[NYer]

The thing that worries me most is how they believe a man can forgive their sins against God for God. I would like to believe God honors their trying.

As you noted, Matthew 18 instructs us to forgive each other's sins. Is this not what Tiger Woods was seeking yesterday? However, that does not remove the effects of sin from the soul. Only God can do that and he does so through His minister on earth, the priest.

This sacrament is rooted in the mission God gave to Christ in his capacity as the Son of man on earth to go and forgive sins (cf. Matt. 9:6). Thus, the crowds who witnessed this new power "glorified God, who had given such authority to men" (Matt. 9:8; note the plural "men"). After his resurrection, Jesus passed on his mission to forgive sins to his ministers, telling them, "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you. . . . 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 20:21–23). Since it is not possible to confess all of our many daily faults, we know that sacramental reconciliation is required only for grave or mortal sins—but it is required, or Christ would not have commanded it.

[Bobsvainbabblings]

The thing that worries me most is how they believe a man can forgive their sins against God for God. I would like to believe God honors their trying.

As you noted, Matthew 18 instructs us to forgive each other's sins. Is this not what Tiger Woods was seeking yesterday? However, that does not remove the effects of sin from the soul. Only God can do that and he does so through His minister on earth, the priest. 

That my have been what Tiger was seeking but you and I are not involved scripturally. He did not sin against you or I so we have nothing to forgive him for his act or acts of adultery.

Tiger's adulatory is only a sin against his wife and God the Father. They are the only two he needs to ask forgiveness from for his acts of adulatory and the only two who can grant that forgiveness if asked with contrition.

If you read the text I referenced earlier about Old Testament earthly priests you would realize God the Father is the only one who could  forgive the corporate sins of the people but only after the priests offered Him sacrifices in the manner He prescribed in great detail.

I also advised reading Hebrews. Especially chapters 7-8-9-10. You will see the Old Testament style earthly priesthood is no longer needed because the New Testament Priest, Jesus, is in heaven after offering God His Father the ultimate sacrifice, Himself.

God and God alone can forgive our sins against Him and does when we ask with contrition through the one time sin offering of His Christ.    

This sacrament is rooted in the mission God gave to Christ in his capacity as the Son of man on earth to go and forgive sins (cf. Matt. 9:6). Thus, the crowds who witnessed this new power "glorified God, who had given such authority to men" (Matt. 9:8; note the plural "men"). After his resurrection, Jesus passed on his mission to forgive sins to his ministers, telling them, "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you. . . . 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 20:21–23). Since it is not possible to confess all of our many daily faults, we know that sacramental reconciliation is required only for grave or mortal sins—but it is required, or Christ would not have commanded it

What part of forgiving sins and binding and loosing sins described by Christ in my post 48 is not required of you and I for God the Father to forgive our sins against Him?

How come when you and others use John 20:21-23 you never put it context with 19-20?

¹⁹ Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled,^[c] for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.  

It says the disciples were gathered there. It was not limited to eleven people in that room. There were 120 men and women disciples a short time later at Pentecost. Do you suppose a few of them might have been there?

Let me see if I have this right. I can asked God in heaven for His blessings in prayer through Christ but I have to go through a non-scriptural earthly priest to gain forgiveness for my sins against God. 

With that kind of logic I can see how man thinks he can give degrees of severity and penance for a sin only God can forgive. God has already forgiven all our sins when we accept the only penance he has establish for all sins against Him, Christ's finished work. BVB

The thing that worries me most is how they believe a man can forgive their sins against God for God. I would like to believe God honors their trying.

As you noted, Matthew 18 instructs us to forgive each other's sins. Is this not what Tiger Woods was seeking yesterday? However, that does not remove the effects of sin from the soul. Only God can do that and he does so through His minister on earth, the priest. 

That my have been what Tiger was seeking but you and I are not involved scripturally. He did not sin against you or I so we have nothing to forgive him for his act or acts of adultery.

Tiger's adulatory is only a sin against his wife and God the Father. They are the only two he needs to ask forgiveness from for his acts of adulatory and the only two who can grant that forgiveness if asked with contrition.

If you read the text I referenced earlier about Old Testament earthly priests you would realize God the Father is the only one who could  forgive the corporate sins of the people but only after the priests offered Him sacrifices in the manner He prescribed in great detail.

I also advised reading Hebrews. Especially chapters 7-8-9-10. You will see the Old Testament style earthly priesthood is no longer needed because the New Testament Priest, Jesus, is in heaven after offering God His Father the ultimate sacrifice, Himself.

God and God alone can forgive our sins against Him and does when we ask with contrition through the one time sin offering of His Christ.    

This sacrament is rooted in the mission God gave to Christ in his capacity as the Son of man on earth to go and forgive sins (cf. Matt. 9:6). Thus, the crowds who witnessed this new power "glorified God, who had given such authority to men" (Matt. 9:8; note the plural "men"). After his resurrection, Jesus passed on his mission to forgive sins to his ministers, telling them, "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you. . . . 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 20:21–23). Since it is not possible to confess all of our many daily faults, we know that sacramental reconciliation is required only for grave or mortal sins—but it is required, or Christ would not have commanded it

What part of forgiving sins and binding and loosing sins described by Christ in my post 48 is not required of you and I for God the Father to forgive our sins against Him?

How come when you and others use John 20:21-23 you never put it context with 19-20?

¹⁹ Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled,^[c] for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.  

It says the disciples were gathered there. It was not limited to eleven people in that room. There were 120 men and women disciples a short time later at Pentecost. Do you suppose a few of them might have been there?

Let me see if I have this right. I can asked God in heaven for His blessings in prayer through Christ but I have to go through a non-scriptural earthly priest to gain forgiveness for my sins against God. 

With that kind of logic I can see how man thinks he can give degrees of severity and penance for a sin only God can forgive. God has already forgiven all our sins when we accept the only penance he has establish for all sins against Him, Christ's finished work. BVB