sorry I have been away for so long! I've been thinking about this topic.
Rusmeister, thank you for the thorough answer, it has helped me understand confession a bit better. I can see the benefits of confessing to a priest, and I know that our sins affect our relationship with the whole Body of believers, as well as with God. I still have some questions, such as, why can't we confess sins to other believers (not just priests) to repair the relationship with the Body...and while the priest can give good advice, can't God do much more to heal us? Or am I just being needlessly stubborn
I guess I'm still trying to understand, but I'm learning :)
Adam, I think that we are all connected, but to tell you the truth I'm having a hard time with the idea that no individuals exist at all. I don't want to be separate from other people, or, more importantly, from God (in fact when I accepted God I accepted the fact that we were not made to be independent..). But I believe that our consciousness is from the soul (hence we can be conscious after death), and an element of being 'conscious' is recognizing that 'this is me' and 'this is not me'. If there were no individuals, how would we be able to distinguish ourselves from others and each have a consciousness? lol sorry this question is so confusing..
I certainly agree that one of the ways God works in the world is through our relationships with each other, and that the unity of believers is central to the Body of Christ. It seems to me though that in order for this to happen, each person must have a relationship with Christ (and by being 'in Him', with the Father..sorry that's what I meant before, I just phrased it wrong).
What about hermits? haha joke.
"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen" (Matthew 6:5-6 NIV)
If God can hear our prayers when we are alone, doesn't that imply some sort of a direct relationship with Him? (I know that we know the Father through Christ, but when I say 'God' I refer to the Trinity, including the Son)
"Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" (1 Corinthians 6:18-20 NIV).
In context, this verse seems to be talking about the literal body, not the Body of believers...doesn't this mean that the Holy Spirit is within each person?
Do you think it's
necessary to confess to a priest in order to be forgiven, or is it just helpful? Sometimes I confess my sins to a close friend/family member so that they can keep me accountable, and if I've done something wrong to someone I go to the person to apologize. I know we should "confess our sins to each other". But I heard that Catholics believe that a priest is necessary, and John 20:21-23 is said to support this view. I think that since all believers have the Holy Spirit, the verse is talking about either just the apostles, or all Christians. I guess I view priests/pastors as people who are called to teach us and help us spiritually, but I don't think that they have a special power to forgive sins, because Hebrews makes it clear that Christ is our only mediator.
I'm not trying to start a debate, and I'm not here to prove a point...I just don't really understand confession. I can see the benefits for it, and I understand why people would want to go to a priest... but I'm not sure if it's really for me, because I always felt that confessing to God (directly) is sufficient, humbling, and comforting.
*thinks*