Is the Sacrament of Confession Biblical?

Is the Sacrament of Confession biblical?

(The Sacrament of Confession includes confession, absolution [forgiveness of sin], and penance. This article will only touch on confession and absolution.)

Many Christians refuse to confess their sins and receive absolution through a priest because they do not think it is biblical. They believe the Sacrament of Confession is a purely man-made invention - not inspired by God. However, that is far from the truth. Confession, as a sacrament, can easily be supported with Scripture. And it will be supported biblically in line with the definition of sacrament.

“The sacraments are [1] efficacious (effective) signs of grace, [2] instituted by Christ and [3] entrusted to the Church, by which [4] divine life is dispensed to us” (CCC 1131). 

[1] Confession is an efficacious (effective) sign of grace

Confession is an effective sign of grace because its outward expressions of confessing to a priest and receiving absolution from the priest represent (A) the spiritual reality of confessing our sins to God and (B) receiving forgiveness from God.

(A) The outward expression of confessing our sins to the priest represents the spiritual reality of confessing our sins to God.

We know God hears the sins we confess through the priest by the simple knowledge that God hears and knows all things.

• Psalm 139:4, RSV - "Even before a word is on my tongue, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether." 

God does not need us to confess our sins to priest in order for Him to know them. 

• However, God has asked us to confess our sins to a priest before He forgives us (of mortal sin), therefore, we should be doubly assured that He hears the prayers that we confess through the priest.

One may ask, "how do we know that we should confess our sins at all to a priest?" This is implied from the following verse:

• Jesus says, “If you [the apostles] forgive the sins of any, they [the sins of others] are forgiven; if you [the apostles] retain the sins of any, they [the sins of others] are retained” (John 20:23).
• The apostles were priests in the time of Christ.
• Confession to a priest (at that time an apostle) is implicit.  A priest can only forgive or retain sins if he knows what sins to forgive and retain.  But, how is he to know the sins if no one confesses the sins to him?  He can’t.  Therefore, the sins must be confessed to him first. 
• This same concept is present in Lev 5:5-6 (though it is the Old Testament): “When a man is guilty in any of these, he shall confess the sin he has committed, and he shall bring his guilt offering to the Lord for the sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin."
• The priest could only be sure that he makes the right “atonement” for the sinner if the priest knew the sins.  And, again, the sins could only be known if the sinner confessed them first.  (Of course, God could reveal the sin too, but that rarely happens.)

(B) The outward expression of absolution by the priest represents the spiritual reality of God forgiving us our sins.

St. Paul writes, “Any one whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:10).

• In the King James version, a protestant version of the Bible, the word "presence" is translated as “person.” So, the priest is forgiving in the “person of Christ.” The priest is standing in the place of Christ. 
• “To whom you forgive anything, I forgive also: for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sake I forgave it in the person of Christ” (2 Cor 2:10, KJV).

[2] Confession is instituted by Christ

In the Gospel of John, it clearly expresses that "He [Christ]" establishes Confession.

• John 20:22-23, RSV - “And when He [Christ] said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Now, despite the clarity of the institution of Confession, some still think this verse means something else.  

• They believe it means that Christ is saying that if the Apostles forgive the sins of others, their own sins will be forgiven.  For example, if Fr. John forgives the sins of James, Fr. John will be forgiven, and not James.  
• However, these people are confusing gospels.  They are confusing the Gospel of John (ch. 20) with the Gospel of Matthew (ch. 6).  Matthew (ch. 6) definitely means that, while John (ch. 20) means the contrary.  The Gospel of Matthew reads as follows:
• “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15).

• Now, if we reread John 20, we will see the great difference.  We added words for clarity.  
• Jesus says, “If you [the apostles] forgive the sins of any [others], they [the sins of others] are forgiven; if you [the apostles] retain the sins of any [others], they [the sins of others] are retained” (John 20:23, RSV).
• Here we know the sins forgiven refers to the sins of others.  The reason is that “they” comes right after “any,” which refers to others; “They” does not come right after “you,” which refers to the apostles.  Every grammarian and linguist understands this.
• For example, John said, “I passed by the donkey and the house.  It was blue.”  Well, what was blue?  The donkey or the house?  If one understands linguistics, then the answer is simple.  Given that the adjective, blue, comes right after the noun, house, the house must be blue.    
• Similarly, Jesus said, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven.”  Well, whose sins are being forgiven?  It is, without dispute, “they,” the sins of others because “they” follows the word “any,” which refers to others - and not the apostles themselves.

