The Catholic Church teaches that Last Rites—also known as Extreme Unction or Anointing of the Sick—is a sacrament necessary for those nearing death. It is believed to cleanse a person of their sins and prepare them for their final journey. But is this practice truly biblical? Does God's Word teach that a priest must anoint a dying person for them to receive forgiveness? In this post, we will examine the origins of Last Rites and compare it to what Scripture actually teaches about salvation, forgiveness, and preparation for eternity.

What Are Last Rites?
In Catholic tradition, Last Rites typically include three sacraments:
Confession (Reconciliation) – The dying person confesses their sins to a priest.
Anointing of the Sick – The priest anoints the person with oil and prays for their healing or peaceful passing.
Eucharist (Viaticum) – If the person is able to receive it, they partake in the Eucharist, seen as “food for the journey.”
Let’s examine each of these separately.
Why Sinful Men Cannot Forgive Sins:
The claim that priests have the power to forgive sins is one of the most theologically and logically flawed doctrines in Roman Catholicism. If we step back and analyze this idea critically, we find that it contradicts the nature of sin, the justice of God, the role of Christ, and the reality of human imperfection.
The Nature of Sin: An Offense Against a Perfect God
Sin is not merely a wrongdoing against another human being—it is a direct violation of God’s law. This is why David, after committing grievous sins, prays:
“Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight.” — Psalm 51:4
Sin is not simply a debt that one human can transfer or erase; it is a moral rebellion against the very Creator and Lawgiver of the universe. Because of this, only God—the one who has been wronged—can pardon the offense.
If priests were capable of forgiving sins, they would have to possess divine authority equal to God’s. But they do not. They are mere men, subject to the same sinful nature as everyone else. How can a sinner, who has himself rebelled against God, forgive another sinner on God's behalf? It is entirely nonsensical.
The Justice of God: Only the Righteous Can Pardon the Guilty
God is a perfectly just judge (Deuteronomy 32:4). True justice means that the guilty cannot be absolved unless a righteous substitute satisfies the penalty of sin. That substitute is Christ alone:
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” — 1 Peter 3:18
A priest, who is himself sinful, cannot act as a mediator for the sins of others, because he is guilty himself. Imagine a convicted criminal standing in court claiming to pardon another criminal—such an idea would be absurd. A guilty person has no authority to release another from guilt. Only someone who is completely righteous can grant true forgiveness. That person is Jesus Christ alone.
The Role of Christ: The Only True High Priest and Mediator
The entire priestly system of the Old Testament pointed forward to Jesus Christ as the perfect High Priest. The book of Hebrews makes this abundantly clear:
“Because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore, He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.” — Hebrews 7:24-25
Christ is the eternal priest, and He alone mediates between God and man:
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” — 1 Timothy 2:5
If Jesus is the only mediator, then the Catholic priesthood is an unnecessary and unbiblical attempt to insert a human institution where Christ has already fulfilled the role perfectly.
Furthermore, when Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn in two (Matthew 27:51). This symbolized the end of the priestly system—mankind now has direct access to God through Christ. The Catholic Church’s claim that priests are necessary for confession and absolution is a rebuilding of the very system that Christ abolished.
The Reality of Human Imperfection: Priests Themselves Need Forgiveness
The Bible is crystal clear that all men are sinners:
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” — Romans 3:23
This includes priests. They, too, are fallen, flawed, and in need of forgiveness. Yet Catholicism teaches that these same sinful men possess the ability to absolve others. This is not only theologically impossible but also logically incoherent.
Would you trust a thief to guard your valuables? Would you rely on a broken compass to navigate your journey?Then why trust a sinful man to forgive sin when he is spiritually in the same condition as you?
Even in the Old Testament, the priests had to offer sacrifices for their own sins before interceding for others (Leviticus 16:6). This shows that they were not holy in themselves—they needed forgiveness just like the people they served. The difference with Christ is that He had no sin (Hebrews 4:15), which is why only He can offer true atonement.
This raises an important question: If Mary were truly sinless, why was there still a need for sacrifices during the time leading up to Christ's resurrection? Throughout Christ's 33 years, if Mary had been sinless, she would have had the power to forgive sins, yet she never did.
The reason Mary didn’t forgive sins is because she, like all of us, was a sinner. It is crucial to understand that, despite being chosen by God to bear the Saviour, she was still a human being, subject to the same fallen nature as everyone else. If Mary were truly sinless, one could argue that it would have been incredibly selfish for her to withhold forgiveness from others. A sinless person would have the authority and capacity to forgive sins on behalf of others, yet Mary never claimed to have that power. Instead, she acknowledged her own need for a Saviour, as seen in her Magnificat (Luke 1:47), where she praises God as her Saviour.
