Chapter
12.7
Can I forgive Sins?
The
commission of Peter; what is the “Keys to the Kingdom”?
The
commission of the Twelve - The commission of the Seventy
Order
of Church Discipline – Religious Leaders - Make Believer
If I can forgive Sin; then why
do I need a Savior?
First Word
John
20:23 is perplexing in that it seems at first blush that the
followers of Jesus Christ were given the authority to forgive sins and nowhere
in scripture do I see that this authority was recalled. That would mean that since I am also a
follower of Jesus Christ; I also have that same authority and power to forgive
sins.
I have read 25 different translations of this verse
and they use words like “Forgiven”, “Released”, “Remitted” and “Loosed”;
all retaining the same original thought of forgiving sins,
so it’s pretty clear to me that this text is talking about FORGIVING SINS.
John 20:23 – If
you forgive them, they will be forgiven
23 If you forgive
the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is
withheld.”
(ESV)
Departing from the Ordinary
The
Eleven Disciples and other followers of Christ (except for
Thomas) were gathered together in a locked room more or less hiding out;[1]
for the most part they were in fear of the Jews, when suddenly Jesus appeared
to them and showed them His wounds and then did something PRETTY FAR
OUT.
He BREATHED on them proving that He was
alive and then told those present to receive the Holy Spirit[2]. Something OUT OF THE ORDINARY just took place
here, as the Holy
Spirit had not yet fallen as this
event would actually take place some 50 days later on the Day of Pentecost. This was the initial announcement of the
historical fulfillment of (the Paraclete) the Holy Spirit that had been promised. The power of the HOLY
SPIRIT convicts men of their
sins.[3]
Jesus appoints and confers on them THE AUTHORITY to carry on the same work as He did, not as
mediators, but as publishers of the PEACE that His work
brings. He gave them authority to act in His Name,
so that those that received them, received
HIM and those that rejected them, rejected
HIM.
THEY WERE THE GOSPEL MESSAGE endued with the Holy Spirit
GET THIS; hearing the reconciliation message of the Gospel, plus the
power of the Holy Spirit convicting men of their sins, provided the opportunity
for the “Forgiveness
of Sins”.
The Holy Spirit is not an ornament;
it’s the empowerment to convict men of sin.
It is this light and unveiling of the
Gospel Message that brings judgment
on oneself depending on one’s own personal response.
EQUATION: The
Gospel message presented + The Holy Spirit’s Conviction = Reject/Receive
The
Mind Set
Israel followed the ONE GOD
YAHWEH and
all knew that the only one who could forgive sins was Jehovah God alone, therefore when the man called Jesus said
He could forgive sins, they were outraged and considered it BLASPHEMY.[4]
Now this is noteworthy because everyone
had been taught from childhood that NO ONE could forgive sins, but God alone. Hold onto that
thought.
Their Understanding
While
we do not see their specific mission of their gathering in this scripture,[5] we
can see that they UNDERSTOOD their mission
was to continue the work of Christ; these works are recorded in the scriptures
as an example for us.[6] They understood
that God alone could forgive sins.
They were given the
“Keys to the
Kingdom of Heaven” to bind
and loose.
You must get this; the “KEYS TO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN” is the Gospel
Message and WE as Christians
can “declare”
that someone is forgiven
or not forgiven based on
their response to the Gospel Message. We can “proclaim,” based
on their response to the message, that they are either still ‘BOUND IN SIN” or “LOOSED FROM
SIN”.[7] Their
Response to the Gospel activates the binding and loosing in Heaven long
before we proclaim
or declare. (Holms Christian Standard
Bible makes it clear)
Matthew
18:18 – Binding and loosing has already occurred in heaven
18 I assure you: Whatever you
bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in
heaven. (HCSB)
Order of Church Discipline
I
do not want to side step the controversial passage concerning forgiving
sins because it has its place in the Order of Church Discipline.[8] This
authority has been given to the Church in a ministerial or declarative sense to
declare judgment on issues within the Church.
