A prime example of distracting from the truly important topic by not addressing the issue at all and instead beating around the bush is the confession of sin to a (Catholic) priest. The central issue should not be the confession itself, but rather the ability or presumption to forgive confessed sins.
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The “Justified” Priest
One of the “eternal issues” between the Roman Catholic Church and the (former) Protestants is confession to a priest. The Church of Rome, within the framework of its largely self-defined sacraments, even declares confession to a priest to be a “necessary” act, while Protestantism once protested against this and names God, or rather Jesus Christ, as the sole addressee for the confession of sins.
The Catholic magazine “catholic.com” addresses this controversial issue and attempts to justify the fact that priests of the Church do indeed have the authority to act as mediators between man and God and ultimately to forgive sins. (Source).
One of the main arguments of those who do not recognize the Catholic priest as a mediator are the statements in Isaiah 43:25:
“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”
and in Psalm 103:2-3:
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;“
Jesus Christ our only (High) Priest
Added to this is the statement in Hebrews 3:1 and Hebrews 7:22-27 that Jesus is our only High Priest. Here, by citing Hebrews 7:27, the magazine even cites the fact that Jesus Christ offered himself as a sacrifice, and this “once and for all.” A key statement that contradicts the unspeakable practice of the Mass or Eucharist (Info). 1 Timothy 2:5 is cited as further biblical evidence:
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;“
It is true that Jesus Christ, who sacrificed himself “once and for all” for us, is our sole High Priest and also the sole mediator between God and man. These are the statements of the Bible, which this Catholic magazine itself cited. However, to justify the Catholic priesthood, a relativization of the clear biblical statements is necessary, and this promptly follows.
Jesus Seems to Need Helpers
Protestants acknowledged, according to the magazine, that in the Old Testament, priests acted as mediators. The (rhetorically) posed question was: “Could it be that ‘our great God and Savior Jesus Christ’ (Titus 2:13) did something similar to what he did, as God, in the Old Testament? Could he have established a priesthood to mediate his forgiveness in the New Testament?“
The “logic” behind this is that if Jesus Christ is our High Priest, then there would still be room for the “ordinary” priesthood. The counter-question was simply, why would Jesus need this? The duties of the once Levitical priests in the Old Testament were diverse. This could not be managed by a single High Priest. Now, one only needed a childishly naive imagination to come up with the idea that Jesus Christ, in His own position as High Priest in the Heavenly Sanctuary (Info), could not manage this alone either.
On the one hand, Jesus Christ needed earthly helpers, which amounts to a reduction of His divinity; on the other hand, the Church of Rome postulates the ability to pray to deceased people as “saints” and especially “Mary,” which presupposes their omnipotence and, in turn, corresponds to deification.
Priests anything but immaculate
In addition, the earthly priesthood was a symbolic representation of the heavenly sanctuary. The “small difference” is that Levitical priests were sinners themselves and required a sin offering for themselves. This also applied to the appointed high priest. Jesus Christ, however, remained without sin, Hebrews 4:15:
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.“
Hebrews 9:14:
“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?“
Hebrews 9:28:
“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.“
Pretense of Succession
The Roman Catholic Church’s signature argument for the (supposed) justification of its priesthood cannot be missed, of course, John 20:23:
“Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”
This is where the Roman Church’s claim to be the successor to the apostles, who ultimately received the “exclusive” authority to forgive sins, comes into play. This begins with the thesis that the Apostle Peter was the first Bishop of Rome and thus the first Pope. Apart from the claims of the “Church Fathers,” no evidence exists for this. The first verifiable historical writings that confirm a Bishop of Rome, or Pope, begin with Anterus, who took office in 235. He was, after all, already the “19th successor” of Peter.
Everything postulated previously is likely to have the same degree of truth as the “Donation of Constantine” claimed by this Church.
The Church of Rome Explains Itself
Earthly priests are completely superfluous when it comes to Christianity according to the Gospel. What the Catholic magazine fails to mention are the findings of the “holy” church doctor Alphonsus Liguori. In his “Priest’s Handbook,” he explained precisely why Jesus Christ actually died, according to Roman Catholic understanding, and for what he didn’t.
Jesus’ death for introduction of priesthood
So in the book “Dignity and Duties of the Priest”, page 26:
“Jesus has died to institute the priesthood. It was not necessary for the Redeemer to die in order to save the world; a drop of his blood, a single tear, or prayer, was sufficient to procure salvation for all; […] But to institute the priesthood, the death of Jesus Christ has been necessary.“
God must obey the priest
On page 27, Liguori becomes even more specific:
“Weith regard to the mystic body of Christ, that is, all the faithful, the priest has the power of the keys, or the power of delivering sinners from hell, of making them worthy of paradise, and of changing them from the slaves of Satan into the children of God. And God himself is obliged to abide by the judgment of his priests, and either not to pardon or to pardon, according as they refuse or give absolution, provided the penitent is capable of it.“
Does this sound like Catholic priests as “earthly mediators,” or rather like pathological megalomania?
Jesus obey priests with humility
The answer to the question about the spirit and motives of the Roman Catholic priesthood is given by another Roman Catholic cleric, John Anthony O’Brien (January 20, 1893 – April 18, 1980), in “The Faith of Millions,” 6th edition, page 270.
“When the priest pronounces the tremendous words of consecration, he reaches up into the heavens, brings Christ down from His throne, and places Him upon our altar to be offered up again as the victim for the sins of man. It is a power greater than that of monarchs and emporers. It is greater than that of saints and angels, greater than that of Seraphim and Cherubim. Indeed it is greater even than the power of the Virgin Mary.
For, while the Blessed Virgin was the human agenc by which Christ became incarnate a single time, the priest brings Christ down from Heaven, and renders Him present on our altar as the eternal Victim for the sins of man – not once but a thousand times! The priest speaks and lo! Christ, the eternal and omnipotent God, bows His head in humble obedience to the priest’s command.“
Is there any more mockery? Merely an excerpt from the traditional arrogance of the Roman papacy – Info.
The Catholic system is obvious.
The clearly stated self-image of the Roman Catholic priesthood speaks for itself. Not only superfluous, but directly opposed (“anti”) to the Gospel, and thus to Jesus Christ. The head of this church is the self-defined earthly representative of God on earth, in place (“anti”) of Christ. – Info.
Paul had already foreseen this son of perdition, man of sin, abomination of the earth, mother of all harlots, coming in his day. History proves him right, and the Bible’s further descriptions and prophecies do as well.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2 Thessalonians 2:7
Bible verses from King James Version (1611)
