True forgiveness of sins.

[Dave M]

True forgiveness of sins from God, Sets us free from the bondage of sin.

False forgiveness of sin, from a man will keep you in the bondage of sin, and has no power.

Trust not a priest, who thinks repeating a prayer over and over again will bring true forgiveness.

Forgiveness comes with proof of grace

Matthew 6
7-8 “Don’t recite the same prayer over and over as the heathen do, who think prayers are answered only by repeating them again and again. Remember, your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!

 

[Sue J Love]

Yes, we are forgiven so that we will "go and sin no more." Jesus gave His life up for us on that cross not just to forgive us our sins but to deliver us from bondage (slavery, addiction) to sin so we will now serve Him with our lives in walks of obedience to His commands, in surrender to His will, in life practice, in the power of God, as led by the Holy Spirit.

 

[Fragrant Grace]

That freedom from bondage came at such a cost to our Saviour

Praise the Lord

 

[KingJ]

I agree with the OP, but I don't agree with the last part, which seems to be a clear jab at the Catholic Church.

Scripture does tell us to confess our sins to one another:

James 5:16: “Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

Catholic confession is essentially the practice of confessing sins to another believer, with the priest serving in a pastoral role. I don't see why we should automatically condemn someone for confessing their sins to a priest. Who better to confess to than a priest, pastor, or elder who has devoted himself to Christian ministry and is there to provide spiritual guidance?

Of course, simply holding a position does not automatically make someone spiritually mature or correct in everything they believe. But it seems reasonable to seek counsel and confess our struggles to someone who takes their Christian faith seriously rather than to someone who may only have one foot in Christianity.

Jesus also gave His apostles authority concerning forgiveness of sins:

John 20:23: “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

That does not mean a priest or any man has the power to forgive sins independently of God. Forgiveness ultimately comes from God through Christ. But Scripture does show believers confessing sins to one another and Christ giving His apostles authority concerning sins.

As for Matthew 6:7, Jesus was warning against meaningless or vain repetition in prayer. The passage does not say that every repeated prayer is wrong. Jesus Himself repeated the same prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane:

Matthew 26:44: “He left them again, went away, and prayed a third time, saying the same words.”

So I agree that forgiveness comes from God and not from merely repeating words. I just don't think Matthew 6:7 is a valid reason to take a jab at Catholic confession.

 

[Brightfame52]

True forgiveness of sins from God, Sets us free from the bondage of sin.

False forgiveness of sin, from a man will keep you in the bondage of sin, and has no power.

Trust not a priest, who thinks repeating a prayer over and over again will bring true forgiveness.

Forgiveness comes with proof of grace

Matthew 6
7-8 “Don’t recite the same prayer over and over as the heathen do, who think prayers are answered only by repeating them again and again. Remember, your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!

David, I agree that true forgiveness from God is not produced by repeatedly reciting a prayer. But Matthew 6:7–8 is specifically condemning vain repetition in prayer, not teaching that our repeated prayers obtain forgiveness.

The greater point is that God's forgiveness rests upon Christ's finished work, not upon the sinner's repeated performance.

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”
—Ephesians 1:7

Notice the order:

Christ's blood → redemption → forgiveness → grace.

And Scripture says:

“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree.”
—1 Peter 2:24

Christ did not merely make forgiveness possible. He actually accomplished redemption for His people.

And the grace that forgives also produces practical holiness:

“Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”
—Titus 2:14

So I agree with your statement that forgiveness comes with proof of grace, provided we distinguish the ground from the evidence.

The ground of forgiveness is Christ's blood.
The cause is God's grace.
The evidence is the transformed life that grace produces.

Good works don't purchase forgiveness, and repeated prayers don't purchase forgiveness.

Christ purchased forgiveness. Grace gives it. And that same grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and live righteously.

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared...”
—Titus 2:11