Who can forgive sins?
Only God can forgive sins, and He forgives directly and completely when we confess to Him. Jesus claimed this divine prerogative for Himself, and everyone who confesses finds a faithful and just Forgiver. Believers confess to one another as equals praying for equals, but no one stands between a sinner and God's pardon.
This question arose from studying Do I need a priest to reach God? and What happens when I sin after I've come to Christ?.
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What the Scripture says
Forgiveness is God's prerogative
The scribes reasoned correctly when Jesus pronounced forgiveness: 'Who can forgive sins but God alone?' David knew the same arithmetic: against You, and You only, have I sinned, so the cleansing must come from You. Pardon is not a commodity clergy dispense; it is a divine prerogative exercised where God chooses, which is why the gospel is such good news.
Against you, and you only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight; that you may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge.
If you, Yah, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, therefore you are feared.
I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins.
Jesus claimed and exercised that prerogative
Jesus did not merely talk about forgiveness; He bestowed it on His own authority: 'Son, your sins are forgiven you,' and to prove it to the doubters He healed the paralytic on the spot, saying 'the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.' To the woman who washed His feet with her tears He said the same: your sins are forgiven; your faith has saved you; go in peace.
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I tell you, arise, take up your mat, and go to your house.”
Confession goes straight to Him
'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' Notice the direction: confessed to Him, forgiven by Him. David traced the anatomy of it: while he kept silent his bones wasted away, until he acknowledged his sin and did not hide his iniquity, and then, immediately, God forgave the iniquity of it.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I acknowledged my sin to you. I didn’t hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
Equals confessing among equals
Scripture does call Christians to confess sins to one another and pray for one another, and that is precious: mutual, horizontal, healing honesty among fellow servants. But the tax collector beat his breast, asked God to be merciful to him, a sinner, and walked home justified with no intermediary but mercy itself. The pardon comes from above; the fellowship is beside us.
Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.
But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
As you read, you may wonder…
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What is repentance?→The Gospel trail““Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,”Do I need a priest to reach God?→Jesus Christ trail“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”Hold onto these
Verses to meditate on
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I acknowledged my sin to you. I didn’t hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
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