you>I in no way contradicted myself.
I'll repost our conversation just so we're clear on this.
Me>“If, as according to the RCC, you commit a mortal sin and it’s unconfessed to the priest, you do not go to Heaven. The real meaning: one would go to Hell.”
You>No. It is not that the sin must be confessed to a priest (although that would be best if circumstances allow it) - for that might be impossible because of circumstances. The sin must be renounced and repented of. God sent priests for confession (John 20:19-23), but God knows that not everyone has access to a priest at all times.
A man who had committed a mortal sin, and genuinely had contrition for it can, if he were in a situation where confession to a priest were impossible, commit himself to the mercy of God in perfect contrition. I have no reason to doubt God’s mercy in that situation.
Me>“Welcome to the Biblical understanding of asking Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. No earthly priest needed.”
You>False. Christ sent priests for confession (John 20:19-23).
Me>So my question remains...why the need for confession to a priest?
If God will forgive sins when a priest is not available, surely He will forgive sins to a person who confesses their sins to Him whether they go a priest or not.
Me>This was not part of the original discussion but I wanted to address John 20:19-23..again.
How are sins forgiven? Faith through Christ just as we are discussing here. If people believe in Christ, sins forgiven...if not, sins not forgiven.
This was the message Peter preached at Pentecost. He didn't say,"come confess your sins to me and I will forgive or retain them now did he? Nope. He preached repentance, then baptism...all through Christ.
“If God will forgive sins when a priest is not available, surely He will forgive sins to a person who confesses their sins to Him whether they go a priest or not.”
1) Where EXACTLY is my supposed contradiction? There is no contradiction. I did not contradict myself.
2) I never said God would forgive sins without a priest when someone had recourse to a priest but did not avail themselves of that priest’s God-given authority and ability to absolve. Thus I did not contradict myself. And I knew from the beginning that I was not contradicting myself.
3) Here, let me help you AGAIN since you seem to have such difficulty understanding what is so plain:
- God sent priests with the power to absolve (John 20:19-23).
- Under normal circumstances the priest serves that role.
- In some circumstances - captivity, being at death’s door, being the most obvious ones - no priest is available. In that situation a man should confess his sin as he would anyway, and do so with perfect contrition, and hope for the mercy of God.
- I have every reason to believe God is merciful and will take into account the man’s perfect contrition but inability to make use of the faculties of a priest.
- Whether or not forgiveness is applied to him is up to God, but as I said, I have no reason to doubt that God is merciful when a man is perfectly contrite and has no recourse to a priest.
Now, that’s longer than what I said before, but doesn’t differ in any necessary important details to what I said before. Thus, there is no contradiction at all. And I knew it all along that there was no contradiction.
Now, why should someone avail himself of a priest’s faculties if a sin - in some circumstances - can be forgiven (i.e. forgiveness applied to the penitent person) without the faculties of a priest? Because that’s how God obviously intended it as seen in John 20:19-23. God works through His people all the time. He works through His priests. That’s how he wanted it. That’s why He made them priests. That’s why He sent them under the Church into the world.
Think of it this way: Can we know Jesus without being able to read? Yes. Sure we can. But God gave us the Bible to know Him better. Thus, we know Jesus best when we use all that He gave us to know Him - and that includes the Bible naturally. Yet no one would doubt that illiterate people can know Jesus just because they can read. Any literate Christian person who has access to a Bible is making a mistake if they spend time reading it. Any Catholic who has access to a priest but does not avail himself of God’s gift of absolution held by the priest is making a mistake.
I made no contradiction whatsoever.