Why did Jesus gave authority to his disciples to forgive sins?
I thought only God can forgive sins?
John 20:23
ESV - 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.
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Asked October 10 2013
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Vincent Mercado
Supporter
Albert Perkic
When God forgives us of our sins it is full and complete. 1 John 1:9 says ' If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness. Whereas man on the other hand can only forgive as he sees or is revealed by God and is convicted by the Holy Spirit, See John 16:8. The word forgive comes from the Greek word 'Apheimi ' which means 'to let go' or 'give up'. We generally find it hard to let go because we have been offended and we like to hold on to our hurts as some kind of payback. If you read the verse carefully it says " Whosoever sins YOU remit(forgive), they are remitted TO THEM, and whosoever sins YOU retain, they are retained. The word retain in the Greek is 'echo' which means 'to hold'. Jesus is pointing out that unless we forgive others we will always be holding on to the sin or the offense. The Model prayer in Matthew 6:12-15 Jesus states quite clearly, that we need to forgive(let go or give it up). "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Let's be ready to forgive others because we also need forgiveness. See Ephesians 4:32 Just before the verse in John 20: 23 Jesus breathes on the disciples and says "receive the Holy Spirit". You see it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit can we truly forgive other people their sins. God has given us the means to forgive others, now it is our choice.