“Is it biblical to confess to a priest?”
One of the foundational beliefs of Protestant Christianity is the “priesthood of all believers.” This is the belief that all believers (all who have put their faith in Jesus Christ) share privilege of being priests. There is no special class of Christians who have a greater spiritual ability to understand Scripture, are able to forgive sins, or are mediators between humans and God.
Some passages that back this idea up (priesthood of all believers) are passages like 1 Peter 2:9, 1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 4:14-16, and 10:19-22 (among others). Let’s take a look at these verses…
- 1 Peter 2:9 – But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
- 1 Timothy 2:5 – For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
- Hebrews 4:14-16 – 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
- Hebrews 10:19-22 – Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
These and other verses make it clear that you don’t need a special person like a priest to confess to in order for your sins to be forgiven. Jesus Christ is the only high priest we need and the only one that mediates between us and God. There is no need for another mediator (priest) because Jesus is our priest. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Nothing else is needed!
Having said that, Christians are encouraged to confess our sins to other people. Not for the purpose of being forgiven, but for the purpose of being encouraged and held accountable. James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” Proverbs 28:13 wisely says, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”
So is it biblical to confess to a priest? No. There is nothing in scripture that says we should confess our sins to a priest to be forgiven. In fact, the Bible says the opposite! We confess to Jesus Christ! However, we should be intentional about confessing our sins to other people. Not for the purpose of being forgiven, but so that we might get those sins out of our life.
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