Confession and John 20

Yesterday, my youngest and I were in the truck running errands, and he brought up confession. He said a Sunday School teacher told him that Catholics believe the priest forgives people’s sins. I told him that wasn’t correct, that Catholics believe only God forgives sins. The Catholic Catechism states that only God forgives sins (CCC 1441). And today, I’m reading John 20, and the topic comes up for me.

However, if you believe in the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus gives this ability to his followers who have the Holy Spirit.

‘²²Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” ‘
John 20:22-23

This passage is the scriptural foundation for the Catholic practice of confession. Catholics believe that Jesus gave his apostles, and by extension their successors, the authority, through the Holy Spirit, to forgive sins in his name. Connecting this scripture to present practice can help us see how Catholic teaching is rooted in the Bible.

Confess your sins to each other

James chapter 5 also tells us to confess our sins to each other.

‘Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. ‘
James 5:16

Confess your sins in church

The Didache also gives us instructions on confessing our sins in church.

Before Personal Prayer: “Confess your sins in church, and do not go up to your prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life” (Didache 4:14).

Before the Eucharist: “On the Lord’s Day gather together, break bread, and give thanks, after confessing your transgressions so that your sacrifice may be pure” (Didache 14:1).

Christ is the Mediator

‘⁵For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. ⁶He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. ‘
1 Timothy 2:5-6

I believe that only God can forgive sins. We can go right to God through Christ, our mediator. We need to reflect, confess, and repent to Christ (if you are like me, this happens often). But there’s something to be said about another Spirit-filled, Christ-follower telling you, your sins are forgiven. The reassurance of hearing is invaluable. We have to remember that we represent Christ; I believe if we are his followers, he has given us authority. But we can’t confuse the role and authority we have with the God of all creation we serve.

‘So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”‘
2 Corinthians 5:20