Q. 1. What is the origin of the Sacrament of Confession as being necessary for salvation?

A. 1. In the Holy Bible, we read where Jesus told the apostles,

"If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." [John 20:23] In order for the Apostles to forgive or retain one's sins, they had to hear the confession of the sinner and acknowledge full contrition.

Further evidence of the practice of confessing one's sins is found in the Acts of the Apostles where it states:

"Also, many of those who became believers confessed and disclosed their practices." [Acts 19:18]