Why do people confess their sins?

Answer 1

James 5:16 " Confess therefore your sins one to another: and pray one for another, that you may be saved. For the continual prayer of a just man availeth much."

Matthew 9 shows that Jesus gave men power to forgive sins.

Confession forgives us our sins and gives us the grace to stop sinning. Through baptism, we enter into a friendship with God; through confession, we mend our relationship with Christ after sin. In confession, we don't just confess to a priest but to Christ who works through the priest.

Answer 2

It is not obliged to confess venial.It is only light offenses,but if you are so good,you can confess it.This man want to become pure.

Roman Catholic AnswerVenial sin is very serious, it is not mortal and thus does not completely sever us from the life of grace; but as St. Teresa of Avila said, "anytime we deliberately choose to do something outside of God's grace and tell him we want our will instead of His, it is a very serious matter. No, we are not obligated to confess venial sin but it is a great help in the growth of perfection in our souls, and as Jesus, Himself, tells us, "be ye perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect". We should examine our conscience each day, pick out our most grievous venial sin and work on that one. That should be the one that we confess until we have conquered it; then move on to the next one. There is great grace in the sacrament of Penance for overcoming venial sins which are NOT light offenses.

Answer 3

People confess their sins to be forgiven. If you confess you sins to a priest, they are filling in the part of Jesus and will forgive them for Jesus. You technically only need to confess mortal sins, such as stealing or killing.

However, it is not necessary to confess your sins to a priest. If you are truly sorry and you pray for forgiveness, Jesus will forgive you. People usually use this method when commiting venial sins, such as lying or cheating on a test.