Can your pastor forgive your sins (John 20:22-23)? (Gospel, Jehovah, presbyterian)
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In my church (Presbyterian), in Sunday worship, we read a standard confession of sins and then the pastor says, “I declare that you are forgiven”.
But can a pastor actually forgive your sins after you read a confession of sin?
I see that Jesus gave the disciples the power to do that, in John 20:22-23. But that was Jesus giving that authority to specific people.
Further, there are many Bible verses that emphasize the need to repent to be forgiven. And even if repentance is not necessary, simply reading a confession of sin doesn’t necessarily show any faith or contriteness of heart; it’s just a reading.
So…are the members of my church all forgiven every Sunday morning when the pastor says we are?
Forgiveness is an acknowledgement of a wrongful act: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," which recognizes the truth of the matter. It does not transfer blame to that of the victim, rather – it releases them from the bondage of the perpetrator.
What Gives the Pastor the Power to Absolve?
May 1, 2007 / The Magazine / By The LCMS / Leave a Comment
I am having trouble understanding how a pastor has the power to forgive or not forgive our sins. Where is the Office of the Keys found in the Bible? Did Christ give the Church this power and, if so, where is this found in the Scriptures?
K.L., Texas
The answer to your question is clearly explained in Martin Luther’s Small Catechism.
Luther defines the issue of confession and absolution as the exclusive authority Christ has given His church on earth to forgive the sins of those who recognize and confess their sins, who are truly sorry for them, and who rely on Christ’s promise of forgiveness for those who believe in Him as their Savior.
The section of Scripture cited to support this authority given by Christ to the church is John 20:22- 23. Here, having been raised from the dead, Jesus speaks these words to His disciples, whom He commissioned to carry His message of forgiveness to the world: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone their sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Although the power to forgive sins (or not forgive them) always belongs to and remains with the church, Luther explains that when pastors called and ordained by the church to preach the Gospel and administer the sacraments on behalf of the church declare to penitent sinners that their sins are forgiven, they do this by the command of Christ, who granted this power to the church.
The pastors do this not by their own authority but rather by the command and authority of Christ on the basis of their call from the church to carry out this function. Consequently, their word of forgiveness is as valid as if Christ Himself, who has given the church that authority, were assuring the penitent sinners of their forgiveness.
Obviously, as Christ’s command indicates, when this declaration of forgiveness is pronounced, the pastor is not pronouncing forgiveness for those who fail or refuse to recognize their sins and acknowledge their need for forgiveness. It should not be forgotten that the section of the Small Catechism that deals with this matter bears the heading “The Office of the Keys and Confession (emphasis added). As Luther points out, confession involves two things—namely, acknowledging our sins as well as receiving “absolution or forgiveness from the pastor as from God Himself.”
In my church (Presbyterian), in Sunday worship, we read a standard confession of sins and then the pastor says, “I declare that you are forgiven”.
But can a pastor actually forgive your sins after you read a confession of sin?
I see that Jesus gave the disciples the power to do that, in John 20:22-23. But that was Jesus giving that authority to specific people.
Further, there are many Bible verses that emphasize the need to repent to be forgiven. And even if repentance is not necessary, simply reading a confession of sin doesn’t necessarily show any faith or contriteness of heart; it’s just a reading.
So…are the members of my church all forgiven every Sunday morning when the pastor says we are?
I don’t think so, but I welcome others’ views.
What's the end result?
Anybody can forgive anything...
If you are referring to salvation, we don't have that direct authority.
In my church (Presbyterian), in Sunday worship, we read a standard confession of sins and then the pastor says, “I declare that you are forgiven”.
But can a pastor actually forgive your sins after you read a confession of sin?
I see that Jesus gave the disciples the power to do that, in John 20:22-23. But that was Jesus giving that authority to specific people.
Further, there are many Bible verses that emphasize the need to repent to be forgiven. And even if repentance is not necessary, simply reading a confession of sin doesn’t necessarily show any faith or contriteness of heart; it’s just a reading.
So…are the members of my church all forgiven every Sunday morning when the pastor says we are?
I don’t think so, but I welcome others’ views.
Jesus did give the Apostles the authority to forgive sins. That authority has been passed on to their successors starting with Matthias who replaced Judas and all the way down to the present day. The successors to the Apostles today can be found in any of the Apostolic churches with valid succession.
Since I'm Catholic and the bishops of the Catholic Church are the direct successors to the Apostles, yes my pastor can forgive sins.
