Catholics' Beliefs On Forgiveness And Sins Explained

what do catholics believe about forgivenness of sins

Forgiveness is a key aspect of the Catholic faith, with its origins in the Bible. While forgiveness comes from God, there are conditions for the one being forgiven: they must pray for forgiveness, confess their sins, and repent.

The Catholic Church teaches that God alone forgives sins, but he has delegated that authority to certain human beings within the Church. The Church believes that there are three conditions which are required to ensure forgiveness of one's serious sins: confession, contrition, and satisfaction (or penance).

The Sacrament of Penance is necessary for reconciliation with the Church and restored access to the Eucharist. Catholics believe that Christ forgives sins through the priest, as a particular charism of the Holy Spirit.

Characteristics Values
Source of forgiveness God
How to receive forgiveness Pray for forgiveness, confess sins, turn away from sin and repent
Who can forgive sins God, Jesus, Priests
What is required for forgiveness Verbal confession, true sorrow, a firm purpose of amendment or conversion
What happens during confession The priest absolves the penitent of their sins
Who can confess Only the offender can confess
What is the basis of the teaching John 20:21-23, Catechism of the Catholic Church

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Catholics believe that Christ forgives sins through the priest

> Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

In Catholic teaching, the priest is acting under the authority and power of the Church, which, in turn, is acting under the authority and power of Christ. This is also supported by the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The priest is thus seen as an "extended arm" of the Church, which has been given authority from Christ to forgive sins. This belief can be traced back to early Christian writings, which refer to the practice of confession as something already long-established.

For sins to be forgiven, Catholics believe that certain conditions must be met. These include prayer, confession, and repentance. The act of confessing to a priest is seen as an important step in the process of obtaining forgiveness, as it provides a sense of accountability and encourages sincere remorse and a firm purpose of amendment.

Furthermore, Catholics believe that Christ gave the apostles the authority to forgive or withhold forgiveness in His name, and that this power has been passed down through the generations. This is reflected in the words used by the priest during the absolution of sins, which state that the priest is acting under the authority of Christ.

While some may argue that only God can forgive sins, Catholics hold that God has delegated this authority to certain human beings within the Church. This belief is supported by the understanding that God is "abounding in steadfast love, and relenting in punishment," and that He desires all to be saved.

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Confession is a requirement for forgiveness

The Catholic Church teaches that confession is a requirement for the forgiveness of sins. This is based on the belief that God has delegated the authority to forgive sins to certain individuals within the Church. This authority was given to the apostles by Jesus himself, as recorded in the Bible:

> "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (John 20:22-23).

This power was understood as coming directly from God:

> "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18).

The early Christian writings also refer to the practice of confession as something already long-established. For example, the first-century Didache mentions confession as part of the Church's requirement for the forgiveness of sins.

Later Christian writers, such as Origen, Cyprian, and Aphraates, explicitly state that confession must be made to a priest. For instance, Cyprian writes that the forgiveness of sins can take place only "through the priests."

The Catholic Church teaches that there are three conditions required for the forgiveness of serious sins: confession, contrition, and satisfaction (or penance). Confession involves telling a priest one's sins and receiving absolution. This must be preceded by an examination of conscience, in which one honestly reflects on their thoughts, words, and deeds in light of Christ's commandments.

True contrition involves feeling sincere sorrow for one's sins and a firm resolution to avoid repeating them. Finally, satisfaction or penance involves performing spiritual and temporal works to repair the harm caused by sin and to restore one's relationship with God and neighbour.

While God can forgive sins outside of the sacrament of confession, the Catholic Church believes that these three conditions are ordinarily required for the forgiveness of serious sins. This ensures that the penitent is truly reconciled with God and has made amends for their wrongdoing.

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God's mercy is more powerful than any human ability to do evil

The Catholic Church teaches that God's mercy is more powerful than any human ability to do evil. This is reflected in the belief that there is no sin, no matter how serious, that cannot be forgiven. To imply otherwise would be a challenge to God's omnipotence.

However, humans have free will, and God does not force reconciliation. Instead, he gives humans the freedom to accept or reject divine mercy. For sin to be forgiven, humans must admit their faults and turn away from sin.

In the Bible, Jesus claims to possess the divine authority to forgive sins. In St. Mark's Gospel, Jesus says to a paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven" (Mark 2:5). The scribes question this, asking, "Who but God alone can forgive sins?" (Mark 2:7). Jesus responds by asking if it is easier to cure a man or forgive his sins. He then states: "That you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth... I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home" (Mark 2:10-11).