The literal “sentence construction” is; those whose sins you forgive, HAVE ALREADY been forgiven
and those whose sins you do not forgive have not been forgiven; this is based on how someone receives the
Gospel Message. COME; LET
US REASON TOGETHER;[9]
God does not withhold forgiveness nor
give forgiveness based on whether or not WE grant it.
The Church has
been given the authority to Declare and point out sin and offer “Course
Correctors” to get someone back on the right path. We see
Church Discipline in action when someone is received back into the church
that has wandered off in sin, but has now come back and has been LOOSED from sin.[10] They are received back in the church in love
and comfort and forgiven through our advocate; Jesus Christ.[11] If they did not repent, they are still BOUND in sin and are not received back into the
church and the forgiveness is withheld by their own
actions. The Church
leaders simply declare or proclaim what has already taken place
in heaven.[12]
To whom the Gospel acquits is
acquitted and
to whom the
Gospel condemns, is condemned.
Make Believer
In reality, some member of the church may not actually be children of God; some
have a blatant disregard for the supreme standards of the scriptures. Test yourself to whether or not you are of the Faith;[13]
God has made Himself known to those He calls His friend.[14] If you are of the Faith, then you will love
God[15]
and walk in His commands;
walking the same way He walked.[16]
To repent is to change your
course and walk in a
different direction.[17] If you have not actually repented, you
will perish just like many before you; whoever does not love the Lord is cursed
and condemned already.[18] It’s in the
Book
Can I forgive sins?
Jesus
gave us the example of the authority to forgive sins. He said He healed people so that they would
know that He had the authority to forgive people of their sins.[19] With that being the case, if a minister has
been given the power to forgive sins, would it not be PROOF POSITIVE if he also HEALED all the people?
Forgive Sins and Healed
Peter spoke of forgiveness of sins on the day
of Pentecost when he said whoever called on the name of Jesus Christ would be
saved from their sins;[20] NOTE: He did not forgive
anyone’s sins.
The 12 Disciples were commissioned
by Jesus to
heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and cast out demons,[21] but notice He did not give the
Power nor the Authority to forgive Sins.
72 more Disciples were commissioned
by Jesus to go and heal the sick,
cast out demons, walk on poisonous snakes and gave them power over their enemy,[22]
but notice He did
not give them the power nor the authority to forgive sins.
Neither Peter, the Twelve, nor the 72 gave even a hint
that they had been given the authority or power to forgive sins. The Commission was to preach that “the Kingdom of
Heaven was at Hand”; they were teaching that Jesus Christ IS the
Kingdom of Heaven and is now among them.[23]
The followers of
Christ all proclaimed the “forgiveness” of sin. This brings us to the question; what is the
forgiveness of Sin? Forgiveness of Sin
is based on the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross when He made the final
payment; the sacrifice and atonement for our sins, Past, Present and Future.
“Forgiveness” of our sins is received by “Believing”.
Look
at this;
“whoever sins you remit, are remitted unto them”; this “Proclamation” happens when you
tell them the good news of the Gospel and they receive it; their sins are
remitted. When they reject the good News
then the remission is withheld by their own action/choice/decision.
The
Great Commission: go and tell the Good News
of the Gospel for the REMISSION
OF SINS,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit. Sin
was forgiven when they believed. There is no record, inference or even a hint
of any kind that any disciple, including Peter ever forgave anyone’s sins,
although they proclaimed the “forgiveness” of sin everywhere they went.
In the OT our sins were atoned for “ON
CREDIT”
with animal sacrifices until in the NT
Jesus would come and “PAY” the final price so that when we believe today, WE GET IT ALL; sins forgiven, saved and filled with the
Holy Spirit.
The Bible on Forgiveness
There is just one Mediator between God and
man and that is God’s only begotten Son Jesus the Christ. All the sins of man; Past, Present and Future
were laid on Jesus Christ at the Cross.[24]
Only the one who paid the price for our sins can forgive them.[25]
There is NOT ONE that does not sin, except the sinless Lamb of
God;
Only the one who is without sin can forgive sin.[26]
Our forgiveness and peace with God comes
through His Son who is seated at the right hand of God interceding for us; He
is our advocate; our mediator with the Father.[27]
Religious Leaders
The Scribes were
distinguished professionals; Judges, Lawyers, Financiers, Interpreters,
Teachers and Copiers’ of the OT scriptures.
