- Dec 13, 2018
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I believe that John 20:22 and 23 were given to John by the Holy Spirit .I do not take verse 23 to mean any man can do what only God can do for eternal redemption.
But the verse goes to establish, I think, that this was a meeting of the church.
The church in Corinth FORGAVE a brother who they had to put out of the fellowship for awhile.
In the first letter this sinning Christian brother was described as leaven which would corrupt the purity of the
church in Corinth. Paul told them to remove such a one.
It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication that does not even occur among the Gentiles, that someone has his stepmother. And you are puffed up? And have you not rather mourned, that the one who has done this deed might be removed from your midst? (1 Cor. 5:1,2)
This was not cutting him off from eternal redemption, which can only be because God has forgiven our sins.
This was quaranting him that the germs of his sinning would not spread contagously.
Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? (v. 6b)
Purge out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, (v. 7a)
But in second letter we see that this backslidden brother repented. And the church FORGAVE him and
received him back into common communion with the congregation.
This is the forgiveness I believe the Lord was referring to.
And when He had said this, He breathed into them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you retain, they are retained.
What are my alternatives? Does any Christian have the authority to pronounce
a sinner forgiven as to eternal redemption? If we could we wouldn't have to worry about gospel preaching.
Why we just grab people and pronounce that they are forgiven. You know we cannot do that,
So this authority to the disciples to forgive is like this in the Second Corinthian letter about the same brother.
Sufficient for such a one is this punishment by the majority,
So that on the contrary you should rather forgive and comfort him,
lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with excessive sorrow.
Therefore I exhort you to confirm your love toward him. (2 Cor, 2:6,7)
In verse 22 , Jesus said , Receive ye the Holy Spirit
That was Christ giving the disciples the POWER to Remit sins , PERIOD .
So how did the disciples Remit Sins ??
Here just one clue , Christ is speaking to Israel !!
It is a simple answer , your thoughts ?
dan p
dan p
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