The Confessional Prov. 28:13 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

There are many who still believe that confessing your sins to a priest in a confessional is a true confession. But that’s not so. The confessional represents:

A Feigned repentance – you make the confession and then feel the contrition until you go to Mass.  And then you go right back to what you were doing.  That’s not repentance.  Jesus said, “Go and sin no more.”  Proverbs 28:13 says, “whoso confesseth and FORSAKETH them [his sins] shall have mercy.”

A False forgiveness – the priest cannot offer absolution.  All the prophets and the law prophesied until John [Matt 11:13] and after that John preached the baptism of repentance for the REMISSION of sins [Lk 3:3].  Then in Jn 20:22-23 Jesus Christ connected the ministry of the disciples with the ministry of John the Baptist.  And then in Acts 2:38, Peter preaches “Repent, and be baptized… for the remission of sins.”  However, when the gospel was opened to Gentiles, then the disciples’ ministry of the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins was temporarily halted waiting to be resumed in the tribulation [Mk 16:15-18].  So, the idea that a priest can absolve your sins based upon the commission Jesus gave his disciple in Jn 20:22-23 and Mk 16:15-18 is just ludicrous.

A Fraudulent penance – there is no way that saying three Hail Maries and three Our Fathers is going to wash away your sins.  If you must do anything at all to “pay for” your sins, then you deny the finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary.  1 Jn 1:7-9 show you that there is nothing required after the blood of Jesus Christ.  See Col 1:14.

A Fantastic confession – confessing in a confessional is confessing to a man and not to God; it’s confessing to a man who cannot forgive.  Even the Pharisees said, “who can forgive sins but God only” [Mk 2:7].  I know that there is a feeling of release associated with confession.  That’s why this kind of thing became popular with the purpose-driven movement.  But confession is supposed to be to God, not to men.  The confessional contributes to a great hypocrisy because in the confessional you say one thing privately and then you do another thing publicly.

Conclusion: If you want to confess, confess to the Lord God.  Receive Jesus Christ and confess him [Rom 10:9-10].  That’s the way to confess.  That way you’ll be saved AND forgiven!!