The Pharisees were a school of
thought, a social movement; an ambitious political party who were the guardians
of the written and oral laws of God and believed in the
resurrection.
The Sadducees were the elite;
the very wealthy upper class religious leaders who maintained the Temple, but did not believe in the resurrection; no life after death.
Jesus had a few choice words for the
Religious Leaders of the time; He said they were Hypocrites[28]
teaching TRADITIONS and things that
were not in the Law; they were like whitewashed tombs[29] full
of all sorts of impurities. They were
shutting up the kingdom
of God from others and they themselves
would not enter in. GOOD GRIEF
The Take Away
We
cannot build doctrine on just one isolated verse; there is no prophecy
of scripture that is of any PRIVATE
INTERPRETATION.[30] All scripture is God breathed and given for
training and correcting. We prove
scripture with scripture, precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little
and there a little.[31]
The Word of God
divides; in vain we teach men’s doctrines and make void the Word of God to
establish our traditions.[32] We teach Philosophies that are full of empty
deceit according to human tradition and not according to Jesus Christ. Tradition causes some to hang on to their ways
and reject what is plainly written in the scriptures. It’s in the Book
There is just One Mediator between God
and Man and that is the person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus said; it’s
MUCH EASIER to say “Your sins are forgiven” than to
say “Arise,
take up your bed and Walk”.[33] If a minister can forgive sins, then
based on the example that Jesus set with His own words, the minister should
also be able to HEAL
in order to demonstrate that his authority to forgive sins is from God.[34] They do these deeds in order to be seen by
others; loving their place of honor.[35]
These
are not my words; it’s in the Book
In my Belief System, I believe that
I do not have the power, nor the authority
to forgive sins, but I have been given the authority to proclaim His Word which when received will forgive Sin.
The only one who can forgive sins is
the one who paid the price for our sins.
NOTE; when we
proclaim the Gospel, we are privileged to be a part of, and to get in on, what
God is already doing. SELAH, Let God’s
Word be true and everyone else a liar.[36] When you follow men’s tradition, God will
plainly tell you… Depart from me, I never knew you.[37]
It’s in the
Book
Vicar of Christ (from Latin Vicarius
Christi) is a term used as an "earthly representative of Christ".
The Catholic Church presents the Pope as
the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth, therefore he can forgive sins.
It’s NOT in the Book.
If man can forgive Sin; then we do not need a Savior.
[1] Luke 24:33-34 – Jesus found the eleven and others gathered
together saying that the Lord has risen indeed, and
has appeared to Simon
[2] John 20:19-23 – Jesus breathed on them and they received the Holy Spirit saying;
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold
forgiveness from any, it is withheld
[3] John 16:8 – The Holy
Spirit will CONVICT
the world of sin
[4] Mark 2:5-10 – Jesus said to the lame man your
sins are forgiven, the scribes said He is BLASPHEMING! Who can forgive sins but
God alone?”
