All pardon for sins ultimately comes from Christ’s finished work on Calvary, but how is this pardon received by individuals? Did Christ leave us any means within the Church to take away sin? The Bible says he gave us two means.
Baptism was given to take away the sin inherited from Adam (original sin) and any sins we personally committed before baptism—sins we personally commit are called actual sins, because they come from our own acts.
Thus on the day of Pentecost, Peter told the crowds, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38), and when Paul was baptized he was told, “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16). And so Peter later wrote, “Baptism . . . now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 3:21).
For sins committed after baptism, a different sacrament is needed. It has been called penance, confession, and reconciliation, each word emphasizing one of its.aspects. During his life, Christ forgave sins, as in the case of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1–11) and the woman who anointed his feet (Luke 7:48). He exercised this power in his human capacity as the Messiah or Son of man, telling us, “the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Matt. 9:6), which is why the Gospel writer himself explains that God “had given such authority to men” (Matt. 9:8).
Since he would not always be with the Church visibly, Christ gave this power to other men so the Church, which is the continuation of his presence throughout time (Matt. 28:20), would be able to offer forgiveness to future generations. He gave his power to the apostles, and it was a power that could be passed on to their successors and agents, since the apostles wouldn’t always be on earth either, but people would still be sinning.
https://www.catholic.com/tract/the-forgiveness-of-sins
Being in the state of mortal sin denies one access to the graces of God until the sins are forgiven.
Mortal sin is defined by St. Augustine (Contra Faustum, XXII, xxvii) as “Dictum vel factum vel concupitum contra legem aeternam”, i.e. something said, done or desired contrary to the eternal law, or a thought, word, or deed contrary to the eternal law. This is a definition of sin as it is a voluntary act. As it is a defect or privation it may be defined as an aversion from God, our true last end, by reason of the preference given to some mutable good.
Hebrews 9:22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
Water or physical actions cannot do it.
For sins committed after baptism, a different sacrament is needed. It has been called penance, confession, and reconciliation,
Nope. Not found in Scripture either.
THIS is.....
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Forgiveness is as simple as confessing.
We have God's PROMISE that it's so and we can take that to the bank.
Being in the state of mortal sin denies one access to the graces of God until the sins are forgiven.
God's grace is not based on works. God pours out His grace on us to we can come top the point of confessing our sin in the first place.
If God's grace depends on works, then it's no longer grace but wages due for work performed.
It nullifies grace.
Sorry, a catholic empowerment scheme is not The Way, The Truth, and The Light. It empowers the hierarchy but that hierarchy is without God’s Spirit in their dictating means to an end. God’s Grace is between GOD and the individual. GOD needs no intermediaries to dole out His Grace.
“Since he would not always be with the Church visibly, Christ gave this power to other men so the Church, which is the continuation of his presence throughout time (Matt. 28:20), would be able to offer forgiveness to future generations.”
Not one bit of that Satanic writing is biblical except if you still want to be under the Law!
Now lets get biblical and what exactly did Christ leave with the Church of God as powers to be used.
First and foremost the presence is the Holy Spirit of the Living God within all His saved people.
John 14:16-18 King James Version (KJV)
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
As you can see the power is through the Holy Spirit not through men. I know you don’t understand nor can you see it as Holy Scripture states the world can’t see it, but there is hope for you it’s not too late.
If you want to learn about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit that Christ gave to man then read 1 Corinthians 12, but forgiveness of sins ISN’T one of them.
Even as wicked as the leadership of the Jews was in Jesus time they still realized that only God could forgive sins. Mark 2:7
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
1 John 3:21-24
Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.