The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church

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The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church

• Confession

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What is Catholic Confession?

• Catholicism teaches that when a catholic
  Christian confesses sins to a priest they are
  forgiven

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What Catholics say about confession

• Can sins be forgiven by confession to men? The
  bible teaches us that only by confessing our sins
  can we achieve forgiveness from God. How so we
  know this? Again the bible tells us these
  things. In 2 Samuel 1213, David confesses his
  sins to Nathan and was given assurance form
  Nathan that his sins were forgiven.
• The New Testament affirms John 2022-23 Acts
  1918 Matthew 1812 2 Corinthians 210 518-20

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What Catholics say about Confession

• The transgressor stands in front of a
  representative of Christ, whom God has given the
  authority to be his stand-in. Once an individual
  goes to confession and actually states the sin
  aloud with true contrition, it is guaranteed that
  a relief and cleansing will immediately follow,
  as well as a strong sense of forgiveness there
  is no doubt that you are forgiven you know!
  Confession gives the penitent a fresh start to
  perhaps work with a strong passion to never
  commit the sin. Not only does confession cleans
  the soul, it is pleasing to God and he fills the
  soul with Grace.

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What CATHOLICS SAY ABOUT BAPTISM

• "As the inheritors of the power and authority of
  the Apostles, the priest of the Catholic Church
  exercises the ministry of reconciliation,
  forgiving penitent sinners in the name of Jesus
  Christ."
• (The Faith of Millions, pp. 71-72).

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What the bible says about Confession

1. The bible does not teach that there are to be
   priest in the New Testament, but that all
   believers are Priests 1 Peter 25-9

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1 Peter 25-9

• 1 Peter 24-9 As you come to him, the living
  Stone rejected by men but chosen by God and
  precious to him 5 you also, like living stones,
  are being built into a spiritual house to be a
  holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices
  acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in
  Scripture it says
• "See, I lay a stone in Zion,
• a chosen and precious cornerstone,
• and the one who trusts in him
• will never be put to shame."
• 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious.
  But to those who do not believe,
• "The stone the builders rejected
• has become the capstone,"
• 8 and,
• "A stone that causes men to stumble
• and a rock that makes them fall."
• They stumble because they disobey the message
  which is also what they were destined for.
• 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal
  priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to
  God, that you may declare the praises of him who
  called you out of darkness into his wonderful
  light.
• (NIV)

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What the bible says about Confession

1. The bible does not teach that there are to be
   priest in the New Testament, but that all
   believers are Priests 1 Peter 25-9
2. In the Old Covenant, the faithful had to approach
   God through the priests. The priests were
   mediators between the people and God. The priests
   offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the
   people. That is no longer necessary. Because of
   Jesus sacrifice, we can now approach Gods
   throne with boldness - Hebrews 416

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Hebrews 416

• Heb 416 Let us then approach the throne of grace
  with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and
  find grace to help us in our time of need.
• Heb 911-12 When Christ came as high priest of
  the good things that are already here, he went
  through the greater and more perfect tabernacle
  that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part
  of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of
  the blood of goats and calves but he entered the
  Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood,
  having obtained eternal redemption.

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What the bible says about Confession

• The temple veil tearing in two at Jesus death
  was symbolic of the dividing wall between God and
  humanity being destroyed. We can approach God
  directly, ourselves, without the use of a human
  mediator. Why? Because Jesus Christ is our great
  High Priest - Hebrews 414-15
• There is only one Mediator between God and Man
  1 Timothy 25

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1 Timothy 25

• 1 Tim 25-6For there is one God and one mediator
  between God and men, the man Christ Jesus

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What the bible says about confession

• When it comes to the bible, believers are told to
  confess there sins to God not men or saints
• 1 John 19 - 1 John If we confess our sins, he is
  faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
  and purify us from all unrighteousness.(NIV)

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What the bible says about confession

• James 516 - Therefore confess your sins to each
  other and pray for each other so that you may be
  healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful
  and effective.
• NIV

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What James 516 does, and does not say -

• It does say to Confess our sins
• It does say to confess our sins to each other
• It does say to pray for each other to be healed
• It does not say to confess our sins to a priest,
  but to each other
• It does not link the confession of sin to healing
• It does not choose a specific minister to confess
  to, but the universal body

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Many Catholics use John 2023 -

• (Speaking to his disciples) And with that he
  breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy
  Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they
  are forgiven if you do not forgive them, they
  are not forgiven." (NIV)

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Problems with this passage -

1. No where does this passage mentioned confession
   of sin
2. John 2023 nowhere promises, or even hints, that
   the authority to forgive sins would be passed on
   to the successors of the apostles. Jesus promise
   was specifically directed to the apostles.
3. The New Testament nowhere states that the
   apostles would even have successors to their
   apostolic authority.

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Problems with this passage

• apostles and ministers of Christ remit and retain
  sin, and both as having authority
• By sound doctrine. They are commissioned to tell
  the world that salvation is to be had upon gospel
  terms, and no other, and they shall find God will
  say Amen to it so shall their doom be.
• By a strict discipline, applying the general rule
  of the gospel to particular persons. (Acts
  59-10)

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What does this passage mean?

• As the Holy Spirit guided them in their preaching
  and writing, they delivered God's plan for
  forgiving and retaining sins (Luke 2445-49 Acts
  238). This alone was their "power to forgive
  sins" and how it was exercised.
• "Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can
  forgive sins, but God only?" (Luke 521).
• "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy
  transgressions for mine own sake, and will not
  remember thy sins." (Isa. 4325).

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Recap -

• All Christians are Priests in the kingdom of God
• We Only have one high priest, that is Christ
• He tore down the veil between man and God
• All can come to the Holy place of God by the
  blood of Jesus
• Christ is the Only mediator between God the
  Father and Man
• We are to confess our sins to God for forgiveness
• We are to confess our sins to each other for
  strength and encouragement