What do Protestants think and interpret this line of Scripture?

[Righteousone]

“What sins you forgive are forgiven you, what sins you retain are retained”. This is what Jesus had spoken to His Apostles.
Catholics know it is the Sacrament of Pennance or “confession” to a priest. What say you?

 

[justinthemartyr]

As a protestant this was just another way of telling all of us as Christians that we can forgive the sins done against us or not forgive the sins against us.

This caused a quandry for me as I knew that we as Christians were commanded to forgive other else our Heavenly Father would not forgive us. I did not have the power to forgive the sins, but rather the wrongs done toward me, only God could forgive sins, and neither could I NOT forgive someone else.

This verse was one that I conveniently skippd over in Bible study.

 

[Harpazo]

As a protestant this was just another way of telling all of us as Christians that we can forgive the sins done against us or not forgive the sins against us.

This caused a quandry for me as I knew that we as Christians were commanded to forgive other else our Heavenly Father would not forgive us. I did not have the power to forgive the sins, but rather the wrongs done toward me, only God could forgive sins, and neither could I NOT forgive someone else.

This verse was one that I conveniently skippd over in Bible study.

Same here, I skipped over it as well, and so did Methodist sunday school lessons that I went to, although they even went so far as to say that it applied to them!

I recently went to a Brethren Bible Study in November, and the minister there, completely skipped over the part in St. James 5:16 about confessing sins to one another. He was going through the Epistle of St. James and only read that verse, and did not talk about it at all. He acted as if it didn’t exist.

Most Protestants have to ignore St. John 20:22-23 and St. James 5:16. These verses helped to bring me home!

Pace e Bene
Andrew

 

[Righteousone]

Same here, I skipped over it as well, and so did Methodist sunday school lessons that I went to, although they even went so far as to say that it applied to them!

I recently went to a Brethren Bible Study in November, and the minister there, completely skipped over the part in St. James 5:16 about confessing sins to one another. He was going through the Epistle of St. James and only read that verse, and did not talk about it at all. He acted as if it didn’t exist.

Most Protestants have to ignore St. John 20:22-23 and St. James 5:16. These verses helped to bring me home!

Pace e Bene
Andrew

Well now, that’s the problem as we know it. IGNORANCE.

 

[JonNC]

“What sins you forgive are forgiven you, what sins you retain are retained”. This is what Jesus had spoken to His Apostles.
Catholics know it is the Sacrament of Pennance or “confession” to a priest. What say you?

Whether in public or private confession, a Lutheran confesses his/her sins to a pastor who, as this verse clearly states, acts as Christ’s agent to forgive or retain sin. After confession, the pastor grants absolution: “*As a called and ordained servant of the Word, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all of your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen” *

And yes, Righteousone, I know where you will go next with the importance of Apostolic succession.

Blessings,
Jon

 

[FaithofAbraham]

As a protestant this was just another way of telling all of us as Christians that we can forgive the sins done against us or not forgive the sins against us.

This caused a quandry for me as I knew that we as Christians were commanded to forgive other else our Heavenly Father would not forgive us. I did not have the power to forgive the sins, but rather the wrongs done toward me, only God could forgive sins, and neither could I NOT forgive someone else.

This verse was one that I conveniently skippd over in Bible study.

I tend to think it is just about all people forgiving wrongs done against us.

But then again I wonder why Jesus needed to give them the Holy Spirit to do this, since even non-believers can do that much. It seems to indicate more than that, if not for all the priests, maybe just for his immediate disciples. I don’t know.

John 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

John 20:23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

 

[SIA]

“What sins you forgive are forgiven you, what sins you retain are retained”. This is what Jesus had spoken to His Apostles.
Catholics know it is the Sacrament of Pennance or “confession” to a priest. What say you?

Pretty easy to see that he is speaking of all believers here.

 

[holdencaulfield]

Many protestants “skip over” things in the Bible that they do not agree with. This is whats ironic about Protestantism. This is the very reason that Martin Luther took the 2 Maccabees out of the Bible.

Now I have no anger towards Protestants, I myself was Baptized one I just disagree with the “Bible only” belief, because many Protestants don’t do this, they skip the things they don’t like.

 

[Zenas]

Those who proclaim the gospel are in effect forgiving or not forgiving sins, depending on whether the hearers accept or reject Jesus Christ. This is the view expressed in the footnote to John 20:23 in Zondervan study bibles, perhaps the leading publisher of bibles used by protestants. Like the other posters on this thread, however, I have never heard a sermon or Sunday School lesson that included this verse.

 

[YADA]

Pretty easy to see that he is speaking of all believers here.

Really? …You are sure about that?

Can you elaborate on how [contextually] in this passage Jesus is speaking to ‘all beleivers’?

 

[Righteousone]

Pretty easy to see that he is speaking of all believers here.

Yep, your right. Believers of the Catholic church.

 

[oneGODoneCHURCH]

Pretty easy to see that he is speaking of all believers here.

I have a question. If he was speaking to all believers here why would he have done it in private with just the 12 and not at a large gathering for followers? I mean there was the Public ministry were he gave instructions for all to follow. And there was private instructions for things directly to the Apostles.

 

[YADA]

I have a question. If he was speaking to all believers here why would he have done it in private with just the 12 and not at a large gathering for followers? I mean there was the Public ministry were he gave instructions for all to follow. And there was private instructions for things directly to the Apostles.

I requested that SAI explain how this is so clear … contextually, but no response yet …

I hope they return and explain that assertion …

I do not believe that the passage can be shown to be thus but I wanted to kbow their reasoning …

 

[oneGODoneCHURCH]

I requested that SAI explain how this is so clear … contextually, but no response yet …

I hope they return and explain that assertion …

I do not believe that the passage can be shown to be thus but I wanted to kbow their reasoning …

I don’t think they can explain that t=other than they want it to say that.

 

[EmergencyOps]

Most Protestants have to ignore St. John 20:22-23 and St. James 5:16. These verses helped to bring me home!

Thanks for citing both of those scriptures. I was thumbing through the gospels looking for each of their versions of that event.

-Mark

 

[Uncle_Norbert]

Those who proclaim the gospel are in effect forgiving or not forgiving sins, depending on whether the hearers accept or reject Jesus Christ. This is the view expressed in the footnote to John 20:23 in Zondervan study bibles, perhaps the leading publisher of bibles used by protestants. Like the other posters on this thread, however, I have never heard a sermon or Sunday School lesson that included this verse.

Interesting. I use a Zondervan NIV Study Bible, and it is exactly as you say. I’ve never seen it interpreted like that. BTW, the Bible was given to me as a gift from a good friend who I meet once a week for Bible Study. He was raised Church of Christ, fell away for decades, and is now a “Bible Christian”.

 

[SIA]

Really? …You are sure about that?

Can you elaborate on how [contextually] in this passage Jesus is speaking to ‘all beleivers’?

Can you show me explicitly where Jesus is referring to a specific act of discipline in the Catholic church that you are so itching to throw in Protestant’s faces?

 

[oneGODoneCHURCH]

SIA

I guess you miss this so I will post It again.

I have a question. If he was speaking to all believers here why would he have done it in private with just the 12 and not at a large gathering for followers? I mean there was the Public ministry were he gave instructions for all to follow. And there was private instructions for things directly to the Apostles.