The Presbyterian church does not have valid succession, so Presbyterian pastors do not have that authority.
The members of your church may be forgiven of their sins (if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins), but it's not because of the pastor's words of absolution.
A general confession of sin in general is also not the same thing as a specific confession of specific sins.
Jesus did give the Apostles the authority to forgive sins. That authority has been passed on to their successors starting with Matthias who replaced Judas and all the way down to the present day. The successors to the Apostles today can be found in any of the Apostolic churches with valid succession.
Since I'm Catholic and the bishops of the Catholic Church are the direct successors to the Apostles, yes my pastor can forgive sins.
The Presbyterian church does not have valid succession, so Presbyterian pastors do not have that authority.
The members of your church may be forgiven of their sins (if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins), but it's not because of the pastor's words of absolution.
A general confession of sin in general is also not the same thing as a specific confession of specific sins.
Oh, put a sock in it, Mike! God has no special people, no special church, and certainly no special self-appointed successors to the Apostles. It is all human hubris. Jesus clearly and unambiguously demonstrated what God is like, what He expects of us, and no other intercessor is needed.
Jesus did give the Apostles the authority to forgive sins. That authority has been passed on to their successors starting with Matthias who replaced Judas and all the way down to the present day. The successors to the Apostles today can be found in any of the Apostolic churches with valid succession.
Since I'm Catholic and the bishops of the Catholic Church are the direct successors to the Apostles, yes my pastor can forgive sins.
The Presbyterian church does not have valid succession, so Presbyterian pastors do not have that authority.
The members of your church may be forgiven of their sins (if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins), but it's not because of the pastor's words of absolution.
A general confession of sin in general is also not the same thing as a specific confession of specific sins.
So your pastor can forgive sins! Oh boy, the self-righteousness of the RCC is overwhelming!
In my church (Presbyterian), in Sunday worship, we read a standard confession of sins and then the pastor says, “I declare that you are forgiven”.
But can a pastor actually forgive your sins after you read a confession of sin?
I see that Jesus gave the disciples the power to do that, in John 20:22-23. But that was Jesus giving that authority to specific people.
Further, there are many Bible verses that emphasize the need to repent to be forgiven. And even if repentance is not necessary, simply reading a confession of sin doesn’t necessarily show any faith or contriteness of heart; it’s just a reading.
So…are the members of my church all forgiven every Sunday morning when the pastor says we are?
I don’t think so, but I welcome others’ views.
Of course, but not for God. Jehovah forgives based on the ransom sacrifice. For forgiveness of sins one must ask Jehovah through our intercessor Jesus.
In my church (Presbyterian), in Sunday worship, we read a standard confession of sins and then the pastor says, “I declare that you are forgiven”.
But can a pastor actually forgive your sins after you read a confession of sin?
I see that Jesus gave the disciples the power to do that, in John 20:22-23. But that was Jesus giving that authority to specific people.
Further, there are many Bible verses that emphasize the need to repent to be forgiven. And even if repentance is not necessary, simply reading a confession of sin doesn’t necessarily show any faith or contriteness of heart; it’s just a reading.
So…are the members of my church all forgiven every Sunday morning when the pastor says we are?
I don’t think so, but I welcome others’ views.
Certainly only Jesus Himself forgives sin, but just as you noted (bolded) Jesus did give authority to His stewards to 'bind & loose' - read:
Just as the Lord did at Isaiah 22;
I will thrust you from your office
and pull you down from your station.
On that day I will summon my servant
Eliakim, son of Hilkiah;
I will clothe him with your robe,
gird him with your sash,
confer on him your authority.
He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and to the house of Judah.
I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder;
what he opens, no one will shut,
what he shuts, no one will open.
He again does at Matthew 16:17-19
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,
for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood,
but by my Father in heaven.
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven;
whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
and even makes clear to them at Matthew 18:15-18
"If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you.
If they listen to you, you have won them over.
But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church;
and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
So you are correct that 'not just anybody' has the authority, as shown in Acts 19,
that Jesus entrusted to His stewards as demonstrated in the bible above.
The question you should be asking is 'who are the stewards today',
as the bible demonstrates that the apostles themselves chose their successors
and no-one can demonstrate that the Lord 'stripped away/reissued' the power and keys,
(as he did in Isaiah 22 and again at Matthew 28:18 / Matthew 16)
since handed to Peter!
Last edited by CCCyou; 06-28-2021 at 09:05 AM..
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