Confession

Many times me and my friends debate over whether or whether not confession is biblical. As a High Church Lutheran I firmly believe confession is a sacrament. I will explain ,in this post, why confession is Biblical.



OT:
The first act of confession to a priest, in the Bible, is in the Old Testament. In 2 Samuel 12:13, after having committed adultery with Bathsheba God sent Nathan to David. After telling a story to prove a point and David repenting David said "I have sinned against the Lord" Nathan replied, "The Lord has taken away your sin."



NT:
The New Testament has many passages about confession. One of my favorites is John 20:23, after having coming back from the dead, Jesus appeared to his disciples, And breathed the the breath of the Holy Spirit saying "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, THEY ARE NOT FORGIVEN" Then there is where Christ gave St. Peter the keys. Now I've heard some people say "Well those passages don't mention people confessing, but only that clergy can forgive sins (general confession)", but James 5:16 "CONFESS YOUR SINS TO EACH OTHER AND PRAY FOR EACH OTHER SO THAT YOU MAY BE HEALED." That passage does mention confession.

Those are just a few passages that prove confession is Biblical.