“Spilling The Beans”

Thursday, May 08, 2014

Why did people confess their sins to a priest in the Old Testament?  Isn't the Old Testament a foreshadowing of the New Testament?  If we are meant to confess our sins directly to God, why does James say to confess to one another?  And why does Jesus give the authority to forgive and retain sins to His apostles (John 20:23) if christians were meant to go directly to God?

Sincerely,
No Middle Men

Dear No Middle Men,

In the Old Testament, priests offered sacrifices for the people’s sins, but the people didn’t necessarily confess those sins to the priest – they just brought the animal to the priests to be sacrificed (Heb 10:11).  The Old Testament priest functioned as a mediator between man and God.  You are right that the Old Testament is a shadow of the New Testament in Christ.  In the New Testament, Jesus is our high priest and mediator (Heb 8:1-3, 1 Tim 2:5).  We are able to confess our sins and have peace with God through Christ (Rom 5:1) because Jesus became our sacrifice (Heb 10:11-12).

Now, let’s address the issue of confessing our sins to one another.  Jas 5:15-16 talks about christians confessing their sins to one another, so we can pray for each other.  James isn’t saying that humans have the right to forgive sins; in the context, he is discussing the value of leaning on each other and seeking help when we struggle with sin.

Lastly, let’s deal with Jhn 20:23.  Jhn 20:23 does say that the apostles could forgive or retain people’s sins… but you have to read the verse above it, too!  Jhn 20:22 points out that the apostles were being divinely directed by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus told them that they were doing God’s work and were being led by God’s Spirit.  The apostles were unable to do anything by their own power, but when the Holy Spirit guided them, they could tell people things directly from the mouth of God (2 Pet 1:21).

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