[5] 1 Corinthians 5:4 – When you are ASSEMBLED in
the name of Jesus, He is there
[6] Acts 2:38 – Peter said to REPENT
for the forgiveness of sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
-- Romans 10:9 – BELIEVE in Jesus and CONFESS
your sins and you will be saved -- Acts
10:43 – Everyone who BELIEVES in
Jesus receives forgiveness of sins -- Acts 13:38-39 - Through Jesus the FORGIVENESS of sins is proclaimed
[7] Matthew 18:18 – Bind or loose HAS ALREADY HAPPENED IN HEAVEN -- Matthew 16:19 – The
binding or loosing that has happened on earth correspondingly has already
happened in heaven
[8] Matthew 18:15-20 – The Order of Church Discipline has the AUTHORITY TO CALL OUT SIN -- Colossians
3:16-17 – The Order of Church Discipline Teaches The Word and admonishes
[9] Isaiah 1:18 - Come now, let us reason together says the LORD
[10] 2 Corinthians 2:6-10 – The order of Church discipline REAFFIRMS their love and the forgiveness of the offence --
John 20:22-23 – Church Discipline; if they repent of their sins, then they are
forgiven in heaven and on earth
[11] Ephesians 5:23 - Christ is the head of
the church
[12] Hebrews 10:26-27 – Warn them; then if
they deliberately sin
there is NO FORGIVENESS; for
if they go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth,
there no longer remains a sacrifice for their sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire
that will consume
[13] 2 Corinthians 13:5-6 - TEST yourself whether you are of the faith
[14] John 15:15 – God will make Jesus known to His own children
[15] 1 Corinthians 16:22 - No love for the Lord, let him be accursed -- John 8:42 - If God was actually your Father, you would love me
[16] 1 John 2:2-6 – Keep His words, His commands; walk the same walk
[17] Luke 13:1-5 – Unless you REPENT
and CHANGE, you will all likewise
perish
[18] John 3:18 - Whoever does not believe is
condemned already
[19] Matthew 9:1-6 – The HEALING
showed the AUTHORITY for Jesus to
forgive sins
[20] Acts 10:43 – Peter; forgiveness of sins is through JESUS NAME -- Acts 2:21 – Peter –
BELIEVE on Jesus & be saved from your sins -- Acts 2:41 – Peter preached
THE WORD of
God and 3,000 saved
[21] Matthew 10:8 – The 12 - Not given power to forgive sins
[22] Luke 10:9 – The 72 – Heal the sick -- Luke 10:17 – The 72 -
Cast out demons -- Luke 10:19 – The
72 – Walk on snakes and scorpions-- Luke 10:1 – The 72 –
No authority or Power to forgive sins
[23] Matthew 28:19-20 – The Great Commission is
to Go, Teach and Baptize -- Matthew 10:7 –
Preach the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand
[24] Romans 3:23 – All have sinned and fall short of God’s glorious
standard. -- Isaiah 53:5-6 - The sins
of all of us was laid on Jesus
[25] Romans 5:1 – Our forgiveness and peace comes through Jesus
[26] 1 Peter 1:19 – Jesus is the ONLY ONE who was sinless
[27] 1 Timothy 2:5 – There is one God, and there is ONE MEDIATOR between God and men, the
man Christ Jesus -- John 14:6 – No MEDIATOR with God except Jesus His Son -- 1 John 2:1 – Jesus
is our ADVOCATE
with God -- Romans 8:34 – Jesus at the
right hand of God interceding for us -- Hebrews 7:25 - Christ lives to make intercession for us
[28] Matthew 23:13 – The teachers of the law were Hypocrites
[29] Matthew 23:27 – The teachers were like Whitewashed
Tombs
[30] 2 Peter 1:20 – There is no prophecy of Scripture that comes from
someone’s own PRIVATE INTERPERTATION -- Hebrews
4:12 – For
the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing to the DIVISION
of soul and of spirit -- Isaiah 28:10 – Study; precept upon precept
and line upon line here a little, there a little -- 2 Timothy 2:15 – Be diligent to
present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be
ashamed, rightly DIVIDING
the word of truth
[31] 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – ALL
scripture is God breathed for TEACHING, for reproof, for correction, and for training
in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good
work.
[32] Mark 7:9 – Your reject God’s commandments in
order to ESTABLISH YOUR TRADITION! -- Mark 7:7 – You worship in vain teaching MAN’S DOCTRINES
-- Mark 7:13 – You make VOID God’s Word with your TRADITION -- Colossians 2:8 - See to it that no one
takes you captive by deceitful PHILOSOPHY according to human TRADITION not according to God
[33] Mark 2:9 – WHICH IS EASIER, to
say to the paralytic, ‘YOUR SINS ARE
FORGIVEN,’ or to say, ‘Rise,
take up your bed and walk’
[34] Mark 2:5-10 – Jesus healed so we would KNOW His AUTHORITY to forgive Sins
[35] Matthew 23:5-6 – They do their good deeds to be seen by others
[36] Romans 3:4 – God’s Word is true; everyone else is a liar
[37] Matthew 25:41 – The Make Believer will be told; Depart from me; I don’t
even know you
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