Scripture alone regarding confessing sins.

[jckstraw72]

So the Orthodox also view the Confessions of sins according to catholicism a later addition? Peace

we have confession too

 

[Catholic Christian]

Terry do you think its asking more of a priest than should be put on a person, that they carry the weight of the sins of a whole parish?
I'd like your opinion terry.

I think they know what they are getting into when they become priests. A Father knows that, spiritually, when he becomes a priest, he is gaining a far larger family than he would have through marriage. And like any good Father, he listens when his sons and daughters reveal their troubles to him.

I know by listening to great priests like Father Corapi, that there is an inexpressable joy and humilty when he raises his hands above you and says those beautiful words: "I absolve you of your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit". And I can tell you that it is a wonderful experience to hear those words too. Confession is such a great experience - I actually feel bad for my brethren who have never experienced it.

 

[simonthezealot]

I know by listening to great priests like Father Corapi, that there is an inexpressable joy and humilty when he raises his hands above you and says those beautiful words: "I absolve you of your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit". And I can tell you that it is a wonderful experience to hear those words too. Confession is such a great experience - I actually feel bad for my brethren who have never experienced it.

Don't feel bad terry cause here's the deal, the day the LORD drew me to Him I heard those word's and when HE said them to me He said it for a lifetime.
Thanks for answering.

 

[lionroar0]

Don't feel bad terry cause here's the deal, the day the LORD drew me to Him I heard those word's and when HE said them to me He said it for a lifetime.
Thanks for answering.

Do keep on hearing those words when you sin and ask for forgiveness?

Peace

 

[simonthezealot]

Do keep on hearing those words when you sin and ask for forgiveness?

Peace

Matter of fact I do, though I am trying to continually be repentant and searching myself to be more Christlike, I do work continuosly toward walking upright and blameless for our Lord. "work in progress" being perfected in the Lord.

 

[mont974x4]

Matter of fact I do, though I am trying to continually be repentant and searching myself to be more Christlike, I do work continuosly toward walking upright and blameless for our Lord. "work in progress" being perfected in the Lord.

And He promises to finish the work He started in us...all for His glory.



Jay

 

[simonthezealot]

And He promises to finish the work He started in us...all for His glory.



Jay

Amen bro...Not us but HIM!

 

[E.C.]

He may have started and may finish, but we still have our parts to chip in.

 

[lionroar0]

Matter of fact I do, though I am trying to continually be repentant and searching myself to be more Christlike, I do work continuosly toward walking upright and blameless for our Lord. "work in progress" being perfected in the Lord.

Do you forgive others and say you are sorry?
Peace

 

[namericanboy]

Do you forgive others and say you are sorry?
Peace

Yep just did it with my sweetie,,.. My health problems leave me with a lack of sleep. Some times I get snappy and right away apologise. We do our utmost to clean our slate of anything that might hinder our peace during the dayso we can both go to sleep with a pure heart before the Lord.

 

[simonthezealot]

Do you forgive others and say you are sorry?
Peace

It is Christ in me that is able to forgive others and to be humble in admission to errs.

 

[mont974x4]

He may have started and may finish, but we still have our parts to chip in.

Sure, we are to be obedient in willing submission....
no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness.

 

[Rdr Iakovos]

Christianity isn't about a twenty subject web of theology, dear friend.

This is true inasmuch as that even a child is saved as he/she trusts and grows in Him.
What you said is false inasmuch as Christ spent Three and One half years teaching the Disciples, and 40 days after the ascension. The entirety of the Pauline letters are devoted to instructing what one is in fact TO DO.

....it's about trusting Christ to give you what is "necessary" in your walk. Him....not your effort, intellect, knowledge, or background.

Do you suppose that Christ uses human agents to teach, mentor, rebuke, and the like? And if so, are those things useless and not of import?

Of course not.
To understand why it is thaat we Orthodox confess publically our sins- in the witness of an elder (priest is an English rendering of what our elders are known as -presvyteros in Greek, elder hand selected by the episkopos, as is the biblical and Apostolic teaching)- one must read the whole of the scriptures, not just the touchy-feely scriptures that assure us when our hearts condemn us. David confessed to Nathan, then David composed a song (psalm) which indicates the response and action of the penient:

• Turn Your Face from my iniquities
• Wash my from my iniquity
• Sprinkle me with hyssop
• The bones that were afflicted shall rejoice
• I will teach your ways to the sinners
• In your Kindness O Lord, be bountiful to Zion
• and may the Walls of Jerusalem be restored

"Old Testament" you may say. Fine- do a comparative study in the NT, and see the parallels.

