Why is the idea of confession to a priest abhorrent to Protestants?

[@serpentinecreature]

I have heard many people say that so much confusion exists between Christians,they do not want to be any part of Christianity.I am Christian.I read my Bible and do the best I can to understand and live according to God's word.I am getting sick and tired of different ministers interpreting the scriptures as they choose! I am fed up with most churches,period.They debate,fuss and argue over trivial matters.I trust that God will lead me as He is my salvation.May He bless all who love Him.

[@frankribeiro399]

The Catholics believe and see the confession to the priest the God's representative with the power to forgive the sins of His people.Amen.

[@Ggeg0000]

JOhn 20 does not justify the sacrament of penance. How do you make the huge jump from Jesus saying "whose sins you forgive are forgiven" to the apostles to then every Christian having to go to a priest for the removal of guilt and eternal punishment? Are you serious?

[@michaelcontreras148]

They both spoke elegantly. Fr. Mitch said some things that made me do some reading. In Leviticus, the Jews brought their sacrificial animals to the priest to offer them up in atonement for their sins.So confessing to a priest today seems appropriate

[@mmdaisylover64]

Michael Contreras that was before Jesus ! After Jesus came there was no need for a mediator needed . We can go directly to Him .

[@jlar1984]

Jesus Christ is our mediator. Jesus Christ is forever our high priest. Priest aren’t even mentioned in the New Testament Church.

[@mmdaisylover64]

Michael Contreras : yes that’s true, but you’re missing the vital point, in that JESUS is our high priest . When he came, died on the cross , that did away with confessing to an earthly man . We confess to Jesus.

[@jzak5723]

@@mmdaisylover64 Then why confess them to "one another" as you said earlier? Hmmm.

[@jzak5723]

@@mmdaisylover64 Then why did you say the Bible said to "confess your sins to one another?"

[@karinecarde1254]

The Lord forgives me each time I repent. I don't need a middle man between Christ and myself. Jesus Christ is the only mediator provided by God!

[@cloverfield911]

God bless Fr Mitchell for his convictions. For he speaks TRUTH!

[@KM-zn3lx]

Why did this end abruptly without the response to the priest? Why was the priest yelling? So sad! Yes confession can be beneficial but not because of priest. Most priests aren't good in confession. Not helpful...just hurry you along or even suggest some little sin You might have done! Not helpful.

[@marycadoralaloo5787]

Even a priest is human who is a sinner himself. So how can a sinner hears the sins of others when he himself is a sinner? Only Jesus can forgive our sins

[@jupiterinaries6150]

Alll you need is to prayerfully read the Bible and that will change your life. The Bible is EXTREMELY powerful and living.

[@joel230182]

So what the priest's saying is that we need a human intercessor to access salvation? that goes against the essential idea of grace. No physical entity has that power. It's like those who say we need to be baptized in order to be saved, which is incoherent with the idea of grace. How come that you need 5.000 litters of water+human being+ faith to be saved. Why did Jesus died for then?

[@dragonsandsuch]

And yet Jesus Himself gave the power to forgive sins to His Apostles and it was Jesus Himself that spoke of the necessity of baptism. So your problem seems to be that your idea of grace does not match the teachings of Jesus Himself,

[@thebiblestudyhelper9389]

No ...the priest did not say we require an intercessor .

[@michaelcontreras148]

It’s biblical to confess your sins to an anointed priest. It’s in Leviticus and Jesus initiated it in the New Testament.

[@bornagainsaint1]

Michael Contreras; No Jesus did not initiate the Catholic priesthood. Jesus died and resurrected for the sins of the world, not the catholic priesthood. We are purged and forgiven because of the FINISHED WORK of Jesus on the cross. The catholic priesthood DID NOT finish anything on a cross nor at their false altars. Jesus is the ONLY anointed High priest who finished and accomplished the WORK that the Father commanded to satisfy His anger against sin and the catholic priesthood did not and does not accomplish satisfaction for anything that angers our Heavenly Father. Jesus satisfied His Father’s anger against my sins, there is no other priesthood capable of doing such a thing. I’m not going to sit in a dark booth telling some guy all my sins.

[@georgepenton808]

Bornagainsaint, if you are not willing to kneel in a "dark booth" (not all Confession places are dark or are booths) aren't you violating James 5:16, "confess your sins, one to another"?