Moreover, it would have been completely contrary to God’s plan for her to forgive sins, as this would contradict the very purpose of Christ's sacrifice. The entire sacrificial system in the Old Testament was set up to point to the coming of Christ, the perfect Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). If Mary, being sinless, had forgiven sins herself, it would have undermined the necessity of Christ’s atoning death.
To suggest that a sinless Mary could have forgiven sins and replaced the need for Christ's atoning death would be to overlook the fact that forgiveness of sins can only come through Christ’s sacrifice. He alone, who knew no sin, became sin for us so that we might be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
True Forgiveness Comes Directly from God, Not Through a Priest
Nowhere in Scripture does Jesus teach that men must confess to a priest to be forgiven. Instead, we are told to confess directly to God:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” — 1 John 1:9
God alone forgives. The Catholic confessional system adds an unnecessary barrier between the sinner and God, forcing people to seek absolution from a human rather than going directly to their Heavenly Father. This is man-made religion, not biblical Christianity.
The Danger of Trusting in Priestly Forgiveness
Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of this false teaching is that it creates a counterfeit assurance of salvation. Many people believe that as long as they confess their sins to a priest, they are in right standing with God. This is a deception that leads people away from the true gospel.
Imagine a man who spends his whole life confessing to a priest but never truly repents before God. On Judgment Day, will it be the priest standing before God to defend him? No! Each person will be judged according to their own faith and relationship with Christ (Romans 14:12).
Trusting in a priest’s absolution is like placing one’s hope in a broken bridge—it cannot carry the weight of sin, and it will collapse under scrutiny. The only true bridge to salvation is Jesus Christ, and to trust in anything else is spiritual ruin.
Scripture tells us to
Confess sins directly to God (1 John 1:9)
Trust in Jesus alone for forgiveness (Acts 10:43)
Acknowledge that salvation is by grace, not by rituals (Ephesians 2:8-9)
At the end of the day, the question is simple: Who will you trust to forgive your sins? A sinful man in a robe, or the sinless Son of God who died for you?
Last Rites Continued
Anointing of the Sick – The priest anoints the person with oil and prays for their healing or peaceful passing.
The priest, while entrusted with vital duties in the Christian faith, does not possess any inherent divine authority to heal the sick or determine the fate of someone's soul, including their passing. This is a fundamental misunderstanding of both the nature of God and the role of clergy as outlined in the Scriptures. The Bible consistently affirms that only God Himself holds the ultimate power over life, death, and healing. This is clearly expressed throughout Scripture, emphasizing that God is sovereign over all things. Deuteronomy 32:39 states, "See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god besides Me. I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal, and there is none that can deliver out of My hand."
This verse underscores that life and death are entirely within God’s domain and not something that can be controlled by any human intermediary, no matter their role in the Church.
In James 5:14-15, the practice of anointing the sick is addressed, and while the passage encourages prayer and anointing with oil, it makes clear that the power to heal is rooted not in the priest’s hands or ritual, but in the will of God. "The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up," the passage declares. It is not the priest’s action or presence that has the ultimate power to heal, but God’s will, demonstrated through the faith of the one praying. This means that while the priest may offer prayers in faith, asking God to heal, comfort, or guide the person through their sickness or death, the power to bring about healing or peaceful passing remains in God's hands alone. The priest's role is simply to be a vessel of intercession, praying on behalf of the person in need, but the actual healing—if it comes—is completely dependent on God’s divine will, not the priest's actions.
Moreover, Mark 9:23 reminds us that it is faith in Jesus that brings about healing, not the actions of any human intermediary. "Everything is possible for one who believes," Jesus says, affirming that it is through Christ that all things are possible—whether it is healing from physical illness, spiritual restoration, or a peaceful passing into eternity. The priest, while playing a role in interceding in prayer, has no divine power to manipulate or control the healing process. He can pray, and he can ask for God’s intervention, but he does not have power over life or death. This is a vital distinction that must be made clear: the priest is not a mediator in the sense that he has power to enact God’s will; he is an intercessor, a prayerful vessel, whose role is to guide people to God in their time of need.
I must add that, the commercialization of spiritual services, such as charging for prayers for the sick or for the deceased, either by fixed charges or "donations", is deeply troubling from both a theological and ethical perspective. God’s grace, mercy, and power are freely given, not something that can be bought or sold. Salvation, healing, and forgiveness are gifts from God, not commodities to be exchanged for money. The act of charging for prayers for the sick or deceased, or for any other form of spiritual intercession, turns the sacred into the profane, commercializing the very essence of God’s grace, those individuals are nothing more than snake oil salesmen.