[3] Confession is entrusted to the Church

Christ entrusted Confession to the Church because He entrusted it to the Apostles (and possibly certain other disciples), who are the Church.  A Church is a community of persons chosen by God for God.

• We clearly see that Christ entrusts it to the Apostles: “He [Jesus]... said to them [the apostles]” (John 20:22).  
• To clarify that it was the apostles, the text says “the disciples” (Jn 20:19).  A few verses later, “the disciples” are clarified to be “the Twelve [excluding Thomas, at that moment]” (Jn 20:24).    

To emphasize, Christ did not entrust Confession to all disciples.  So, it is an error to say we can confess our sins and be absolved by any Christian.  

• Besides the verses mentioned previously, the following verse shows that a certain disciple (apostle), in this case Peter, was given authority to “bind and loose.”  So, if by the power of God, Peter does not forgive (or bind) sins, then the sins are not forgiven.  And if Peter forgives (or looses) sins, then the sins are forgiven.        
• Matt 16:18-19 - “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed  in heaven.”
• Also, from simple logic, we should understand that this power to absolve sins after confession is not given to every single disciple.
• Reason being is that the tens of thousands of followers Christ gained could not fit in one “upper room” - where the Last Supper was celebrated and the power to absolve sin was given.  It does not matter if the room was “large,” it still would not be large enough (Luke 22:12).

The Sacrament of Confession is also known as the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The following verse clearly shows that Christ entrusted such a Sacrament to the Church as it says He gave the Church “the ministry of reconciliation.”

• “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18).
• This verses means both the general sense of bringing others to God by preaching (and various other works) and the specific sense of bringing others to God through Confession.

Many agree that Christ did entrust the Sacrament of Confession to the Apostles.  However, some believe the power and office to hear confession and absolve others of their sin died when the Apostles died.

• However, that claim cannot be strongly supported with Scripture.  Scripture only points to the fact that the many God given powers and offices were passed on following the death of certain apostles or disciples.  
• Acts 1:24-26 - “And they [the Apostles] prayed and said, “Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two thou hast chosen  to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was enrolled with the eleven apostles.
• Here we see that the power and office of Judas was given to Matthias after Judas had died.

[4] God dispenses divine life to us through Confession

Only two times in Scripture does God breathe the Holy Spirit onto people. When creating man and when He institutes Confession.  Just as divine life entered into man at Creation, so too does divine life enter into man at Confession.

• Genesis 2:7 - then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
• John 20:22 - And when He [Jesus] said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’

Some may say that only Christ can give life.  Now, that is true.  But Christ can also give life, indirectly, through others.

• In this case, He gives spiritual life through those He chose for this ministry. 
• This is clearly seen when Jesus said to them - right before instituting Confession, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you” (John 20:20).
• Jesus was sent to forgive sins and also sends the apostles out to forgive sins.
• The following verses shows that God can even give physical life through others:
• Acts 9:36-40 - "Now Tabitha... fell sick and died... But Peter put them all outside and knelt down and prayed; then turning to the body he said, 'Tabitha, rise.' And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up."

What is also beautiful about the word “breath” is that is comes from the Latin word which means “spirit.”  

• So, in creation, God gives man a spirit in order that He may have life, and through confession and absolution, God gives man a new spirit in order that He may have supernatural life.   

Summary: 

So, as shown above, the Sacrament of Confession is indeed biblical.  From Scripture, one can understand that Confession is an [1] effective sign of grace, [2] instituted by Christ and [3] entrusted to the Church, by which [4] divine life is dispensed to us. And, as other apologists have said, if there is anything unbiblical here, it is the claim that we can receive forgiveness from God anyway we want to.  

Let us gives thanks to God for this beautiful Sacrament that He has given to bring us closer to Himself. Let us give thanks to Him by receiving His Sacrament.  

For a short guide to Confession, click here (website) or here (pdf).

“Confession heals, confession justifies, confession grants pardon of sin. All hope consists in confession. In confession there is a chance for mercy. Believe it firmly. Do not doubt, do not hesitate, never despair of the mercy of God. Hope and have confidence in confession.”

- St. Isidore of Seville


Contributed by: Fidel Valenzuela

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