[@bornagainsaint1]

George Penton: Jesus never said to go to a catholic priest and sit or kneel in a dark booth and tell a human sinful dirty old man all my sins. I can go to the Father in Jesus name without feeling dirty. The book of James tells us to go to the person we have hurt and confess that we did hurt that person ask for their forgiveness, as Jesus said in the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father ..... forgive us our trespasses as WE forgive those who trespass against us”. By the way I will not kneel to a sinful dirty catholic priest.

[@bornagainsaint1]

George Penton: James 5:16 does not support a Roman Catholic priesthood. Your papacy says it does but the Bible says it does not.

[@thebiblestudyhelper9389]

@@bornagainsaint1 so what do you do with the part of the Bible where Jesus initiate the priesthood ? That is right , Protestants don't consider the whole Bible.

[@seandcurtis]

Jesus Heals a Paralytic 18 And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Jesus. 19 But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, Jesus said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven you." 21The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?"22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." So he said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 25 Immediately the man stood up in front of them, took his mat what he had been lying on and went home praising God..26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.” 27 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.....So we notice here the The scribes and the Pharisees began question Jesus Who can forgive sins, but God alone?".Jesus had alot of bones to pick with The scribes and the Pharisees ..Notice Jesus Separate's the Gift's the forgiveness of Sin's Gift's of the spirit on the first day he raised from the dead to His Apostles...And the rest of the Gifts of the Spirit 40 day's later to His Apostles and all belivers that were being added daily.So we see here the First gift of the Spirit to his Church and 40 days later .He did this Because he knew that there would be alot of scribes and the Pharisees through the church over the centuries to our present day. So the first Gift of the Spirit that Jesus gave to his Apostle's to them in the Upper room On the Same day Jesus rose from Dead Easter Sunday .19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He( breathed on them) and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”.... Jesus sends the Holy Spirit in the form of fiery tongues on His Apostles and disciples with the rest of the gifts of the Spirit (Acts 2:2-4) .... The Holy Spirit appeared under the form of tongues of fire in order to fill the Apostles with truth and to prepare them to bear witness to Jesus. He also come to fill their hearts with love. He is the Person of Love in the life of God. He is also like a breath, an aspiration of infinite Love, from which we draw the breath of life. On the day of Pentecost the Divine Spirit communicated such an abundance of life to the whole Church that to symbolize it "there came a sound from heaven, as of a violent wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they (the Apostles) were sitting." But it is also for us that the Holy Spirit has come, for the group in the Cenacle represented the whole Church. The Holy Spirit came to remain with the Church forever. This is the promise of Jesus Himself. He dwells in the Church permanently and unfailingly, performing in it without ceasing, His action of life-giving and sanctification. He establishes the Church infallibly in the truth. It is He Who makes the Church blossom forth with a marvelous supernatural fruitfulness, for He brings to life and full fruition in Virgins, Martyrs, Confessors, those heroic virtues which are one of the marks of true sanctity....So lets look at this in light of our present day. God himself use's all of our clay with his Gifts of the Spirit. He use's our hands feet our tongues our hearts mind our ears and eyes our touch the five senses and so on. So this mean's you dont put Limit's on God .He his limitless....The Gift of Confession Gift of reconciliation is from Jesus given to His Church.I remember over the years of hearing certain people saying why do you catholic's go to a Priest to confess your sin's The Priest can't for give you of your sin's . It's only God alone that can forgive Sin's..That's same words The scribes and the Pharisees said to Jesus so Jesus rebuked them. Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? .The priest is only Clay / Remember when Jesus Said.,"And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!' ...but it's the same as today when you see someone get healed they all praise god but when you hear someone's sins are forgiven they say ..Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?..So this guy John Ankerberg is like The scribes and the Pharisees in our day. He's a shepherd in Sheep's Clothing . and also a wolf in Sheep's clothing

[@gabepettinicchio7454]

There is no question ... God forgives us our sins, however the method of being forgiven is explained in John 20!

[@85008godzilla]

Well said Father . Jesus Gave the apostles authority to cast out demons and the authority to forgive sins when he breathed the Holy Spirit upon them. So easy to understand.

