KidaneMariam Eyob :
Thank you for sharing this. I agree fully that we must always come first to Jesus Christ with all our sins — He alone is the Saviour and only God can forgive sins. But the Bible also tells us clearly that Jesus gave this authority to His Apostles and to the Church to declare His forgiveness:
• John 20:21–23: Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you. Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
• Matthew 16:19: To Peter He said: “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.”
• Matthew 18:17–18: He taught: “If he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
We confess to God, and come to the priest as Christ’s servant, to receive the assurance of forgiveness that Jesus Himself commanded. It is not instead of Jesus — it is from Jesus, through the way He established in His Church.
2026-07-18 09:02:49