Can Priests Forgive Sin?
The Catholic Church claims that its bishops and priests have inherited from the apostles the power to forgive penitent sinners. Please notice the following:
"Who has the power to forgive sin today?
"All bishops and priests of the Catholic Church can forgive sin." (A Catechism for Adults, p. 85).
"Christ conferred upon the Apostles the power to forgive sins: 'Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven.' (John 20:23). St. Paul mirrors the faith of the Apostolic Church when he writes: 'God hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation' (II Cor. 5:18).
"As the inheritors of the power and authority of the Apostles, the bishops and priests of the Catholic Church exercises the ministry of reconciliation, forgiving penitent sinners in the name of Jesus Christ." (The Faith of Millions, pp. 71-72).
Catholic bishops and priests are claiming a power which the apostles did not possess or exercise. Jesus said to the apostles, "Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." (John 20:22-23). Thus, only by the possession of the Holy Spirit would the apostles have the authority to forgive and retain sins. As the Holy Spirit guided them in their preaching and writing, they delivered God's plan for forgiving and retaining sins (Luke 24:45-49; Acts 2:38). This alone was their "power to forgive sins" and how it was exercised.
Confession to priests?
We are taught in the New Testament to confess our sins to God and He will forgive and cleanse us from all iniquity. "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 Catholic RSV). Also, we are instructed that when we sin, Jesus Christ is our advocate with the Father and the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:1-2). In Heb. 4:14-16, the writer teaches that Christians have full and complete access to God through Jesus Christ and may come boldly to the throne of grace and obtain mercy.
The New Testament teaches that one's confession should be as public as the sin, e.g., "And many of those who believed kept coming, and openly confessed their practices." (Acts 19:18). If the sin was against God only, it needs to be confessed only to God (1 John 1:9). If the sin was committed against one or a number of individuals, it should be confessed to God and to those who have been wronged. James 5:16 says, "Confess, therefore, your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be saved." This means that Christians are to confess to each other and applies to sins committed against each other. It cannot mean that the Christian is to confess to the priest because it would require that the priest confess back to the Christian--"confess your sins to one another."
There is no command or example in the New Testament for Christians to confess sins to a priest to obtain absolution. The Testament gives instructions on every good work imposed upon children of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:3), but it doesn't mention a single word regarding "auricular confession" or that which is done in the modern Catholic confessional. There is no allusion or indication, no command, example, or inference in the Scriptures regarding the confessional. In short, there is not the slightest hint concerning that which is done by Catholics today. When one believes or practices something in religion which is not in the written New Testament, all of the following divine principles immediately apply.
It is not a good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
It does not pertain to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3).
It causes one to not have God (2 John 9).
It is not authorized by Christ (Col. 3:17).
It cannot be done by faith (2 Cor. 5:7; Rom. 10:17).
It is going beyond what's written (1 Cor. 4:6).
It is not as the oracles of God (1 Pet. 4:11).
It is not according to the pattern (Heb. 8:5).
It does not pertain to the seed of the kingdom (Luke 8:11).
It is not of righteousness (Rom. 1:16-17; 10:1-3).
It is of "no such commandment" (Acts 15:24).
It is iniquity (Matt. 7:23).
It is of men (Matt. 15:9; Col. 2:8).
It is not of truth (John 4:24).
It is another gospel (Gal. 1:6-9)
It is adding to the Word of God (Rev. 22:18; Deut. 4:2).
The following quotes from Catholic sources show that the practice of auricular confession slowly and gradually developed.
Since there are no passages in the New Testament authorizing the Catholic confessional, it is a sinful practice. We emphasize again that we cannot go beyond the things that are written and be pleasing to God (1 Cor. 4:6; 2 John 9). When we add the traditions and doctrines of men, our worship becomes vain (Matt. 15:9; Col. 2:8). If we change, add to, delete from, or pervert the gospel of Christ, the curse of God rests upon us (Gal. 1:6-9; Rev. 22:18-19).
Correct me if I'm wrong.
