Apologetics for the Masses #333 - Confession and the Bible

Social Media - Please Share This Newsletter On...

Topic

Why Do Catholics Confess Their Sins to a Priest?

Unsubscribe/Subscribe

http://www.biblechristiansociety.com/newsletter/unsubscribe - to unsubscribe from this newsletter

http://www.biblechristiansociety.com/newsletter - to subscribe to this newsletter

General Comments

Hey folks,

A few things:

1) For those of you in the Mobile/Montgomery/South Alabama/Panhandle of Florida/South Mississippi areas, I will be giving a silent retreat for men, the weekend of August 17-19, 2018, at the historic Visitation Monastery, in Mobile, Alabama. Men, if you would like to attend the retreat, you can register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeSA7zjZekOL-Z7rlzbjH827XgAEeOd7_bJ26dp4ULgB2K8Dg/viewform

Wives, if you would like your husbands to attend the retreat, sign them up using that link.

2) I will also be speaking at the Diocese of Salina's Men's Conference in Hays, Kansas, along with Archbiship Chaput, on Saturday, August 11th. If you are out that way, I would love to see you at the conference. Men, if you would like more information, or to register for the conference: http://salinadiocese.org/quick-links-stories/3655-2018-men-s-conference

Wives, if you would like your husbands to attend the retreat, sign them up using that link.

3) And, if you are in the North Alabama area, I will be speaking at Most Merciful Jesus parish in Madison this Wednesday, August 1, beginning at 6:30 PM. No need to register, just show up.

[If you are ever looking for a speaker for your parish or conference, you can always contact me at: john@biblechristiansociety.com]

4) Finally, for those of you in Huntsville or Birmingham, there will be an ad about Confession in the Huntsville Times and Birmingham News this weekend. It usually shows up on the back of the Sports section. If you don't have a subscription, you can usually buy a copy at any grocery store. For those not in North Alabama, I will post the ad on my website sometime next week.

Introduction

This week will be a relatively short newsletter on Confession, to go along with the ad in the newspapers.

Challenge/Response

Why do Catholics confess their sins to a priest?

Most Protestants, if not all, believe you should confess your sins straight to God; forget all this nonsense of going through a priest. Well, what does the Bible say?

Let’s start in the Old Testament, remembering 2 Tim 3:16 that “all Scripture is profitable for teaching and training in righteousness.” Look at Leviticus, chapter 5, verses 5 and 6: “When a man is guilty in any of these [sins listed in the previous verses], he shall confess the sin he has committed, and he shall bring his guilt offering to the Lord for the sin which he has committed...and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin.”

So, what does this passage from Leviticus teach us? How does it train us in righteousness? First, we see that to be forgiven we have to confess our sins. No problem there. Second, it looks as if there is penance to be performed after our sins are confessed...a “guilt offering” was brought to the Lord. Third, a person could not go straight to God to have his sins forgiven. God set things up so that people had to go to a priest. Why did God do that?

But, what if someone says, “Well, that’s the Old Testament, we’re not bound by that anymore.” No, we’re not bound by that anymore, but listen to Hebrews 10:1, “For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities...” The law, the Old Testament practices, were a “shadow” of the “true form” of the good things to come. So, the Old Testament practices should give us a hint or a clue as to the equivalent New Testament practices, since they are a “shadow” of the things to come. What is a shadow? It's an outline of the real thing. In other words, in the Old Covenant, God was, in effect, training us... giving us clues...for what was to come under the New Covenant.

So, again, we see confession of sin, penance, and the involvement of the priest in the Old Testament. 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Catholic and Protestant agree. But, does it say that we are to confess our sins to God alone, and not to man? No, it doesn’t. In fact, in James 5:16 it commands us to confess our sins to “one another”. Scripture commands us...God’s Word commands us...to confess our sins to our fellow man. James 5:16, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another...”. Again, this is a command, from Scripture, to confess our sins to one another, not just to God...not just to God.

But, do we go around confessing our sins to just anyone? I don’t think so. Should I confess my sins to all of you here in this newsletter? Maybe to a stranger at the mall? To my wife, or to my brothers and sisters? No! Doesn’t it make sense that God would have us confess our sins to those who actually have the power to forgive our sins?

Whoa! Wait a minute, John! Are you suggesting that men can forgive sins? Yes I am. This...this is the major stumbling block for non-Catholic Christians regarding Catholic teaching on the Sacrament of Confession - men forgiving sins. When you get into this discussion, you will be told that only God can forgive sins. Which is exactly what Catholics believe; however, we believe that God can and does exercise this power through men. Understand that, please! It is God’s power, but He exercises that power through men.

Now, here’s what you do when someone says that only God can forgive sins and therefore Catholics are going against Scripture when they confess their sins to a priest. Turn to Mark 2, verse 7 - this is the story of Jesus healing a paralytic. Mark 2:7 says, “Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Ask whoever you’re talking to if they agree with Scripture regarding that statement that only God can forgive sins. They will undoubtedly say, "Yes." The problem is, that that statement came out of the mouths of the scribes, and in this context it betrays a limited understanding of God’s power, as Jesus goes on to point out to them. So, what you have done is put them on the side of the scribes, and, generally speaking, being on the side of the scribes is not a good thing.

Now, turn back a few pages to Matthew chapter 9. This is the exact same story of the healing of the paralytic that we were just looking at in Mark chapter 2. Again, in verse 3 it says the scribes said, “This man is blaspheming.” And what happens? Jesus shows them that their understanding of God’s power is a limited one. In verse 6 Jesus tells them, “But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” And what does Scripture tell us in verse 8? “When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to [a man]”. To a man? No! To “men”. Plural! Scripture tells us that God gave this authority to “men”, not just to “a man”, Jesus Christ. But to men! And what authority did God give to men? The authority on earth to forgive sins! I don’t know how much plainer it can be. Scripture tells us that God gave “men” the authority on earth to forgive sins.

And, should you have any doubts, turn to the Gospel of John. John 20:21-23 - “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me...[remember that phrase: “As the Father has sent me”]... As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” Verse 21: “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” How did the Father send Jesus? We just saw in Matthew 9:6 that “the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”. So, the Father sent Jesus with the authority on earth to forgive sins. Now, Jesus is sending out the Apostles as the Father sent Him. So, what authority must the Apostles have? That’s right, the authority on earth to forgive sins. And, just in case someone didn’t understand Him in verse 21, in verse 23 He can’t get much clearer: “If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven, if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Why give the Apostles the power to forgive or retain sins unless you expect people to confess their sins to them? How can you forgive or retain someone’s sins unless you know what their sins are? Unless they are confessing their sins to you? And, as we saw earlier in James 5:16, we are supposed to confess our sins to men, not to God alone. And in James, it right before it says to confess your sins to one another, it says to call for the elders - the bishops and priests. That is who we are to confess our sins to!

Yes, we confess our sins to God, but the system which God has set up for us to receive His forgiveness, involves confessing our sins to men. The Bible is very clear on this. And, as we learned from the Old Testament, the priest is an integral part of how God set up the system for receiving forgiveness of sin. Remember that, this is how God set things up, not man. The Sacraments are all instituted by Jesus Christ Himself, and we have clearly seen that here in Scripture regarding the Sacrament of Confession.

Closing Comments

I hope all of you have a great week!

Donations

The Bible Christian Society is a non-profit organization that relies solely on your support to bring the truths of the Catholic Faith to tens of thousands of people throughout the U.S. and all around the world each year. If you would like to help us do what we do, you can donate online at: http://www.biblechristiansociety.com/donations, or send a check to: Bible Christian Society, PO Box 424, Pleasant Grove, AL 35127. Anything you can do is greatly appreciated!

Unsubscribe/Subscribe

http://www.biblechristiansociety.com/newsletter/unsubscribe - to unsubscribe from this newsletter

http://www.biblechristiansociety.com/newsletter - to subscribe to this newsletter