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Course 11 · Lesson 7.1

The forgiveness of sins in Scripture

12 minute read

Lessons in this course

Course 11 outline

Module 1: What the Church Is

  1. Biblical images of the church: body, people, temple and bride
  2. One, holy, catholic and apostolic: the four marks
  3. The mission of the church
  4. The visible and invisible church in Augustine, the Reformers and the East

Module 2: Ministry and Apostolic Succession

  1. Ministry in the New Testament: apostles, elders, overseers and deacons
  2. The bishop in the early church: Clement, Ignatius and Irenaeus
  3. Apostolic succession: three meanings (a line of bishops, the teaching, the mission)
  4. Ordination in the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant traditions

Module 3: Scripture, Tradition and Church Authority

  1. Scripture and tradition in the early church
  2. The Catholic account: Scripture, tradition and the magisterium
  3. The Orthodox account: the living tradition of the church
  4. The Reformation and the question of sola scriptura

Module 4: Three Systems of Authority

  1. The bishop of Rome in early history
  2. Papal primacy and infallibility in Catholic teaching
  3. Orthodox conciliarity and the role of the patriarchs
  4. Protestant principles of authority: Scripture, confessions and the priesthood of believers
  5. The strongest objections each tradition raises against the others

Module 5: Sacramental Theology

  1. Mystery and sacrament: the words and their history
  2. Augustine and the definition of a sacrament
  3. How many sacraments? Seven, two, or none
  4. Validity, efficacy and the role of faith

Module 6: Baptism and the Eucharist

  1. Baptism in Scripture and the early church
  2. Infant baptism and believers baptism
  3. The Eucharist in the early church
  4. Real presence: transubstantiation, the Orthodox mystery, Lutheran, Reformed and memorial views

Module 7: Reconciliation and Liturgical Worship

  1. The forgiveness of sins in Scripture
  2. Confession and penance in the history of the church
  3. Confession across the traditions: Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran and Reformed practice
  4. Liturgy, word and table, and the church year
  5. Worship without a fixed liturgy and its principles

Module 8: Schism and Christian Unity

  1. Early schisms: the Donatists and the churches after Chalcedon
  2. East and West: the long division and the events of 1054
  3. The Reformation divisions
  4. Ecumenism and the prospects for unity

All courses

Program / Course 11: Church, Sacraments, and Authority / Lesson 7.1

What you will learn

  • Trace the biblical teaching on forgiveness from the Old Testament sacrifices to the ministry of Jesus.
  • Explain the key New Testament texts on binding and loosing, retaining and forgiving, and confessing to one another.
  • Describe how Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant readers interpret John 20:23 and Matthew 18:18.
  • Distinguish questions of what the texts say from questions of how churches later organized confession.

The big idea

Scripture teaches that God forgives sins, that Jesus forgave sins in his own name, and that he gave his followers a share in this ministry. Texts such as Matthew 16:19, Matthew 18:18, John 20:23 and James 5:16 speak of binding and loosing, of forgiving and retaining sins, and of confessing to one another. The traditions agree that forgiveness comes from God through Christ. They differ on whether and how it is given through a priest, through the whole church or through direct prayer. These differences arise from how the same passages are read.

Key terms

Absolution
The declaration or act by which a minister, on behalf of God and the church, pronounces forgiveness of sins.
Binding and loosing
Rabbinic and biblical language for forbidding and permitting, used in Matthew 16:19 and 18:18 for the church’s authority.
Power of the keys
The authority given to Peter and the church, in Matthew 16:19, to open and close the kingdom of heaven. Traditions differ on what it includes.
Atonement
The act by which sin is covered or removed and the relationship with God restored.
Repentance
A turning from sin to God, with sorrow and a change of life.
Excommunication
Exclusion from the sacraments and fellowship of the church, as a form of discipline.
Discipline
The church’s practice of correcting and, if necessary, restoring members who sin.

Background

The Old Testament teaches that God forgives. After Israel’s sin with the golden calf, the Lord proclaims himself merciful and gracious, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin (Exodus 34:6-7). Sacrifices for sin were prescribed in Leviticus, and on the Day of Atonement the high priest made atonement for the people (Leviticus 16). The prophets and psalms stress that God desires a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). David confesses his sin and Nathan declares that the Lord has put away his sin (2 Samuel 12:13).

The Gospels present Jesus as one who forgives. This raised the question of the authority by which he did so, and the New Testament goes on to ask how the church shares in this work. The traditions share the texts and differ in understanding what the church does when it deals with sin after baptism. This lesson sets out the texts first, and the next two lessons trace history and practice.