• Confess your sins to one another, and be healed
• Wash your hands you sinners
• Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you

Repentance is a process, one which does not abrogate nor deny His Once and for All sacrifice. No, rather, it draws upon it, a Sacrifice that need not be repeated.

Faith is not passive.

Resting in Him is where we find the peace to love. Unrest in ourselves, however (...in thinking we have to know the "right" things to do as Christians), is what will sabatoge the joy Christ is offering you...a joy to be shared with the world around you.

The good news is...His role is to live this life you've died to, and your role is to just trust that He'll do so.

Try it....it works!

Trusting in Him is a very active thing. Ask the martyrs.
They were shipwrecked, beaten, hungered...they prayed without ceasing, fasting for the salvation of themselves and others.
Try it...it works.
It changed and changes the world.

 

[ticker]

He may have started and may finish, but we still have our parts to chip in.

Well...our parts are chipped in, simply by being alive and walking with Christ. He takes down a road that will sanctify us and prepare us for our Father's house. Everything (as you have noted) is indeed finished....we now just have to walk it.

I would say that there are many things we could do and opportunities to take advantage of that could bring us closer to God (prayer, fasting, fellowship, meditation on scripture etc...) and could maybe make things easier on oursleves in our Christian walk, but nothing that we'd have to somehow ensure we contribute to........'cause that would then mean that His work wouldn't get "finished" (if we failed to contribute what might be "required"). See, that wouldn't be Christianity....that'd just be faulty religion.

 

[ticker]

This is true inasmuch as that even a child is saved as he/she trusts and grows in Him.
What you said is false inasmuch as Christ spent Three and One half years teaching the Disciples, and 40 days after the ascension. The entirety of the Pauline letters are devoted to instructing what one is in fact TO DO.

Do you suppose that Christ uses human agents to teach, mentor, rebuke, and the like? And if so, are those things useless and not of import?

Of course not.
To understand why it is thaat we Orthodox confess publically our sins- in the witness of an elder (priest is an English rendering of what our elders are known as -presvyteros in Greek, elder hand selected by the episkopos, as is the biblical and Apostolic teaching)- one must read the whole of the scriptures, not just the touchy-feely scriptures that assure us when our hearts condemn us. David confessed to Nathan, then David composed a song (psalm) which indicates the response and action of the penient:

• Turn Your Face from my iniquities
• Wash my from my iniquity
• Sprinkle me with hyssop
• The bones that were afflicted shall rejoice
• I will teach your ways to the sinners
• In your Kindness O Lord, be bountiful to Zion
• and may the Walls of Jerusalem be restored

"Old Testament" you may say. Fine- do a comparative study in the NT, and see the parallels.

• Confess your sins to one another, and be healed
• Wash your hands you sinners
• Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you

Repentance is a process, one which does not abrogate nor deny His Once and for All sacrifice. No, rather, it draws upon it, a Sacrifice that need not be repeated.

Faith is not passive.




Trusting in Him is a very active thing. Ask the martyrs.
They were shipwrecked, beaten, hungered...they prayed without ceasing, fasting for the salvation of themselves and others.
Try it...it works.
It changed and changes the world.

You do know that people read a post like this and get immediatey turned off.....because it more or less suggests that you have to "study" Christianity as if it were some university course you need to graduate from.....with, of course, the implication that you also might fail.

Well, guess what. There are many, many, many Christians in this world (people who have heard about Jesus and have given their hearts to Him) who can't read, can't write, who have learning disabilites, or who simply just aren't all that bright. And there are also many more who don't have access to churches, don't have access to bibles, or don't have access to priests.....not to mention the "Orthodox version" of all these.

Factors such as oppression, poverty, illness, lack of intellect, or lack of exposure and resources, etc... could conceivably keep allllllll these Christians from knowing the "right" way then (...Orthodoxy). So you think that allllll these Christians aren't gonna have a "proper" Christian life just because they're not following the "right" religious rules Orthodoxy has come up with?

.....oh boy.

Jesus is all you need bud, 'cause Christianity is not a religion....sorry to break it to ya.

 

[E.C.]

Sure, we are to be obedient in willing submission....
no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness.

We are getting warmer...

I would say that there are many things we could do and opportunities to take advantage of that could bring us closer to God (prayer, fasting, fellowship, meditation on scripture etc...) and could make things easier on oursleves in our Christian walk, but nothing that we'd have to somehow ensure we contribute to........'cause that would then mean that His work wouldn't get "finished" (if we failed to contribute what might be "required"). See, that's not Christianity....that's just faulty religion.

Prayer and fasting are not easy.

