Who Can Forgive Sins, But God Only. Part [5] 09/04/2025 (Morning thought)

Deuteronomy 16:19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

Over the centuries many persons have taken it upon themselves to forgive sin and pardon criminals. This practice became widespread especially during the dark ages, and it persists to this very day. So, instead of confessing and turning to God for pardon, people are now looking to mortal man to absolve or forgive as the case may be.

Now, there are a couple difficult passages that have to be understood thoroughly, before we proceed, because a cursory reading of them might seem to suggest that Jesus granted the authority to forgive to some persons. These passages must now be confronted, explained and thoroughly understood, so that the light that is streaming from God’s throne on this matter could be made plain to everyone. Here are a few of those passages.

John 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. 23 Whosoever sins you remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever sins you retain, they are retained….. The disciples were not to retain, or remit anyone’s sins independent of God. They were to let persons know of the conditions and requirements laid down in Scripture, and then, depending on the course of action taken by the individuals in question, Christ would remove, or retain their sins.

Exodus 34:6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

May the Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!

Who Can Forgive Sins, But God Only. Part [4] 09/04/2025 (Evening thought)

1st Samuel 24:18 And you have shewed this day how that you have dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killed me not. 19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.

Also, after the death of Saul David mourned several days for the slain leader, and he meted out justice twice, on persons who had done violence to Saul’s family thereby demonstrating in real time the words of Christ, to forgive men their trespasses. However, for all this not one of Saul’s sins were ever removed from the records in heaven. That’s because at the end of the day as our first passage states, only God can forgive sins.

The reason why it is important to make this point absolutely clear is so that we may understand the solemn nature of the study. One of the main reasons why God never delegated the forgiving of sin to any mortal man is because if He left it up to us, the authority would inevitably be seriously abused. Persons would begin to pick, and choose who to forgive, and those who could afford it would pay to have their sins remitted.

Famous people, and Hollywood stars who are in bed with persons who have pardoning powers would be let off the hook, and without a doubt pardon would be guaranteed to family members, close friends and associates, while individuals who have committed far lesser sins would be put on the midnight train to hell.

Exodus 23:7 Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked. 8 And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blinds the wise, and perverts the words of the righteous.

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!