Catholicism teaches that it has the power and authority to forgive people's sins. Here are a few quotes from the Catechism. (Please note that whenever the Catechism mentions the "Church," it is referring to the "Roman Catholic church"):
"There is no offense, however serious,
that the Church cannot forgive." Pg. 256, #982
"By Christ's will, the Church possesses the power to
forgive the sins of the baptized..." Pg. 257, #986
"The Church, who through the bishop and his priests
forgives sins in the name of Jesus Christ..." Pg. 363-364, #1448
Does the Catholic church have power to forgive sins? Let's see what the
Scriptures say:
"Why doth this man thus speak
blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?" Mark 2:7
"And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath
forgiven you." Ephesians 4:32
According to Scripture, God wants His children to come straight to Him for forgiveness of sins, not to a church:
"Let us therefore come
boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find
grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16
This verse loudly proclaims that forgiveness of sins comes from God's throne, not from a church. Still, Catholicism teaches a contrary doctrine:
"Indeed bishops and priests, by virtue of the sacrament
of Holy Orders, have the power to forgive all sins 'in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.' " Pg. 367, #1461
"The Church must be able to forgive all penitents their
offenses, even if they should sin until the last moment of their lives."
Pg. 255, #979
However, this man-made doctrine contradicts God' s written Word. Many Bible characters freely approached God's throne for forgiveness of sins. The psalmist went straight to God:
"I acknowledged my sin unto
thee... I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD;
and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin..." Psalm 32:5
King David went directly to God to ask forgiveness for his sins:
"Look upon mine affliction and
my pain; and forgive all my sins." Psalm 25:18
In Psalm 51, David asks God for forgiveness again:
"Wash me thoroughly from mine
iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,
and done this evil in thy sight..." Psalm 51:2,4
King Solomon was also aware that he and all the children of Israel could go straight to God to receive forgiveness for their sins:
"Hearken therefore unto the
supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make
toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when
thou hearest, forgive." 2 Chronicles 6:21
God tells people to come to Him for forgiveness:
"If my people, which are called
by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face,
and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will
forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
God never requires anyone to go through a church to receive forgiveness for their sins.
"For thou, Lord, art good, and
ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon
thee." Psalm 86:5
"... if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." Colossians 3:13
Why then would the Catholic church insist that forgiveness of sins is only available through her? The following Catechism quote provides the answer:
"Were there no forgiveness of sins in the Church, there would be no hope of life
to come or eternal liberation. Let us thank God who has given his Church such a gift." Pg. 256, #983
Conclusion
Once again, God' s Word stands on one side, while the traditions of men stand on the other. God says He alone forgives sins, while Catholic tradition contends that the Catholic church has the power to forgive sins. Which side will you choose?
"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all
his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities..." Psalm
103:2-3
3 comments:
Wow!!
This is great! I am getting a lot of "tools" to talk to my mother (who's a catholic). I can't wait until you do one on Mary!
Alicia
Yes! We've been planning about it.
You could also visit the other pages...
And yeah...
visit "COMIC STRIPS FOR THE SOUL"
It's about recognizing CULTS... err... jz give us some time to translate it in English!
You can also email us
ThankS!
You can also email us
The Church teaches that all sins are confessed to God through his appointed ministers. "No one can forgive sins but God alone."
In your proof texting quotes, you forgot to provide and give a thorough explanation for one stand out passage directly realted to this doctrine: John 20: 21-23 "He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."
How can anyone forgive sins? Furthermore, but never discussed by those outside the Catholic Church, how do you retain someone's sins?? Those appointed by Christ, in the same way He was sent by the Father, i.e. with ALL authority in heaven and earth (Matt 28) are alone able to carry out this ministry.
The priests in the Catholic Church have an unbroken succession of ordination through the laying on of hands back to the same apostles who received this authority on the very day of the Resurrection.
You should be careful writing about the Catholic Church like this. I have had a read of a couple of your articles here and see a poor knowledge of the Catholic Faith. That is probably not your fault. You might be an ex-catholic who was not properly taught and found the shallow presentation of the faith unsatisfying. There are many of these people around. I am one of them. :) However, with a bit of self education of the faith, you can learn the whole deal. This is how I found my way back to the Catholic faith after a decade in Protestantism. I read articles and transcripted debates on Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide, and found to my great surprise that Catholicism actually made the most sense out of any structured belief system. This in turn lead mer to a deeper love for Christ and his Word. Double and triple check your facts from reliable sources before you make a claim, otherwise you may be in danger of bearing false witness, and if the Catholic Church is right after all, you may be very, very wrong.
I recommend www.catholic.com for many articles on Catholic belief and practice, just for starters.
I hope you continue to question everything that you believe and compare it with the Church's teachings that makes a credible claim on being divinely founded and upheld year after year.
Alicia, that is for you too!
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