Jesus further emphasises the importance of forgiveness in John 8, where he is confronted with the precepts of the Law of Moses in the case of an adulterous woman. While not denying the legitimate claims of the law, Jesus says to the crowd, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her" (John 8:7). If no one is willing to forgive this woman, then who among them has the right to ask for forgiveness? Jesus calls attention to the pervasive presence of sin to break the cycle of retaliation and replace it with active, unconditional forgiveness.

Following his resurrection, Jesus gave his apostles the authority to exercise forgiveness in his name. In John 20:21-23, he says: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you... Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." This forms the basis of the Catholic sacrament of forgiveness in a formal rite of penance.

The Catholic Church believes that God alone forgives sins but has delegated that authority to certain human beings within the Church. God is "abounding in steadfast love, and relenting in punishment" (Joel 2:13). While confession is necessary, it is not sufficient on its own to ensure forgiveness. True repentance and a sincere resolution to avoid repeating the sin are also required.

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Penance requires... the sinner to endure all things willingly, be contrite of heart, confess with the lips, and practice complete humility and fruitful satisfaction."

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Humans have free will and can reject divine mercy

Catholics believe that humans have free will and can reject divine mercy. While God's mercy is more powerful than any human ability to do evil, humans can choose to accept or reject it.

The Catholic Church teaches that there is no sin, no matter how serious, that cannot be forgiven. To imply otherwise would be a challenge to God's omnipotence. However, for sin to be forgiven, we must admit our faults. We must pray for forgiveness, confess our sins, and turn away from sin and repent.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "God is not bound by his sacraments" and can forgive outside of the Church's ordinary means of confession. Nevertheless, there are three conditions which, except in extraordinary circumstances, the Church believes are required to ensure forgiveness of one's serious sins: confession, contrition, and satisfaction (or penance).

The act of confession is not enough to ensure forgiveness of sins. Catholics believe that God forgives sins, but he has delegated that authority to certain human beings within the Church. The priest is acting under the authority and power of the Church, which, in turn, is acting under the authority and power of Christ.

The Bible states that Jesus gave the apostles the power to forgive sins:

> "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (John 20:23)

This power was understood as coming from God:

> "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:18)

The apostles could not know which sins to forgive and which to retain unless they were first told the sins by the sinner. This implies confession. Their authority was not merely to proclaim that God had already forgiven sins or that he would forgive sins if there were proper repentance.

The Bible also states that forgiveness of sins is not just a divine act but also a human act:

> "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

This passage indicates that confession is necessary for the forgiveness of sins.

While Catholics believe that Christ forgives sins through the priest, it is important to note that the priest is just a human being and does not have the supernatural power to forgive sins on his own. The priest is acting as an "extended arm" of the Church, which has been given authority from Christ.

In conclusion, Catholics believe that humans have free will and can reject divine mercy. While God's mercy is infinite, humans must choose to accept it and take the necessary steps of confession, contrition, and penance to receive forgiveness for their sins.

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The Catholic Church does not believe that confession by itself is sufficient to ensure forgiveness of sins

The Catholic Church teaches that God alone forgives sins, but has delegated that authority to certain human beings within the Church. God is "gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in mercy", but there are three conditions which, except in extraordinary circumstances, the Church believes are required to ensure forgiveness of one's serious sins: confession, contrition, and satisfaction (or penance).

Confession is the act of telling the priest the sins one has committed since their last confession. Catholics are required to go to confession at least once a year, but more often is considered better as it makes it easier to remember what sins one has committed.

Confession should be preceded by an examination of conscience, in which one thoroughly and frankly looks at one's behaviour—one's thoughts, words, and deeds—in light of Christ's commandments. Any serious sins that one remembers must be confessed. If, after a sincere examination, one forgets a serious sin, there is no need to worry about whether one is forgiven. However, if one deliberately leaves out a serious sin, one is lying (by omission) not only to the priest but to the Lord, which invalidates the entire confession.

The second condition is contrition, which is an intense, sincere sorrow for—perhaps even a hatred of—one's own sinful behaviour, together with a sincere resolution to avoid sin again.

The third condition is satisfaction, or penance, which involves spiritual and temporal works designed to restore relationships broken and damaged by sin. Penance can consist of prayer, an offering, works of mercy, service of neighbour, voluntary self-denial, sacrifices, and above all the patient acceptance of the cross we must bear.

Therefore, while confession is a requirement for the forgiveness of sins, it is not sufficient by itself. One must also have contrition and perform penance for their sins to be forgiven.

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Frequently asked questions

Catholics believe that God forgives sins, but has delegated that authority to certain human beings within the Church.

The Sacrament of Penance, also known as confession, reconciliation, and penance, is the means by which sins committed after baptism are forgiven.

Catholics believe that for sins to be forgiven, one must pray for forgiveness, confess their sins, and repent.

The Catholic Church teaches that there is no sin that cannot be forgiven, but humans have free will and can choose to reject divine mercy.

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