Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Should Christians Confess Sins to An Earthly Priest?
Reformed Bibliophile ^ | February 11, 2013 | J.C. Ryle

Posted on 02/24/2015 3:56:55 PM PST by RnMomof7

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 161-177 next last
To: onyx

Excellent. I think this needs to be posted more often.


61 posted on 02/24/2015 7:19:43 PM PST by DarkSavant
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: RnMomof7
"YES!" say the Catholics. And the Orthodox.

"NO!" say the Protestants.

And then they start throwing filth at each other like a bunch of mountain gorillas ...

62 posted on 02/24/2015 7:21:56 PM PST by NorthMountain ("The time has come", the Walrus said, "to talk of many things")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ryan71
I’m no Catholic and I’ll never understand confessing sins to a mortal.

Why is it any different from hearing the word of God from a mortal? You didn't hear the gospel directly from God. It came from a mortal preacher or a mortal author.

Jesus said to the apostles: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

He also gave the apostles the power to forgive or to retain sins. (John 20:23) I.e., to exercise judgment. Exercising this judgment would be impossible unless sinners TELL their sins, and discuss their motives, and their intention to amend their lives.

63 posted on 02/24/2015 7:22:43 PM PST by Arthur McGowan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 57 | View Replies]

To: Arthur McGowan; RnMomof7
Turning FR into an anti-Catholic kook site, one spam post at a time.

If that was true it was due to years of RCs turning FR into a Catholic news and apologetics organ. When I voiced objections, I was told by more than one RC that we should post more ourselves. So finally it comes. Thanks RnMomof7 for what is good.

64 posted on 02/24/2015 7:24:04 PM PST by daniel1212 (Come to the Lord Jesus as a contrite damned+destitute sinner, trust Him to save you, then live 4 Him)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: HossB86; metmom; boatbums; caww; presently no screen name; redleghunter; Springfield Reformer; ...
one spam post at a time.

I find this extremely humorous, considering the tidal wave of Roman Catholic Cult posts... so I take it that the only posts that aren't spam are those that glorify Roman Catholicism?

Just like we were told there never has been any antiProt bigotry on FR, or any provocative posts by RCs .

65 posted on 02/24/2015 7:29:35 PM PST by daniel1212 (Come to the Lord Jesus as a contrite damned+destitute sinner, trust Him to save you, then live 4 Him)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: Lorianne
Should Christians stop picking fights with other Christians?

RCs have done so far more often by posting provocative articles and promos for their elitist agency, them whine when they are challenged.

66 posted on 02/24/2015 7:32:21 PM PST by daniel1212 (Come to the Lord Jesus as a contrite damned+destitute sinner, trust Him to save you, then live 4 Him)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: RnMomof7

Billions of people have known the peace that comes to a Catholic when these words are spoken:

Penitent:

O, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee.
I detest my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell.
But most of all, because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good, and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

Priest:

God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of His Son, has sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins.
Through the ministry of the Church, may God give you pardon and peace. And I absolve you from your sins, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.


67 posted on 02/24/2015 7:35:26 PM PST by Arthur McGowan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Arthur McGowan

Arthur....why the insistence on referring to yourself as a catholic and not a Christian?


68 posted on 02/24/2015 7:36:29 PM PST by ealgeone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: goodwithagun
Nearly 100 Christians have recently been abducted by ISIS. They will probably meet a terrible death. But hey, my brand of Christianity is better than yours and I can prove it with my HTML skills of righteousness! That's FR these days. Sad.

What is sad is that Islam fed off the largely lifeless body of institutionalized Christianity, as the strongest weapon against it is a living evangelical faith.

Rome''s teaching actually sanction torture and death of merely theological nonconformists, something early Prots had to unlearn, and required RC rulers to exterminate all the heretics (us) from the land, or else they were to be overthrown.

And there are RC here who commended that, and who i have little doubt with sanction our death as heretics.

Both Catholicism and Islam are populated with souls only born of the flesh, the latter entirely so, and thus its weapons of warfare have been after that means.

But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. (Galatians 4:29)

69 posted on 02/24/2015 7:41:34 PM PST by daniel1212 (Come to the Lord Jesus as a contrite damned+destitute sinner, trust Him to save you, then live 4 Him)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: Arthur McGowan

“Billions” have been taught falsely - by priests - that they must confess to a priest, and taught falsely that “penance” is required, and falsely believe that a priest can absolve their sins.

And all this is put forth as a poor substitute for direct access to God and His forgiveness.


70 posted on 02/24/2015 7:42:15 PM PST by aMorePerfectUnion ( "Forward lies the crown, and onward is the goal.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: stanne
And, yes, AMg is correct. It is an anti catholic site. I’m on record as having stated so

Note that catholic is almost always the 3rd or 4th most popular keyword, and it is not because of articles as these, but the incessant posting by RC devotees. If they want to do that, then do not complain when her elitists presumptions are challenged.

71 posted on 02/24/2015 7:45:23 PM PST by daniel1212 (Come to the Lord Jesus as a contrite damned+destitute sinner, trust Him to save you, then live 4 Him)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: ealgeone

Of course I am a Christian.

I refer to myself as a Catholic in order to distinguish the fullness of the Christian Faith that is held by the Catholic Church from the maimed, deformed, amputated version of Christianity taught by the heresiarchs of the the 16th Century and after.


72 posted on 02/24/2015 7:49:16 PM PST by Arthur McGowan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 68 | View Replies]

To: Arthur McGowan; RnMomof7
Besides being not commanded by Jesus Christ (John 20:23), confession to a priest is self-deception.

Fixed, as there simply was and is no separate class of believers distinctively titled “hiereus” (priests) .

