“Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” (John 20:23)
Jesus did not give these ten or those who would follow them the power to forgive sins. In Mark 2 the scribes correctly stated that only God has power to forgive sins. The failure of the scribes was that they did not accept that Christ was God.
What Jesus gave these ten disciples is what He has given Christians today. In our obedience to go as He has sent us, we are to declare the simple way of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus. When a person accepts the message, believes in his heart and makes a confession with his mouth (Romans 10:8-10, 13), we can point him to the Bible showing him his sins are forgiven, just as the Bible states.
If he refuses the message and refuses to confess his sins, refuses to accept Christ as his Savior, he is still a lost sinner and we are to declare that fact to him. God alone forgives. You and I are to carry the message of forgiveness. What a shame that we have been disobedient and neglectful in that assignment and folks die in their sins not hearing or knowing the message of forgiveness.
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