We are human and thus prone to demons whose sole purpose in existence is to distract us from prayer. They are powerful, yet we must keep up the fight against them via prayer and asking our brothers and sisters to pray for us so that we all may become stronger in our walk.

Fasting is not easy. Fasting requires not only a tough stomach as well as patience, but also a great sense of discipline. That is why we have Spiritual Fathers and priests; to help us achieve the discipline needed to keep the fast.
Yet fasting, a sometimes difficult walk it may be, has great rewards to grow closer to Christ and to be more like Him. St. Paul in one of his Epistles stressed how much the Christian life is not to be an easy one. He made his point by listing off all the assassination attempts and beatings and so forth he himself had gone through up until then.

You do know that people read a post like this and get immediatey turned off.....because it more or less suggests that you have to "study" Christianity as if it were some university course you need to graduate from.....with, of course, the implication that you also might fail.

How God judges us individually is none of our business. It is His and the persons' business alone.

Well, guess what. There are many, many, many Christians in this world who can't read, can't write, who have learning disabilites or who simply just aren't that bright. And there are also many more who don't have access to churches, don't have access to bibles, or don't have access to priests.....not to mention the "Orthodox version" of all these.

God will probably judge them on a different scale than that of a theologian. God is Love.

Factors such as oppression, poverty, illness, lack of intellect, or lack of exposure and resources, etc... could conceivably keep allllllll these Christians from knowing the "right" way then (Orthodox Christianity). So you think that allllll these Christians are gonna have a bunk Christian life just because they're not following the "right" religious rules?

May I suggest reading about Fr. Arseny? He was a Russian Orthodox priest during the time of Communism and lived in one of the gulags for many years. The book about him is very moving, humbling and inspiring.
I suggest you read it since all the people in the book lived a very precarious condition.

Jesus is all you need bud, cause Christianity is not a religion....sorry to break it to ya.

Dictionary.com: 1.a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. 2.a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects

 

[ticker]

Prayer and fasting are not easy.

We are human and thus prone to demons whose sole purpose in existence is to distract us from prayer. They are powerful, yet we must keep up the fight against them via prayer and asking our brothers and sisters to pray for us so that we all may become stronger in our walk.

Fasting is not easy. Fasting requires not only a tough stomach as well as patience, but also a great sense of discipline. That is why we have Spiritual Fathers and priests; to help us achieve the discipline needed to keep the fast.
Yet fasting, a sometimes difficult walk it may be, has great rewards to grow closer to Christ and to be more like Him. St. Paul in one of his Epistles stressed how much the Christian life is not to be an easy one. He made his point by listing off all the assassination attempts and beatings and so forth he himself had gone through up until then.


How God judges us individually is none of our business. It is His and the persons' business alone.


God will probably judge them on a different scale than that of a theologian. God is Love.


May I suggest reading about Fr. Arseny? He was a Russian Orthodox priest during the time of Communism and lived in one of the gulags for many years. The book about him is very moving, humbling and inspiring.
I suggest you read it since all the people in the book lived a very precarious condition.

Some good comments and info here EC. Tnx.

Dictionary.com: 1.a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. 2.a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects

Rituals? Morals? There's nothing ritualistic about a life meant to be lived through the inspiration of the Spirit of God. And nothing "moral" about it either, but supernatural. The secular world lives by morals...Christians live by Christ.

 

[E.C.]

Some good comments and info here EC. Tnx.

Thank you.

Rituals? Morals? There's nothing ritualistic about a life meant to be lived through the inspiration of the Spirit of God. And nothing "moral" about it either, but supernatural. The secular world lives by morals...Christians live by Christ.

St. Paul and the Apostles were all filled with the Holy Spirit. They taught the people how to do things and appointed bishops in every city. Even Titus and Timothy, both had epistles written to them that are in the NT, were bishops. Timothy was bishop of Ephesus and I believe Titus was bishop of Crete (can not recall right now).

St. Paul taught them. They taught the people in their cities. This has gone on for generations and generations and has survived persecution after persecution. Why take from it?

 

[ticker]

So if I'm inspired to do communion and I only have Welch's and Premium Plus crackers to do it with, then it won't be worth anything because I didn't do it in some "certain" way?

.......guess it wasn't the presence of the Holy Spirit I felt after all.

 

[mont974x4]

So if I'm inspired to do communion and I only have Welch's and Premium Plus crackers to do it with, then it won't be worth anything because I didn't do it in some "certain" way?

.......guess it wasn't the Holy Spirit I felt after all then.

It was just fine so long as you:
1. Did it in rmemebrance of Him
2. Did it with the proper heart



Everything else is just extrabiblical tradition and legalism.