I was raised Catholic and love the traditions and organization of the church. However, I am beginning to question why it is necessary to confess my sins to a man when Christ desires and offers direct forgiveness. I would love some insight here. Thanks
A: As Christian ministers and theologians, we look for areas where we might agree. In essence, where our “cones of certainty” might intersect. In this case, it’s critical to understand that both Protestants AND Catholics believe forgiveness comes from God via our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Catholics tend to look at the issue from the perspective of John 20:23. In this scripture, Jesus delegates HIS divine authority to forgive sins to HIS apostles and subsequent priests and bishops.
The Protestant view obviously differs via a belief in direct confession. 1 John 1:9 tells us, “if we tell HIM our sins, HE is faithful and we can depend on HIM to forgive our sins. HE will make our lives clean from all sin.” Based upon this scripture, the case may be made that no intermediary is required.
Given this, how do we reconcile what might appear as inconsistencies? Let’s remember, scripture is infallible and it is up to us to do the necessary study for proper exegetical interpretation. In this case, Christ has made it clear that HIS apostles and those to follow are speaking in HIS name. However, this does not eliminate our ability to also go directly to Christ and HE welcomes such!
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