What is the purpose of the Catholic practice of confession according to the Bible? BlazeTV’s Jason Whitlock of “Fearless” and his panel dug deep, and things got heated.
“Fearless” contributor Pastor Bobby points out that the Bible isn’t specific about how or where people are to confess their sins. The most context is that people are to confess their sins to other disciples of Jesus. While Jason agrees, he states that the argument for Catholicism is that a Catholic priest could be that disciple.
In Matthew 3:6, the public confession of sins was part of the process when John the Baptist baptized the people. In the New Testament, the public ministry of Jesus was prepared for by John the Baptist. Confession is mentioned in other books of the New Testament as well, although confessing to a priest is written in the New or the Old Testament.
“I had a had time understanding how the Catholic Church feels justified in taking on the duty of hearing the sins of others and absolving sin.” In this clip, Jason discussed the act of going to confession after watching he and his panel discerned what is biblical and what is traditional.
Historically, “a detailed confession to a bishop or priest, however, is reported to have appeared early in the church’s history. In the 5th-century discipline of the Roman church, confessions began at the beginning of Lent and to reconcile the penitents on Holy Thursday in preparation for Easter.” Eventually, the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) established that every Christian should confess to a priest at least once a year.
Confession, therefore, appears to be more of a tradition than a command from Jesus. Perhaps biblically, it is wise to surround yourself with people seeking God’s mercy, confess regularly, and keep each other honest?
Watch the clip to learn the difference. Listen to the podcast here.
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