The Church’s historical involvement in such practices only reflects the troubling trend of seeking wealth and power through spiritual services, which has no basis in Scripture. The early Church did not engage in such practices, and neither should any modern Christian institution.
Additionally, Christians are called to be part of a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), a term that implies that all believers—not just ordained priests—have direct access to God through Jesus Christ. This is a foundational truth of the New Covenant: every believer has the privilege of interceding for others in prayer and coming before God without any intermediary. There is no scriptural justification for the claim that only a priest can intercede on behalf of someone else or that a priest possesses some unique power to determine the fate of someone’s soul. Hebrews 4:16 encourages believers to approach God directly: "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." Every believer has the ability to pray for healing, for the sick, and for the souls of the dying. There is no distinction in this ability between the laity and the clergy when it comes to praying to God for mercy and intervention. This understanding eliminates the need for any human intermediary to control or mediate divine intervention in someone’s life or death.
Last Rites continued
Eucharist (Viaticum) – If the person is able to receive it, they partake in the Eucharist, seen as “food for the journey.”
The Nature of the Holy Spirit and Faith in Christ
The Bible clearly teaches that salvation and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit come through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:13-14). When someone places their faith in Christ, they are baptized with the Holy Spirit, who is the true source of spiritual life and nourishment. This happens during their life, not at the moment of death. Romans 8:9 reinforces this when it says, "Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ." The Holy Spirit is not something that can be received after death, nor is it something that can be "purchased" or "administered" through rituals performed by human beings. It is a gift received by faith, in Christ, during one’s earthly life.
Therefore, if someone has not already received the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ, it makes no logical sense to think that consuming a wafer in the final moments of life will grant them the Holy Spirit or eternal life. This act would be an empty ritual, disconnected from the true spiritual reality that is found only in Christ and in the relationship with Him that begins during life, not after death.
The Eucharist and Its True Purpose
The Eucharist, according to Scripture, is not a magical or mystical means of salvation, especially for someone who has not already been baptized by the Holy Spirit through faith. It is a symbolic meal, meant to remember Christ's sacrifice (Luke 22:19). It’s meant for those who have already placed their trust in Christ and received the Holy Spirit, symbolizing their ongoing relationship with Christ, their spiritual nourishment, and their anticipation of eternal life with Him. To administer the Eucharist to someone on their deathbed, who has not already received the Holy Spirit, only serves to distort the true meaning of the sacrament.
John 6:53-54 makes clear that the "eating" of Christ’s body, in the spiritual sense, refers to receiving Him by faith: “Jesus said to them, 'Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.’” This passage does not refer to a literal consumption of the bread and wine, but to the faith in Christ that sustains spiritual life. The true nourishment comes from the Holy Spirit, who dwells in believers as a result of their faith in Christ—not from any ritual, no matter how reverent, performed at the time of death.
The Illogical Nature of the "Food for the Journey" Concept
If someone has lived their entire life without receiving the Holy Spirit through faith, administering the Eucharist to them at the time of death seems absurd. It would be like offering someone a "cure" for a disease that they never sought treatment for during their life, in the final moments when they have no ability to engage or respond. Ephesians 2:8-9 makes it clear that salvation comes by grace, through faith, and not by works or rituals. The notion that the Eucharist, a mere physical act, could somehow convey the Holy Spirit or salvation to a person who has not already placed their faith in Christ is completely unbiblical. Acts 4:12 reminds us, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” The Holy Spirit comes through faith in Christ, not through a ritual performed at the end of life.
Moreover, the concept of the Eucharist as "food for the journey" assumes that this physical act could somehow provide spiritual sustenance in the absence of faith or the indwelling Spirit. However, spiritual nourishment is not about consuming physical elements but about the relationship with Christ that the Holy Spirit enables in the believer’s life. If a person has not lived in relationship with Christ and has not been filled with the Holy Spirit during their life, the Eucharist becomes a futile gesture that does nothing to address their real need—faith in Christ.
The Role of Baptism with the Holy Spirit in Life
In light of the above, it becomes clear that baptism with the Holy Spirit—which occurs when a person places their faith in Christ—serves as the true "food for the journey." Christ's own words emphasize that He is the bread of life (John 6:35), and this bread is not physical bread, but the spiritual nourishment He provides. This sustenance is available to all who place their faith in Him, receiving the Holy Spirit as a seal of their redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14). It’s this spiritual nourishment that sustains believers throughout their lives and into eternity—not the ritual of taking communion, especially when done in a final act of desperation at the moment of death.
Matthew 7:15:
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."
2 Peter 2:3:
"And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not."
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