[@wfqsfg]

Well, couple of points. This particular video does not show Walter's rebuttal. That must be in another segment. And how can a human priest retain sins when God won't and that is a promise from God. God will not retain sins. All sins are forgiven except sins against the Holy Spirit. Matthew 12:31. So, how can a human retain sin??????

[@dino33ca]

Because Our Lord very clearly said so. He stated "Who's sins you retain are retained" For example. If you are living with a woman out of wedlock and you confess this to a priest, this priest will not give you absolution, or forgiveness, unless you get out of that living situation first. How can you ask for forgiveness when you have the intention of continuing to do the same transgression? Read John 20:23 very carefully.... Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted to them; whose soever [sins] ye retain, they are retained. The Catholic Church created buy Our Lord and Savior has always taught this practice as clearly outlined in the New Testament which was canonized by the one true Church of Christ. Read the writing of the early Church Fathers of the first, second and later centuries regarding this teaching....

[@wfqsfg]

dino33ca I have read the early church fathers in those centuries. Private confession to a priest did not come about for centuries after Jesus died. If anyone committed a grave sin in the early church it was confessed to the whole church community. Not just an elder or minister. If someone committed minor sins they just confessed it to God. The idea of priests being able to absolve sin did not come about till much much later. It is not tradition. It was made up. If you would like I can copy and paste whole articles about 2nd century open confessions and the beliefs back then. Let me know. 2nd, God will not retain sins. How can priests retain sins if God won't. God would not give men the right to do something he doesn't do. You have the wrong interpretation of that scripture. The Roman church uses that interpretation because it gives them power and control over people. It gave them control over kings. Kings would confess their sins to priests. Priests would know intimate details about the kings and would pass that information to the papacy. Priest would hear confessions of peasants and ask for money as penance or send them to war as penance. So you see, it gave the organization huge power over people.

[@dino33ca]

JAT002 Nope.

[@wfqsfg]

dino33ca You have some reading to do.

[@markymarcb4932]

+JAT002 Respectfully, It sounds as though you're reading too many Jack Chick comics. You even admitted in your post that the Christians would have to confess their sins, albeit to the "whole church community", so by your own admission, there was still church confessions going on. BUT in addition TO an elder or priest as well. It is not up to us to question the way Jesus delegates the authority in His church. He Scripturally gave St Peter the keys to His Kingdom, which shows that authority was passed on to St Peter and His Apostles. Priests were hearing the confessions of the Christian community, because if they were guilty of mortal sin, they would not be able to approach the Eucharist. This is (I think) in the Scriptures, (St Paul, I think mentions this). Martyrs of the church have died rather than tell anybody a Christians confession, it is a grave sin of the priest to tell someone your confession. That's the beauty of the Sacrament. It may not have been as formed or as talked about as it is today, but in addition to preaching, performing baptisms, ordaining priests, building Churches, the early Apostles and priests did in fact hear confessions of the community. "Minor sins" as you say are called, venial sins, and you are correct, they really need not be confessed to a priest, but they should and could be. Mortal sin is the one that separates us from God, "Nothing unclean shall enter Heaven..." Book of Revelation.

[@bornagainsaint1]

The scripture that brother Mitch quoted does not support or encourage confessing our sins to a catholic priest. The Catholic Church is full of pride convinced that certain Bible passages refer to the Catholic Church only. Jesus said to come unto Him.

[@georgepenton808]

Jesus founded only one Church, the Catholic Church. There were no Protestant churches until 15 centuries later. All true followers of Christ leave behind their man-made churches and join the Catholic Church. Outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation.

[@bornagainsaint1]

George Penton: John 20 does not refer to the Roman Catholic priesthood. Once again this belief was started by men who wanted all power and control over the world. One day this Roman Catholic priesthood will fall, give it time whether it is 2000 years of just around the corner, it will fall. Just like any other organization that puts itself first before the kingdom of our Savior.

[@Ggeg0000]

The sacrament of penance is not Biblical.

[@Ggeg0000]

@HaughtyFrenchman The Bible is the Bible. Do you have another source of infallible truth other than the Bible?

