This whole Catholic business was a ploy to control the gullible people under the thumbs of the priests for centuries. According to Scripture, the Roman Catholic priesthood is a sham and a scam. The Royal Priesthood of believers is the truth.
Confession of our sins must be to God alone. Confession of our faults may be to our brethren. But because James 5:16 refuted the Catholic concept, and mentioned "faults" -- not sins -- it was deliberately changed to "sins" in the Catholic bibles as well as the modern Bible versions (which follow the Catholic bibles). Please note:
TRADITIONAL TEXTS
RP Byzantine Majority Text 2005
Ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἀλλήλοις τὰ
παραπτώματα, καὶ εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων, ὅπως ἰαθῆτε. Πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη.
Greek Orthodox Church 1904
ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἀλλήλοις τὰ
παραπτώματα, καὶ εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων, ὅπως ἰαθῆτε· πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη.
Scrivener's Textus Receptus 1894
ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἀλλήλοις τὰ
παραπτώματα, καὶ εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων, ὅπως ἰαθῆτε. πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη.
Stephanus Textus Receptus 1550
ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἀλλήλοις τὰ
παραπτώματα, καὶ εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων ὅπως ἰαθῆτε πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη
Confess
your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (KJB)
Strong's Concordance
paraptóma: a false step, a trespass
Original Word:
παράπτωμα, ατος, τό
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: paraptóma
Phonetic Spelling: (par-ap'-to-mah)
Short Definition: a falling away, sin
Definition:
a falling away, lapse, slip, false step, trespass, sin.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 3900: παράπτωμα
παράπτωμα, παραπτώματος, τό(παραπίπτω, which see);
1. properly, a fall beside or near something; but nowhere found in this sense.
2. tropically, a lapse or deviation from truth and uprightness; a sin, misdeed (R. V. trespass,'
differing from ἁμάρτημα (which see) in figure not in force' (Fritzsche); cf. Trench, § lxvi.):
Matthew 6:14,(a GT omit; WH brackets), b; Rec.;
Mark 11:25, 26 R G L;
Romans 4:25;
Romans 5:15-18, 20;
Romans 11:11;
2 Corinthians 5:19;
Galatians 6:1;
Ephesians 1:7;
Ephesians 2:1, 5;
Colossians 2:13;
James 5:16 (whereL T Tr WH ἁμαρτίας). (Polybius 9, 10, 6; Wis. 3:13 Wis. 10:1; the Sept. several times for מַעַל, עָוֶל, פֶּשַׁע , etc.; of literary faults, Longinus, 36, 2.)
As noted by Thayer's paraptoma is not the same as hamartia. That is why the KJV has "faults".
CRITICAL TEXT
ἐξομολογεῖσθε οὖν ἀλλήλοις τὰς
ἁμαρτίας καὶ προσεύχεσθε / εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων, ὅπως ἰαθῆτε. πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη.
New American Standard Bible
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.
Strong's Concordance
hamartia: a sin, failure
Original Word:
ἁμαρτία, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: hamartia
Phonetic Spelling: (ham-ar-tee'-ah)
Short Definition: a sin
Definition: prop: missing the mark; hence: (a) guilt, sin, (b) a fault, failure (in an ethical sense),
sinful deed.