Step-by-step explanation

Step 1: Jesus forgives

When four men bring a paralyzed man through the roof, Jesus says to him, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee” (Mark 2:5). Some scribes think, “Who can forgive sins but God only?” (Mark 2:7). Jesus heals the man so that they may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins. In Luke 7:36-50, he tells a woman who anointed his feet that her sins are forgiven, and that her faith has saved her. In the Lord’s Prayer he teaches his disciples to ask for forgiveness as they forgive others (Matthew 6:12, 14-15).

These texts show that forgiveness is God’s gift, that Jesus claims authority to give it, and that those who receive it must forgive others. All traditions accept this as the foundation. The cross is the basis of forgiveness, as in Matthew 26:28, where Jesus speaks of his blood poured out for the remission of sins.

Step 2: The keys, binding and loosing

In Matthew 16:19, Jesus tells Peter that he will give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and that whatever he binds on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever he looses on earth will be loosed in heaven. In Matthew 18:18, the same words are addressed to the disciples in the context of dealing with a brother who sins. Matthew 18:15-17 sets out steps: speak privately, then with witnesses, then tell the church, and if he refuses to listen, treat him as a Gentile and tax collector. Matthew 18:20 follows with the promise of Christ’s presence where two or three are gathered.

Scholars note that binding and loosing in Jewish usage could mean forbidding and permitting in teaching, and also excluding from and readmitting to the community. Catholics read Matthew 16:19 as given to Peter and his successors and Matthew 18:18 as given to the apostles and their successors. Protestants commonly read both as given to the church, with the keys exercised by the preaching of the gospel and by discipline.

Step 3: John 20:21-23

On the evening of the resurrection, Jesus appears to the disciples, breathes on them and says, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained” (John 20:22-23). Catholics hold that this is the institution of the sacrament of penance, in which bishops and priests, as successors of the apostles, forgive sins in Christ’s name. The Council of Trent cited the text for this purpose.

Orthodox writers also see in the passage the ministry of priests and bishops, and understand the priest as a witness and servant through whom God forgives. Many Protestants read it as the commission to proclaim the forgiveness won by Christ, as when the church declares the gospel, and some hold that it applies to all believers. Lutherans often see in it the ground for absolution given by pastors. The text does not specify who the disciples were or what form the ministry took, and each tradition supplies its own answer.

Step 4: Confession and discipline in the letters

James 5:14-16 tells the sick to call the elders of the church, and then says, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” First John 1:9 says that if believers confess their sins God is faithful and just to forgive. Acts 19:18 mentions believers in Ephesus confessing and showing their deeds. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul directs the church to remove a man who lives in grave sin, and in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 he urges the church to forgive and restore a person who has repented.

These passages show confession, intercession and discipline in the early churches. They do not describe a fixed rite. Catholic readers see in them the roots of the later practice of sacramental confession. Protestants see in them mutual confession and church discipline. Orthodox readers see in them an ancient ministry of reconciliation that took various forms.

Step 5: Hard texts

Some texts raise difficult questions. Hebrews 6:4-6 and 10:26 speak of the impossibility of renewal after deliberate falling away. First John 5:16 refers to a sin unto death, and Jesus speaks of the sin against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:28-29). Interpreters in all traditions have understood these as warnings against persistent rejection of God, not as denials that a repentant sinner can be forgiven. The early church debated whether grave sins after baptism could be forgiven, and in time came to hold that they could, as the next lesson shows.

  1. Who forgives sins in this passage, and by what authority?
  2. To whom is the authority given: Peter, the apostles, the church, all believers?
  3. What does the passage require of the one forgiven?
  4. Does the passage describe a rite, a declaration, or a discipline?
  5. How does the passage relate forgiveness to forgiving others?
  6. What does the tradition add to the text when it explains it?

Examples

The paralyzed man

Jesus forgives and then heals, so that the crowd may know he has authority to forgive. In Matthew’s account, the crowd glorifies God who gave such authority to human beings (Matthew 9:8). Catholics and Orthodox cite the plural humans as a pointer to the church’s share in the ministry.

Matthew 18 in a congregation

A church member learns that a friend has wronged her. She speaks to him alone, then with two others, and finally brings the matter to the elders. The steps follow Matthew 18:15-17. Many Protestant churches use this passage as a basis for discipline, and Catholic and Orthodox churches also cite it for the church’s concern for the sinner. (A constructed example.)

