Confession
Why do I need to go to Confession if I can just ask Jesus to forgive my sins? Why do I need a middle man?
Great question! I will start off by answering this question with a question. If Jesus can heal any wound why do you go to a doctor when you are sick? The answer is simple. God allows all of us especially priest to be participants in His love for us. With that being said there is no question that asking Jesus to forgive ones sins with a repented heart He will forgive them. However, there a few things that must be brought to close attention. Let’s take a close look at the bible and see what Jesus has to say about confession.
“Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have retained.” (John 20: 21-23).
Jesus was talking directly to his disciples. When Jesus says the “Father has sent Me, I also send you.” what is the meaning of send? Is that the same thing as I send email? No, send has a special meaning in this context. When a king would send one of his delagates, that delegate would have the authority to do what was commanded of them in the king’s name and it was binding on the king’s citizens. Therefore, Jesus was giving his authority to his disciples. Jesus was commanding His disciples to continue His mission; to forgive sins. Notice very carefully that Jesus says specifically the sins you forgive they are forgiven and the sins that are not forgiven they are not forgiven. Let me ask you this. How could a priest know what sins to forgive without hearing them? When is the last time you went to confession?