[@Ggeg0000]

@HaughtyFrenchman Athanasius bishop of Alexandria published the same exact NT list in 367 in his festal letter 39. Where did he get the list? Ireneaus in the late second century quoted from all New Testament books except Philemon, Jude, James and 3 John. How did he know those books were genuinely apostolic? Before Rome supposedly told us which books belonged in the Bible? He quotes them as the word of God without hesitation. And so does Athanasius in the fourth century in his fight with the Arians in the fourth century. You can look at Ireneaus Against Heresies and just look at how much NT quotation there is in there If the RCC has an authority over the Bible, then where did it get this authority? You have to go to Mt 16 and John 21 to prove your authority, but then the RCC is the one who has to tell us Mt 16 and John 21 ate the authority? So the RCC tells us what the Bibe is and the Bible tells us what the RCC is?

[@georgepenton808]

If you will read John 20:22-23 and James 5:16 you will see that the sacrament of Penance IS biblical.

[@Ggeg0000]

@@georgepenton808 yes I have read them, and the sacrament is not there

[@calson814]

@@Ggeg0000 - yes we have both the Scripture (the Bible) and Sacred Tradition.... The Catholic Church teaches "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal." Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own "always, to the close of the age". . . . two distinct modes of transmission "Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit." "and [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching." - Catechism of the Catholic Church..

[@punisherthunder1293]

Fr. Pacwa totally pwned that Protestant.......

[@kdmdlo]

Agreed. There's no getting around the very plain language of Jn 20 (those whose sins forgiven/retained passage).

[@mmdaisylover64]

Wrong !

[@carlosgutierrez3971]

Punisherthunder inyour dreams

[@bornagainsaint1]

KM: John 20 does not give the Catholic Priesthood the authority to purge our sins.

[@lcringo3498]

@@bornagainsaint1 Exactly!! Human beings don't have the power to purge sins;ONLY Jesus the Christ per Hebrews chapter 1 can purge our sins!! 😆

[@michaelcontreras148]

Jesus was the perfect Jew, he did not sin but if his fellow Jews sinned Jesus would tell them to take an animal to a priest in the temple to be sacrificed and the priest would sacrifice the animal and tell the sinner, you have atoned for your sins, God has accepted your sacrifice. We do the same but now Jesus commanded his priest to forgive or bind. It's so biblical.

[@georgepenton808]

Old Testament or New, all the sacrifices in the world won't take away any sin if the sinner doesn't repent.

[@JoeHinkle11]

Get 'em Fr. Pacwa.

[@Pinky90163]

so why you sin again if you are with God cos we are human

[@evelynvazquez6034]

John 20;21

[@kathleendwyer117]

You didn't hear the whole talk.Pacwa lost.

[@haeleypapa]

Where can I get the entire debate?

[@me_a.k.a._you]

No wonder,his arguement is weak

[@janetmcatee8326]

Devout Catholics believe the word of Jesus, and the men he left to be his presence on earth (those of his priesthood). They are not very devout in Christ's Church if they don't confess their sins to a priest.

[@georgepenton808]

If a Catholic commits a mortal sin and does not confess it, and has no intention of confessing it, he will not be forgiven by God. There are some very spiritually advanced Catholics who go years without committing mortal sins, and they would not need to go to Confession, but usually people this holy go to frequent Confession with their venial sins (confessing venial sins are allowed but not required). Many of the canonized saints went to Confession every day. I understand Pope John Paul II went every day.

[@anthonyscelzi4622]

Believers are now under grace ...our sins are already forgiven...1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; ( not a priest ) Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. The wrath you are speaking about takes place only in the here and now ....ie , in the flesh .... 1 Cor 5:1-5 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Meaning the body pays for sin and not the soul .....known as temporal judgement.

[@erikriza7165]

adam smartz sins already forgiven? before they are committed? that doesn't make a bit of sense. Just like once saved always saved does not make a bit of sense.

[@thebiblestudyhelper9389]

Confession is in the old and new testament over thirty times . Jesus Christ established the priesthood in John chapter twenty where he also gives his priest the authority to forgive or retain sin . James chapter five also gives examples of confession person to person . Since confession is biblical and the mediation of Christ is biblical it only means that you don't understand one or both of them .

[@bornagainsaint1]

The Bible Study Helper: No Jesus did not establish the catholic priesthood, the Catholic Church is full of pride thinking that certain passages of the Bible refers only to them, giving them authority outside of what Jesus has already accomplished. John 20 does not refer to the catholic priesthood. The Lord’s Prayer does not support the catholic priesthood nor any human priesthood. In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus is giving authority to everyone to forgive each other, but the actual purging is from Jesus Himself. The Catholic Church has convinced itself that it alone has the authority to forgive sin and to offer sacrifices for sin, therefore keeping the people held in bondage which eventually lines the pockets of the papacy with millions of dollars everyday. Many TV evangelists are collecting millions of dollars everyday from people whom they have also held in bondage.

