" Whose soever sins ye remit,they are remitted unto them ; and whose soever sins ye retain , they are retained." John 20:23
2006-12-22 05:35:29 · 10 answers · asked by don_steele54 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Hint: Matthew 18
2006-12-22 05:45:43 · update #1
Use the verse in context:
John 20:21-23
21Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
It was for the Apostles who had received the Holy Spirit - God within them - they were to listen to the Holy Spirit for guidance.
2006-12-22 05:41:29 · answer #1 · answered by padwinlearner 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Luke 5:24 - Luke also points out that Jesus' authority to forgive sins is as a man, not God. The Gospel writers record this to convince us that God has given this authority to men. This authority has been transferred from Christ to the apostles and their successors.
John 20:22-23; Matt. 18:18 - the power to remit/retain sin is also the power to remit/retain punishment due to sin. If Christ's ministers can forgive the eternal penalty of sin, they can certainly remit the temporal penalty of sin (which is called an "indulgence"). http://www.catholic.com/library/myths_about_indulgences.asp
James 5:16 - James clearly teaches us that we must “confess our sins to one another,” not just privately to God. James 5:16 must be read in the context of James 5:14-15, which is referring to the healing power (both physical and spiritual) of the priests of the Church. Hence, when James says “therefore” in verse 16, he must be referring to the men he was writing about in verses 14 and 15 – these men are the ordained priests of the Church, to whom we must confess our sins.
2006-12-22 13:49:18 · answer #2 · answered by Br. Dymphna S.F.O 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Neither. Only God, represented by Jesus Christ for our sake, can forgive sin. What the scripture states is that Christ delegated the authority to his apostles to have the judgment and discernment to proclaim forgiveness or not. Thus, the answer to your question is the authority was given to men, individuals trusted by Christ to wield that authority. They don't do the actual forgiving but declare that Christ will forgive them according to the spirit of discernment and godly judgment that is in them.
Within the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Bishops are considered common judges and have the discernment to declare the confessor forgiven or not. However, the transgressor is still counseled to pray for forgiveness and they will feel the peacefulnes of the spirit proclaiming their forgiveness as a result of their sincere repentance.
2006-12-22 13:48:16 · answer #3 · answered by rac 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
John 20:23.Everyone(not only a minister) is encouraged to forgive the sins of those who have wronged them. We have the choice to forgive or retain those.
Matt.6:15.If we don't forgive men their trespasses,neither will our father forgive us. We are not given the ability to forgive unless the sin is against us.
Also read Matthew9: 6But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home." 7And the man got up and went home. 8When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.
2006-12-22 13:52:34 · answer #4 · answered by K 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Christ's followers have the privilege of assuring any sinner that he shall be freely and fully forgiven on the basis of God's promise. We do not have the authority to forgive sin, just the authority to assure sinners. Only Jesus has authority.
2006-12-22 13:41:21 · answer #5 · answered by Fish <>< 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
that was for the appostles only. it is Jesus who can forgive sins no one else. but unless we are willing to forgive others God will not forgive us.
2006-12-22 13:42:16 · answer #6 · answered by Mim 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
well even though that verse says that its ONLY Christ that can forgive
your sins....YOU can forgive someone thier trespass against YOU
and YOU only but they still ARE accountable to Christ at the end...
2006-12-22 13:40:53 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
man gave himself the ability to forgive sins.
2006-12-22 13:37:57 · answer #8 · answered by god_of_the_accursed 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
i cannot explain that verse, but do know that God only forgives sin.
2006-12-22 13:38:34 · answer #9 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Man made the bible and made up all the rules in it as well -so in that way- yes-I personally don't believe in the bible-it's a big fairy tale based on pagan beliefs(that's right pagan beliefs -research it if you don't believe me)
2006-12-22 13:41:07 · answer #10 · answered by Art 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