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Glory · Our Walk with Him
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.
https://glorystudy.com/questions/who-can-forgive-sins · Scripture quoted from the World English Bible
Mark 2:1-12
As you read: Jesus forgives a paralytic, reads the objectors' hearts, and proves His authority to forgive.
1When he entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was heard that he was in the house.
2Immediately many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even around the door; and he spoke the word to them.
3Four people came, carrying a paralytic to him.
4When they could not come near to him for the crowd, they removed the roof where he was. When they had broken it up, they let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on.
5Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
6But there were some of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7“Why does this man speak blasphemies like that? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8Immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you reason these things in your hearts?
9Which is easier, to tell the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven;’ or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your bed, and walk?’
10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—
11“I tell you, arise, take up your mat, and go to your house.”
12He arose, and immediately took up the mat, and went out in front of them all; so that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
1 John 1:5-10
As you read: Confession addressed directly to God, met with faithfulness and justice, not reluctance.
5This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and don’t tell the truth.
7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10If we say that we haven’t sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Psalm 32:1-7
As you read: David hides nothing, acknowledges his sin to God alone, and finds covering.
1Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh doesn’t impute iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3When I kept silence, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4For day and night your hand was heavy on me. My strength was sapped in the heat of summer. Selah.
5I 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.
6For this, let everyone who is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found. Surely when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach to him.
7You are my hiding place. You will preserve me from trouble. You will surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.
Luke 18:9-14
As you read: A man with no credentials and no intermediary, asking God for mercy.
9He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others.
10“Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.
11The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: ‘God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’
13But 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!’
14I 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.”
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.
““Why does this man speak blasphemies like that? Who can forgive sins but God alone?””Mark 2:7
“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.”Psalm 51:4
“If you, Yah, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, therefore you are feared.”Psalm 130:3-4
“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins.”Isaiah 43:25
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.
“Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.””Mark 2:5
“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.””Mark 2:10-11
“He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.””Luke 7:48
'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.”1 John 1:9
“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.”Psalm 32:5
“He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”Proverbs 28:13
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.”James 5:16
“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.””Luke 18:13-14