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The Sermon on the Mount is clear. If there is an offense between you and your brother, don’t bother showing up at Temple to act all religious until you’ve been reconciled to your brother. Confession can take place in all kinds of venues. We once had a preacher caught in sexual sin. He injured the entire local body of believers. Confession to all of us was appropriate. If I say a sharp word to my wife and realize later it was sin, I confess that to my wife. Both errors should be confessed to God. This is Christian confession.

BTW, confession to Jesus or Jesus issuing forgiveness is the same as confessing to God and needing God’s forgiveness. That dimension will be there for every offense, because every sin is at some level against God. Nothing precludes those same individuals from admitting they were wrong to the people they hurt. Nickodemus did as much, returning his unjust tax collection to the people he ripped off. Both-and. Not either-or.

Peace,

SR

BTW, confession to Jesus or Jesus issuing forgiveness is the same as confessing to God and needing God’s forgiveness.

No kidding? I thought Jesus was God.

The Sermon on the Mount is clear. If there is an offense between you and your brother, don’t bother showing up at Temple to act all religious until you’ve been reconciled to your brother. Confession can take place in all kinds of venues. We once had a preacher caught in sexual sin. He injured the entire local body of believers. Confession to all of us was appropriate. If I say a sharp word to my wife and realize later it was sin, I confess that to my wife. Both errors should be confessed to God. This is Christian confession.

There was an altar where a sin offering was made. One still had to offer the gift at the altar after doing recompense for one's wrong.

If he confessed to those wronged and some did not forgive him, were his sins forgiven, or retained ?

Does the wife have power to forgive sins ?

BTW, confession to Jesus or Jesus issuing forgiveness is the same as confessing to God and needing God’s forgiveness. That dimension will be there for every offense, because every sin is at some level against God. Nothing precludes those same individuals from admitting they were wrong to the people they hurt. Nickodemus did as much, returning his unjust tax collection to the people he ripped off. Both-and. Not either-or.

Yes, penance and recompense, bring forth fruits meet for repentance, are along the way of working out our salvation with fear and trembling.