Confess to God, where in the Bible?

Confess to God, where in the Bible?

I'm having a discussion with a co woker former Catholic about confession, he says it is in the Bible to Confess directly to God. True? Also what scriptures talk about confession?

- Dana Ray

Confession


Are all of our sins—past, present, and future—forgiven once and for all when we become Christians? Not according to the Bible or the early Church Fathers. Scripture nowhere states that our future sins are forgiven; instead, it teaches us to pray, "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Matt. 6:12).

The means by which God forgives sins after baptism is confession: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Minor or venial sins can be confessed directly to God, but for grave or mortal sins, which crush the spiritual life out of the soul, God has instituted a different means for obtaining forgiveness—the sacrament known popularly as confession, penance, or reconciliation.

This sacrament is rooted in the mission God gave to Christ in his capacity as the Son of man on earth to go and forgive sins (cf. Matt. 9:6). Thus, the crowds who witnessed this new power "glorified God, who had given such authority to men" (Matt. 9:8; note the plural "men"). After his resurrection, Jesus passed on his mission to forgive sins to his ministers, telling them, "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you. . . . Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (John 20:21–23).

Since it is not possible to confess all of our many daily faults, we know that sacramental reconciliation is required only for grave or mortal sins—but it is required, or Christ would not have commanded it.

Over time, the forms in which the sacrament has been administered have changed. In the early Church, publicly known sins (such as apostasy) were often confessed openly in church, though private confession to a priest was always an option for privately committed sins. Still, confession was not just something done in silence to God alone, but something done "in church," as the Didache (A.D. 70) indicates.

Penances also tended to be performed before rather than after absolution, and they were much more strict than those of today (ten years’ penance for abortion, for example, was common in the early Church).

But the basics of the sacrament have always been there, as the following quotations reveal. Of special significance is their recognition that confession and absolution must be received by a sinner before receiving Holy Communion, for "[w]hoever . . . eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Cor. 11:27).

- JanetF

I would also add that during confession you are directly confessing to God because the priest sitting there is in persona Christi. Being in persona Christi it is the reason that gives him the authority to absolve you from your sins.

"Domine, ad quem ibimus? Verba vitae aeternae habes. Et nos credimus, et cognivimus, quia tu es Christus Filius Dei."

- Cristiano

Of course, we have missed the best scriptural reference to Confession, the Gospel that we just heard this past Sunday:

Quote:
21 He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost. 23 Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.

This comes from John 20:21-23 and it clearly states that Jesus gave his own authority to forgive sins to the Apostles. Remember that Jesus was criticized by the Pharisees, Scribes, Chief Priests and elders for forgiving sins. They said that only "God" had the authority to forgive sins. Little did they realize that it was, in fact God, the Second Person of the Trinity, forgiving these sins. Jesus then passes on his own authority by breathing on the Apostles.

It's funny. Protestants will claim to take the Bible literally, especially regarding the end times, but, when Jesus says concrete statements regarding the Holy Eucharist and Penance, they write off his words.

- Benedictgal

It is also important that we look at the early church - which Protestants like to claim they are closer too than Catholics. If they would indeed read the earliest of writings they will find confession in them. It is not like confession now where it is one on one - it was in front of the whole community! It is also important to remember the way that cities/towns were at that time. Cities were much smaller - kind of like small towns in the US now. In these environments often everyone in town knows what is going on....unlike large cities where one can mortally sin more or less anonymously.

Another thing that I find interesting is that some (certainly not all) Protestants recommend that you have an "accountability partner" that you tell your sins to and they can keep you accountable, you are not confessing for forgiveness though. Of course this mirrors the sacrament of reconciliation, but takes away the aspect of grace.

- Steve

Also what scriptures talk about confession?

The only verse I know (?) besides 1 John 1:9 noted in post#2 having to do with confession is

James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much

- John7


Dana Ray, I do not think there is any part of Scripture that says we are to go straight to God for confession. You can, of course, since God is our Father, and you can go to Him about anything. But God (Jesus) established the Sacrament of Confession. IF we follow Jesus Christ, we do things the way HE wants us to. See John 20:19-23. Only two times in all Scripture did God "breathe" on man. Once in Genesis when He created man (Adam) and once in John 20. In Genesis, God gives life to man. In John 20, God gives new life to man. And, when Jesus established Confession in John 20, He did it in the SAME room in which He instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist? A coincidence? Hardly.

- Scoobyshme

I'm having a discussion with a co woker former Catholic about confession, he says it is in the Bible to Confess directly to God. True? Also what scriptures talk about confession?

Yes and No.

Apparently we are commanded to confess to God, by confessing our sins to each other with God present. "Confess your sins to one another" combined with the parable of the Prodigal Son, shows that this is what we should confess to each other in the presence of God, thus confessing to God(Our father).

Nothing in protestant theology comes close to forfilling this. Only the Catholic and Orthodox teach that we are to confess our sins to someone who is in "Persona Christi".

- Colliric

So there is no actual biblical text or support that directly, or even remotely says, confess your sins directly to God? I always thought there was something that would at least support part of that argument. But really, nothing?

- 1edyson

1edyson, nothing. Now this isn't to say that we can't talk to God about anything. But, speaking from a Biblical viewpoint, the normative method of having our sins forgiven is by confessing them to an Apostle (or one of their successors) and receiving absolution. But nowhere does it say to just go straight to God and bypass the Sacrament Jesus established in John 20:19-23.

- Scooby

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