[@georgepenton808]

Like it or not, John 20:22-23 clearly states that Catholic priests have been given---by Jesus Himself---the supernatural power to forgive sins.

[@bornagainsaint1]

George Penton: John 20 says absolutely nothing about a church calling itself a Catholic priesthood forgiving sins.

[@kiki45ish]

Wow the priest is right :o

[@tjac275677]

Pacwa, does not know what he is talking about. Not one place can he or any catholic show where any apostle ever told anyone to have sins absolved they must confess to a priest. Not one place.

[@kevinmcmahan2503]

Tim Jackson read James 4:13-16, presbyters of the early Church used the sacrament of the anointing of the sick....it’s written in your bible...reconciliation (confession of sins) is included in this sacrament. It’s pretty plain and simple to me.

[@leadee2007]

How can Fr. P say prots don't have enough faith in what Jesus did when the RC church teaches that the Priest has more power to forgive then Jesus himself? If this were not true then the Eucharist (which is believed to literally be Jesus) would be able to forgive mortal sins as well as venial ones. Sorry, the RC doctrine contradicts scripture.

[@KM-zn3lx]

Leedee it also contradicts itself. One example is that a person is considered a practicing Catholic if they attend mass once a year and yet supposedly missing mass one time is a mortal sin? Also now Pope is saying all religions and athiests of good will are saved. So that alone exempts ppl need to confess to a priest! Complexity in religion is implemented to increase or condone the role of those in upper levels of hierarchy.

[@thebiblestudyhelper9389]

You shouldn't add more than is . Essentially you are lying.

[@thebiblestudyhelper9389]

I will show you how you are lying . Please give the name and date that a Catholic priest told you , a priest has more power to forgive sin that Jesus himself ?????

[@bornagainsaint1]

@ The Bible Study Helper:You: give me name and date of the catholic priesthood who has more power to forgive sin than Jesus Himself.ME: Allow me to answer that.The sacrifice of the mass where a priest offers Jesus as an unbloody sacrifice to His Father for the sins of the world.Purgatory; whatever Jesus isn't capable of forgiving, purgatory will cleanse.Confessing all our sins to another sinful catholic priest.The Memorare which states "mother I come before thee, I stand before thee sinful and sorrowful, do not despise my petition but hear and answer me."The papacy is called Holy Father.All of the above doctrines were established by the papacy and approved of by the papacy over a period of time.All of the above doctrines were established out of the prideful imagination of the hearts of the papacy.Jesus has NEVER AND WILL NEVER agree with these idiotic demented satanic garbage doctrines.

[@mmdaisylover64]

Priests commit sin too ! They are not perfect !

[@thebiblestudyhelper9389]

Imaterial

[@georgepenton808]

Yes, priests do commit sins, and priests are required to go to Confession too. Even the pope must go to Confession.

[@thebiblestudyhelper9389]

Jesus did not come for the saved

[@brotherbroseph1416]

Trump hair! Idk

[@lemeshev]

My invisible friend is better than your invisible friend

[@michaelcontreras148]

That priest was pretty good. Makes sense

[@onetruefaith2091]