And James 5:16 distinctly says presbuteros (elders) NOT hiereus (priests) which distinctive title the Holy Spirit never gives to NT clergy (except as part of the general priesthood (hierateuma) of all believers. (1Pt. 2:9) A separate sacerdotal class of NT clergy titled hiereus/priests was a later unScriptural development due to imposed functional equivalence.

In addition, while God can forgive sin thru the intercession of others, in the sense of removing judgment/chastisement due to unknown or perhaps not fully repentant sin, (Mt. 9:1-6) and in which the elders are to be the primary righteous confessors, yet this power is not restricted to them.

For as in Mt. 18, the spiritual (if not judicial, the binding/loosing power of which the OT magisterium also had: Dt. 17:8-13) power of binding or loosing also pertains to every believer who is a righteous man of fervent prayer, and is not restricted to the elders, let alone the non-existent Cath. priesthood.

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. (James 5:16)

Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 18:19)

And which, in the context of the general exhortation, "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," (James 5:16) James says Elijah exampled, binding and loosing the heavens. (Ja. 5:17,18; cf. 1Ki. 17:1; 1Ki 18:18,42-45) Blessed be God. I am no Elijah sadly. Nor are RC priests.

73 posted on 02/24/2015 7:55:25 PM PST by daniel1212 (Come to the Lord Jesus as a contrite damned+destitute sinner, trust Him to save you, then live 4 Him)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 60 | View Replies]

To: Arthur McGowan
I refer to myself as a Catholic in order to distinguish the fullness of the Christian Faith that is held by the Catholic Church from the maimed, deformed, amputated version of Christianity taught by the heresiarchs of the the 16th Century and after.

Catholic tells me your denomination, much as it would if I identified as methodist, baptist, butheran, etc. It tells me nothing of a persons relationship with Christ.

And here I am thinking identifying with Christ would do just that. Silly me.

btw...still waiting on your up or down on the fifth marian dogma....what say you? Yes or No?

74 posted on 02/24/2015 7:56:07 PM PST by ealgeone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 72 | View Replies]

To: daniel1212

There are no presumptions in the Catholic Church.

The what you call the presumptions of the Church, the Church itself, is never challenged here.

I take that back. I did have one question once. It was an inquisitive question, placed by a poster who wanted to have an answer. it was polite and had a question mark. I answered in kind.

The rest, you call challenge. It’s a challenge like going for the couch with a drink and the remote.

You can not find one serious challenge to the Church o FR to cut and paste and post (Now there’s a challenge for you)

I have never seen one.

Not one poster hateful of the Church have I ever spoken with here has ever been curious, except the afore mentioned. Not curious enough to consult the theologians, the Catechism, Canon law, Catholic publications.

A challenge like facing a champion boxer in the ring wearing no gloves, wearing street clothes.

It’s just a lot of bigotry


75 posted on 02/24/2015 7:59:47 PM PST by stanne
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 71 | View Replies]

To: daniel1212

I never said I didn’t want this to be an anti Catholic site.

Where did I say that?

I don’t care.

You think being Catholic carries with it an expectation to not be persecuted?

THe opposite.

It’s not a complaint.

It’s an observation.

Read the other thread headline.

It’s an observation. Catholics don’t fade at criticism and anti Catholicism.

Comes with the territory. Nature of the beast


76 posted on 02/24/2015 8:04:11 PM PST by stanne
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 71 | View Replies]

To: NorthMountain

Whether one confesses their sins to a priest, or to Jesus Christ is no small matter. But to you, it is throwing mud like a bunch of mountain gorillas to have strong convictions on this.

People sin, when they do, what do YOU recommend they do? Go to a priest, or go to Jesus? Inquiring minds want to know.

Since you have a higher and loftier ethical position than either Catholics or Protestants, what on earth do YOU do when YOU sin?


77 posted on 02/24/2015 8:04:16 PM PST by sasportas
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 62 | View Replies]

To: daniel1212

Amen. You are right. Thanks. It seems like they can not stand the Bible verses you and others post. I have learned so much from you and a few others. Keep up the good work.


78 posted on 02/24/2015 8:07:01 PM PST by MamaB
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 71 | View Replies]

To: stanne; Arthur McGowan; All
Some beliefs are not allowed here, e.g. Satanism. Any pro-Satanism posts would be removed and posters banned for posting them.

If this were an anti-Catholic site, then pro-Catholicism posts would be removed and posters banned for posting them. Obviously, Catholic posts are not removed and Catholics are not banned for posting them.

It is also not an anti-Protestantism site so pro-Protestantism posts are not removed and posters are not banned for posting them.

That said, this thread is posted in the Religion Forum. It is an "open" RF thread meaning posters may argue for or against deities, beliefs, religious authorities, etc. If that style of debate offends you, then IGNORE open RF threads altogether and instead post to RF threads labeled "caucus" "ecumenical" "prayer" or "devotional."

If you do not wish to see RF posts at all, then do NOT use the "everything" option on the Free Republic browse option list. Instead, browse by "News/Activism." When you log back in, the browse will reset to "everything" - so be sure to set it back to "News/Activism."

79 posted on 02/24/2015 8:09:38 PM PST by Religion Moderator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: sasportas
I recommend that people discuss theology (or anything else, for that matter) with respect for each other, and with respect for the truth.

I see precious little of that on the "religion" forum.

"Religion" discussion here looks very much like the mountain gorilla behavior I described.

If that's your level ... carry on.

80 posted on 02/24/2015 8:12:12 PM PST by NorthMountain ("The time has come", the Walrus said, "to talk of many things")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 77 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 161-177 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson