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Old 06-10-2009, 02:46 PM
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Jassy Jassy is offline
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 299
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Biblestudent View Post
Yes.
I confess my SINS to God.
I confess my FAULTS to a brother/sister whom I have erred against.

I know there are some Protestant "confessionals" going on in Baptist churches and other denominations. Sins are to be confessed directly to God, not to any human priest or Baptist pope. I personally believe that some past sin is better left unsaid (for another person's sake, and not thy own), but all sins ought to be acknowledged before God.
Growing up Catholic, I am well-acquainted with the Catholic idea of confessing sins to a priest. I NEVER felt comfortable with that and it just didn't sit right with me at all. Plus the so-called "penience prayers" also didn't make any sense to me. Saying some rote prayer twice or 5 times - how is that going to help?

So definitely I agree that we are not to use any confessional, no matter what sorts of denominations may be establishing some Catholic-created priest's ability to supposedly LISTEN to and FORGIVE sins.

What do the Scriptures say? Romans 8:34 - "Who is he that comendeth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."

1 Timothy 2:5 - "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus:"

So, unlike the old priestly requirements in the Old Covenant, we don't need a priest to cleanse us of our sins, with a sacrificial animal's blood. We now have Jesus - and Paul says in Hebrews 4:16 - "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

So, we don't have to come, hanging our heads with shame and feelings of being UNWORTHY - because Christ died "while we were yet sinners"! And His blood is enough and it makes us WORTHY in the eyes of God (not in our own eyes, being self-righteous) - so we can come even BOLDLY to the throne of GRACE!

Jassy