PLEASE READ VERY CAREFULLY AS IF YOUR ETERNAL “LIFE” DEPENDED ON IT In the Book of Hebrews Chapter 10 in context the author was talking to “baptized” Christians (Hebrews 10:22) telling them to not be “neglecting to meet together” in “the Church” - being the ONE HOLY CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH. Why “the Church”??? ***Hebrews **10:26**-29 “For IF WE SIN DELIBERATELY after receiving knowledge of the truth, THERE NO LONGER REMAINS A SACRIFICE FOR SINS, BUT A FEARFUL PROSPECT OF JUDGMENT, AND A FURY OF FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES………..HOW MUCH MORE PUNISHMENT DO YOU THINK WILL BE DESERVED BY THE MAN WHO HAS SPURNED THE SON OF GOD, AND PROFANED THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT BY WHICH HE HAS SANCTIFIED, AND OUTRAGED THE SPIRIT OF GRACE”.*** What does Sacred Scriptures clearly say “IF WE SIN DELIBERATELY” or willfully break any of the commandments whether the old (10 Commandments) or NEW (Laws of LOVE or refusing to LOVE as Christ commands per John 13:34)??? If “THERE NO LONGER REMAINS A SACRIFICE FOR SINS, BUT A FEARFUL PROSPECT OF JUDGMENT”, then how does one obtain reconciliation with GOD again??? We must examine the old covenant to fully understand the NEW COVENANT. In Leviticus 5:5-6 and Numbers 5:5-9 we can understand what an old covenant Jew had to do to receive GOD's forgiveness. Additionally, GOD in the Books of Leviticus and Numbers any time personal “sin” is mentioned you will read over and over again “THUS THE PRIEST SHALL MAKE ATONEMENT FOR A MAN’S SINS AND IT WILL BE FORGIVEN” (Lev 4:20, 4:26, 4:31,4:35, 5:6, 5:10, 5:13, 5:16, 5:18, 6:7, 7:7, 12:8, 14:18, 14:19, 14:20, 14:29, 14:31, 15:15, 15:30, 16:32, 16:33, 19:22 Num. 6:11,15:25, and 15:28). In the old covenant, GOD uses ordained “men”, the Leviticus Priesthood, to administer His forgiveness. Now, does GOD keep His WORD and covenant promises??? GOD promises to have a perpetual priesthood per His covenant in Numbers 25:12-13 and Malachi 2:4-7 and has WORDS of “forever” in Exodus 29:7-9, 40:15, and 1 Chronicles 23:13. Then, GOD promises to have a perpetual priesthood in Jeremiah 33:14-22 NEW COVENANT PROPHECY. Additionally, in context of “gathering the nations” in Isaiah 66:18 GOD states in Isaiah 66:21 “some of them also I will take for priests” meaning no longer based on Levi tribal lineage in the NEW COVENANT. In John Chapter 13, we see Jesus Christ fulfilling His Father’s Levi Covenant promise and Malachi 3:3 prophecy, when He sits down in the upper room “purifying” the NEW COVENANT PRIESTHOOD with a “washing”. This “washing” was a “forever” priestly liturgical GOD command in Exodus 30:21 in order to perform any altar work or sacrifice. What “same” power does the Son of GOD give to His ONE and ONLY established Church or “the Church” per Matthew 16:19, 18:18 and specifically explained to the NEW COVENANT PRIESTHOOD by Jesus in John 20:21-23??? In 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 St. Paul describes what Jesus Christ did was He “GAVE US THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION” and concluded “SO WE ARE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST”. An “ambassador” wields what kind of power as an “official representative” of Christ or more specifically explained in “the Church” as “persona Christi”??? Please come to your real home and be “reconciled” to “the Church” HIS ONE BODY (Ephesians 4:4-6). What did Jesus Christ create, pray for in John 17:21-23 and die for??? If you really LOVE Jesus Christ, then you will respond to His prayer and join the “ONENESS” that He created. The “Lamb of GOD” wants to unite with you in the NEW COVENANT PASSOVER (Luke 22:19) in His ONE and ONLY established Church, so we all can be “perfectly ONE”. May GOD richly bless you on your journey.

[@davidbermudez7704]

Like always eisegesis the text that Catholic priest is lost

[@alanhales7977]

Pacwa twists the scriptures, and he is so deceived by the devil, that he doesn't know that Jesus was speaking to ALL His disciples in Jn 20: 19--25. NOT just to the Apostles, And certainly not to the unbiblical catholic priests. Plus, Jesus was saying that every Christian can tell a repented person that there sins have been remitted, Lk 24 : 47 says that it's when a person repents that there sins are remitted, NOT when a man remits sins. Do wake up catholics.

[@jepoymeneses]

James says to confess your sins to one another.

[@georgepenton808]

No, Alan, at John 20:22-23 Jesus is not talking to all His disciples, only to the apostles, the first priests of the Catholic Church, the Church Jesus founded. And if it means that all Christians can forgive sins, that contradicts the Protestant belief that only God can forgive sins.

[@thebiblestudyhelper9389]

The Devils best work is in thirty thousand one true churches of Protestantism all teaching a different doctrine on what is required to be saved by Jesus.