Nathan and David

When David confesses his sin, Nathan answers that the Lord has put away his sin (2 Samuel 12:13). The prophet speaks God’s word of forgiveness to the penitent king. Writers in each tradition see here a pattern for a minister’s word of pardon.

Different perspectives

Catholic

Christ gave the apostles and their successors power to forgive sins in his name, as in John 20:23. The sacrament of penance is the ordinary means by which sins committed after baptism are forgiven. The priest acts in the person of Christ, and the penitent confesses, repents and receives absolution and a penance.

Orthodox

Forgiveness comes from God through the ministry of the church. The priest does not forgive by his own authority but as a witness and servant. Orthodox teaching stresses healing and the spiritual father, and many Orthodox services of confession use a form in which the priest says that God forgives through his ministry.

Protestant

Forgiveness is God’s gift through faith in Christ. Lutherans and Anglicans keep a ministry of absolution. Reformed churches stress the preaching of forgiveness and the discipline of the church. Baptists and others emphasize direct confession to God, with confession to fellow believers for mutual help. All stress that Christ alone is the mediator.

Scholarly view

Scholars note that the New Testament does not describe a fixed rite of confession. The texts speak of authority, prayer and discipline in settings that are not fully detailed. Historians agree that the later forms of penance grew gradually and that the interpretation of John 20:23 has been debated since the early church.

Why it matters

How Christians understand forgiveness shapes their worship, their discipline and their daily practice. The texts studied here are the basis of nearly all later teaching on confession. Reading them carefully shows what they say and shows where traditions have supplied answers the texts leave open.

Common misunderstandings

Misunderstanding: Catholics believe priests forgive sins by their own power.

Correction: Catholic teaching holds that God alone forgives, and that the priest acts in the person of Christ and by the authority Christ gave to the church. The priest is a minister, not the source of forgiveness.

Misunderstanding: Protestants have no place for confession or absolution.

Correction: Lutheran and Anglican churches have rites of confession and absolution, and Reformed and Baptist traditions have mutual confession and discipline. They reject the requirement that all grave sins be confessed to a priest.

Misunderstanding: The New Testament describes the sacrament of penance.

Correction: The New Testament describes forgiveness, confession and discipline. Whether it also describes a sacramental rite is the point on which the traditions differ.

Misunderstanding: Forgiveness in Scripture is only for those who earn it.

Correction: All traditions teach that forgiveness is a gift of God’s grace through Christ. They differ on how repentance, faith and the church’s ministry relate to the gift.

Knowledge check

What is the meaning of binding and loosing in Matthew 16:19 and 18:18?

It is language for forbidding and permitting, and for excluding from and receiving back into the community. Catholics see it as authority given to Peter and the apostles and their successors. Protestants commonly see it as given to the church, exercised by preaching and discipline.

How do Catholic and many Protestant readers differ on John 20:23?

Catholics read it as the institution of the sacrament of penance, with priests forgiving sins as successors of the apostles. Many Protestants read it as the commission to proclaim forgiveness through the gospel, and some apply it to all believers. Lutherans see in it the basis of absolution.

What does James 5:16 teach?

It says to confess faults to one another and pray for one another so that healing may come. Catholics see a root of sacramental confession, and Protestants see mutual confession among believers. The text does not describe a fixed rite.

Why are Hebrews 6 and 1 John 5:16 considered hard texts?

They seem to speak of sins that cannot be forgiven. Interpreters generally read them as warnings against persistent rejection of God and not as denying forgiveness to repentant sinners. Churches of all traditions have taught that those who repent can be forgiven.

Think it through

  1. Why might Jesus’ claim to forgive sins have caused such offense?
  2. What is the difference between declaring forgiveness and granting it?
  3. How should a community deal with a member who has sinned seriously and publicly?
  4. What do you think is the connection between forgiving and being forgiven in the Lord’s Prayer?

Independent assignment

Forgiveness texts in a table

In your notebook, make a table of twelve passages: Exodus 34:6-7, Psalm 51, 2 Samuel 12:13, Mark 2:1-12, Luke 7:36-50, Matthew 6:12, Matthew 16:19, Matthew 18:15-20, John 20:21-23, 1 Corinthians 5, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 and James 5:14-16. For each, record who forgives, who is forgiven and what is required. Then write 250 to 350 words explaining how a Catholic, an Orthodox and a Protestant reader would use the table. Keep the work in your notebook.

Further study