpretation of John 20:23 hardly makes a case for getting rid of a sacrament which has been part of Christianity for 2000 years. The early Christians, and Church Fathers support the interpretation that the Catholic Church continues to apply today.
The Bible is filled with qoutes that when interpreted by individuals can have as many meanings as qoutes.
The forgiveness of sins was handed down by tradition from the first ordained ministers of Christ, the Apostles and then handed down by them to those they left behind and so on, and so on. Therefore providing this wonderful Grace of God of being forgiven, BY GOD, of our sins.
The priest does not say, I forgive you of your sins, he states You are forgiven, go in peace.
It is John 20:21-23:
21(Jesus) said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit.
23 Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
For Jesus was handing down the power of His spirit, given directly to them, read the whole of the chapter and it will lead you to truth.
I know that this has little to no impact on your belief, but don’t try to make yourself as if you understand it all, because it is of God only and “woe to the person who misleads the children of God”.
I am not here to chastise anyone, your truth is not the answer to all and neither is mine, but I do not going spreading untruths and lies to defame that which I don’t understand.
God bless you always
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Whoa, whoa, whoa. . . one question at a time please. If you have more than one question, please post them separately.
As far as Confession being a Biblical Practice, for your consideration:
Jesus Christ Granted the Apostles His Authority to Forgive Sins
John 20:21 – before He grants them the authority to forgive sins, Jesus says to the apostles, “as the Father sent me, so I send you.” As Christ was sent by the Father to forgive sins, so Christ sends the apostles and their successors forgive sins.
John 20:22 – the Lord “breathes” on the apostles, and then gives them the power to forgive and retain sins. The only other moment in Scripture where God breathes on man is in Gen. 2:7, when the Lord “breathes” divine life into man. When this happens, a significant transformation takes place.
John 20:23 – Jesus says, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” In order for the apostles to exercise this gift of forgiving sins, the penitents must orally confess their sins to them because the apostles are not mind readers. The text makes this very clear.
Matt. 9:8 – this verse shows that God has given the authority to forgive sins to “men.” Hence, those Protestants who acknowledge that the apostles had the authority to forgive sins (which this verse demonstrates) must prove that this gift ended with the apostles. Otherwise, the apostles’ successors still possess this gift. Where in Scripture is the gift of authority to forgive sins taken away from the apostles or their successors?
Matt. 9:6; Mark 2:10 – Christ forgave sins as a man (not God) to convince us that the “Son of man” has authority to forgive sins on earth.
Luke 5:24 – Luke also points out that Jesus’ authority to forgive sins is as a man, not God. The Gospel writers record this to convince us that God has given this authority to men. This authority has been transferred from Christ to the apostles and their successors.
Matt. 18:18 – the apostles are given authority to bind and loose. The authority to bind and loose includes administering and removing the temporal penalties due to sin. The Jews understood this since the birth of the Church.
John 20:22-23; Matt. 18:18 – the power to remit/retain sin is also the power to remit/retain punishment due to sin. If Christ’s ministers can forgive the eternal penalty of sin, they can certainly remit the temporal penalty of sin (which is called an “indulgence”).
2 Cor. 2:10 – Paul forgives in the presence of Christ (some translations refer to the presences of Christ as “in persona Christi”). Some say that this may also be a reference to sins.
2 Cor. 5:18 – the ministry of reconciliation was given to the ambassadors of the Church. This ministry of reconciliation refers to the sacrament of reconciliation, also called the sacrament of confession or penance.
James 5:15-16 – in verse 15 we see that sins are forgiven by the priests in the sacrament of the sick. This is another example of man’s authority to forgive sins on earth. Then in verse 16, James says “Therefore, confess our sins to one another,” in reference to the men referred to in verse 15, the priests of the Church.
1 Tim. 2:5 – Christ is the only mediator, but He was free to decide how His mediation would be applied to us. The Lord chose to use priests of God to carry out His work of forgiveness.
Lev. 5:4-6; 19:21-22 – even under the Old Covenant, God used priests to forgive and atone for the sins of others.
The Necessity and Practice of Orally Confessing Sins
James 5:16 – James clearly teaches us that we must “confess our sins to one another,” not just privately to God. James 5:16 must be read in the context of James 5:14-15, which is referring to the healing power (both physical and spiritual) of the priests of the Church. Hence, when James says “therefore” in verse 16, he must be referring to the men he was writing about in verses 14 and 15 – these men are the ordained priests of the Church, to whom we must confess our sins.
Acts 19:18 – many came to orally confess sins and divulge their sinful practices. Oral confession was the practice of the early Church just as it is today.
Matt. 3:6; Mark 1:5 – again, this shows people confessing their sins before others as an historical practice (here to John the Baptist).
1 Tim. 6:12 – this verse also refers to the historical practice of confessing both faith and sins in the presence of many witnesses.
1 John 1:9 – if we confess are sins, God is faithful to us and forgives us and cleanse us. But we must confess our sins to one another.
Num. 5:7 – this shows the historical practice of publicly confessing sins, and making public restitution.
2 Sam. 12:14 – even though the sin is forgiven, there is punishment due for the forgiven sin. David is forgiven but his child was still taken (the consequence of his sin).
Neh. 9:2-3 – the Israelites stood before the assembly and confessed sins publicly and interceded for each other.
Sir. 4:26 – God tells us not to be ashamed to confess our sins, and not to try to stop the current of a river. Anyone who has experienced the sacrament of reconciliation understands the import of this verse.
Baruch 1:14 – again, this shows that the people made confession in the house of the Lord, before the assembly.
1 John 5:16-17; Luke 12:47-48 – there is a distinction between mortal and venial sins. This has been the teaching of the Catholic Church for 2,000 years, but, today, most Protestants no longer agree that there is such a distinction. Mortal sins lead to death and must be absolved in the sacrament of reconciliation. Venial sins do not have to be confessed to a priest, but the pious Catholic practice is to do so in order to advance in our journey to holiness.
Matt. 5:19 – Jesus teaches that breaking the least of commandments is venial sin (the person is still saved but is least in the kingdom), versus mortal sin (the person is not saved).
We don’t ask a MAN to forgive our sins. We ask the LORD to forgive our sins. Here is the text of an exact Act of Contrition used by millions of Catholics:
“O my God,
I am heartily sorry for
having offended Thee,
and I detest all my sins,
because I dread the loss of heaven,
and the pains of hell;
but most of all because
they offend Thee, my God,
Who are all good and
deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve,
with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins,
to do penance,
and to amend my life.
Amen.”
Yes, confession of sins is a biblical practice. See James 5:16, which clearly states that we are to confess our sins to somebody else. So if you’re not doing that and you profess to be a Bible-believing Christian, you’d better get busy.
As for the “no man can forgive sins,” you’d better take that up with Jesus, because it was He Himself who gave His apostles the power to forgive in Jesus’ name — See John 20:19-23. Jesus does the actual forgiving; the priest just PRONOUNCES us absolved by the blood of the Lamb.
The only real difference between you confessing to somebody in your church and me confessing to a priest is that the priest is (a) under a serious vow not to tell anybody what I have confessed, whereas your friend might have loose lips (believe me — it happens. Happened to me when I was protestant), and (b), the priest is specially trained to counsel people how to avoid sin, whereas your friend may or may not be.
As for Mary, she is not dead; she has received the gift of eternal life. You know, the gift of eternal life that Jesus promised to all who trust in His salvation. Mary did that. Check out Luke 1 if you are not sure.