The Forgiveness of Sins

Christ gave the power to men

Christ forgave sins, as with the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11) and the woman who anointed his feet (Luke 7:48). He did so as Son of man, who has authority on earth to forgive sins (Matthew 9:6), and the crowd glorified God who had given such authority to men (Matthew 9:8). Since he would not always be visibly present, he gave this power to the apostles so the Church, his continuing presence (Matthew 28:20), could forgive future generations. He said, "As the Father has sent me, so I send you," breathed on them, and said that whose sins they forgive are forgiven and whose they retain are retained (John 20:21-23). Whatever they bind or loose on earth is bound or loosed in heaven (Matthew 18:18), and God gave them the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).

Some powers died with the apostles, such as writing Scripture, but those needed to sustain the Church had to be passed on, for the mission to all nations would take time and Christ promised to be with them to the end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20). If confession were an invention, we would expect protests in early writings. There are none; confession to a priest was accepted as part of the apostolic faith.

Not invented in 1215

Loraine Boettner claims confession to a priest was instituted at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215. But writings from a thousand years earlier treat it as long established. The council only required, against lax morals, that Catholics confess mortal sins at least once a year. Regulating a sacrament is not inventing it.

The Didache is indefinite about the procedure, but by Irenaeus (about 180) verbal confession was required: he describes women deceived by the heretic Marcus, some confessing publicly and others, ashamed, falling away. Origen (241), Cyprian (251) and Aphraates (337) are clear that confession is made to a priest. Cyprian says forgiveness comes only "through the priests," Ambrose that "this right is given to priests only," and Pope Leo I that absolution comes only through the priests' prayers.

Confession is implied

The power was twofold, to forgive or to retain. The apostles could not know which sins to forgive or retain unless sinners told them, which implies confession. Nor was it merely announcing that God had forgiven: that would make "retaining" meaningless. And if all sins, past and future, were forgiven at conversion, Christ would not tell us to pray "forgive us our debts," warning that the Father will not forgive us if we do not forgive others (Matthew 6:12-15). If forgiveness can be partial, a priestly judgment is needed.

"Verse slinging"

Former priest Paul Juris argues that John 20:23 simply means preaching the gospel, so that those who believe are forgiven. He piles up verses on God's forgiveness through Christ (Acts 13:38-39; Mark 16:15-16), which no one disputes. None interprets John 20:23. There Jesus says "you" forgive and "you" retain: he speaks of the apostles forgiving, not preaching.

The advantages of confession

• We seek forgiveness the way Christ intended.
• Confessing to a priest teaches humility.
• We receive sacramental grace.
• We are assured of forgiveness, not relying on a feeling.
• We receive counsel on avoiding sin.

The whole Christian world accepted this until a few centuries ago. If anything was invented, it is the idea that sacramental forgiveness is not in the Bible or early Christian history.