Does man have authority to forgive sins?

[Sparkey]

I really should stop and think before I talk some day. LOL - It used to be my habit when I was modding... So here is a self critique (to save others the trouble). The Lord was not commending the fraud and the master that was being spoken of was most likely a in-real-life (IRL) guy. So what Jesus was talking about was how the children of darkness take such great care when they predict what's gonna happen and then go out of their way to do everything in their power to avoid the problems they foresee regarding money.

It's like a "if you do this for money why not do/take even greater care for eternal reward -- be shrewd for God's Gift of life," thing. Worldly men are foolish in their choice to pursue wealth exclusively but they are tenacious to the extreme even in the face of their demise -- they just don't give up-- so this is saying we need to persevere. Still working on the segue toward divorce but that was something that he saw in the heart of the covetous Pharisees (maybe).

 

[Sparkey]

Then he said whosoever sins YE leave, they are left. Otherwise the person retains them.

Better rendition could be (from my research) "Those sins that you yield up." For the remission verb, that is. The tense is the same in the "retain" verb too. And there are only a few options for the meaning or 'application' of the word and it's a matter of trying them out. That one fits well. Although the verb tense is not passive (it's an action) the "yield up" connotation denotes submission -- kind of like what we do when we yield on the freeway on ramp. We allow the flow to continue and don't interrupt. We submit up according to the spirit holy. Or as you might say, according to the anointing. Whatsoever sins (misses) we yield up are put away - and that put away reminds me of how God tosses our sin away or puts them away from us - as far as East is from West. That kind.

 

[Sparkey]

Oh and here's something for no extra charge. Something that I love to do. When you read about something that Jesus did go ahead and try to categorize it into one of the 9. I break them up into 3 sets of 3 each. Power, utterance, revelation. Power Gifts include Gift of Faith, Gifts of Healing *plural* & Gift of Miracles. Utterance we are more familiar with. Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues and Prophecy. That leaves the Gifts of revelation: Knowledge, Wisdom and Discernment.

We can look to our example in this. There was infinite HS on that man. WE get in measure. But He did operate the Gifts. He did it all the time.

 

[Sparkey]

But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. Matthew 9:6​

And the 2 verses later

But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men Matthew 9:8​

Greetings YosefHayim!

My apologies for not addressing this directly. I do find a circuitous route sometimes. I like thinking about that lazy man river and it's meandering ways but then again, I love me and am familiar with it. That's why. But to answer your question, it's the context that gives the answer. We're looking at a problem of the antecedent. You ask about the power. But what power? Is it the power to forgive or the power to heal? I suspect that you already know. It was the miracle they SAW (with their own eyes) that prompted their reaction. It was the Scribes (well, it was certain ones of the Scribes) that noticed and objected to the forgiveness --and they didn't express it either. Jesus saw that in their hearts. But that wasn't the power that the crowds noticed either. Just by the way.

"But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled"

'What did the multitudes see?' is the question that reveals.

 

[Deborah13]

Check out Luke 16:1-8

But this also fails as a proof because the tag line, the moral of the story, advises us to use worldly wealth to gain spiritual blessing. It's just the closest that I've come to permission to forgive the debts that are owed to God (The Master). It's also a dishonest thing to do. So it doesn't work well. Just the best so far. What do you think?

I don't know but this is what I see....
Luk 16:8 `And the lord commended the unrighteous steward that he did prudently, because the sons of this age are more prudent than the sons of the light, in respect to their generation.
The lord (master of the steward) says he was wise in way to set himself up well with the debtors. He, by forgiving part of the debt owned to the master, had now made the debtors indebted to him. He used what belonged to the master to do this. The worldly are wiser about providing for themselves in the this world, then the sons of light (the ones who have the oracles of God) are at providing for their eternal life.

advises us to use worldly wealth to gain spiritual blessing.

I agree. Not as this unjust steward did, for his reward is of this world.

This reminds me of the Pharisees setting up the rule of Corbin. Not only did it deny the 'honor thy mother and thy father' law of love but they lead the son, who practiced Corbin, into sin.

 

[Deborah13]

I really should stop and think before I talk some day. LOL - It used to be my habit when I was modding... So here is a self critique (to save others the trouble). The Lord was not commending the fraud and the master that was being spoken of was most likely a in-real-life (IRL) guy. So what Jesus was talking about was how the children of darkness take such great care when they predict what's gonna happen and then go out of their way to do everything in their power to avoid the problems they foresee regarding money.

It's like a "if you do this for money why not do/take even greater care for eternal reward -- be shrewd for God's Gift of life," thing. Worldly men are foolish in their choice to pursue wealth exclusively but they are tenacious to the extreme even in the face of their demise -- they just don't give up-- so this is saying we need to persevere. Still working on the segue toward divorce but that was something that he saw in the heart of the covetous Pharisees (maybe).

Sheesh....if I had seen this post, I wouldn't have bothered with mine!

 

[Malachi]

Sorry, I don't agree.

TR: ἄν τινων ἀφῆτε τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἀφιένται αὐτοῖς ἄν
GNT: ἄν τινων ἀφῆτε τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἀφέωνται αὐτοῖς ἄν

Not sure where you got this TR quote, but here is the TR as found in the Stephanus Text of 1550 contrasted with Westcott & Hort (James 5:16):

Stephanus Textus Receptus 1550 ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἀλλήλοις τὰ παραπτώματα, καὶ εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων ὅπως ἰαθῆτε πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη (faults)
Westcott and Hort 1881 w/o Diacritics εξομολογεισθε ουν αλληλοις τας αμαρτιας και προσευχεσθε υπερ αλληλων οπως ιαθητε πολυ ισχυει δεησις δικαιου ενεργουμενη (sins)

Also note the other corruptions (bolded) in W&H.

 

[Brother Mike]

Better rendition could be (from my research) "Those sins that you yield up." For the remission verb, that is. The tense is the same in the "retain" verb too. And there are only a few options for the meaning or 'application' of the word and it's a matter of trying them out. That one fits well. Although the verb tense is not passive (it's an action) the "yield up" connotation denotes submission -- kind of like what we do when we yield on the freeway on ramp.

I asked God, I had ideas and was in the "Ball Park" Here is what it is.
Well, I am listening to the Holy Spirit on this. Its' sort of like we said. Not quit "Be forgiven in Jesus Name, now go thy way."
This came when Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on them. The Holy Spirit reproves the World of sin, is on us, God is with us. We are his Children.

whosover sin "YE REMIT" Might have been translated better. Remit is fine if taken in context.

It's the same idea of wiping the dust off your feet in the examples I gave above.

Gen_12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me.
(Jer 18:19)

Jer 18:23 Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger.

So, the Lord working in us and with us. Whosoever we are helping and "WE" ourselves find nothing wrong or blame, or charge against, the Lord will do the same. In other words, if we don't want the person lost and destroyed and consider not their sins and mistakes, neither will the Lord on our behalf.

When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
(Joh 8:10-11)

Here the women does not receive the punishment for what she has been doing. Nobody charged her, and the only one left to charge her was Jesus. Jesus said, don't sin no more. In other words, don't put yourself in the same boat again.

Who's sins we retain could be those that we know by the Holy Spirit not to deal with. We wipe the dust off our feet for a testimony against them. This would be based on what the Holy Spirit has directed as he is the one doing the reproving. He knows.
It's not based on how we feel or the persons actions toward us.

Example: The Lord asked me to go speak to a women at work about Jesus. She get's nasty and tells me to F#$@Off. Certainly someone I want to wipe the dust off and forget her.
Again a few days later the Lord says the same thing. I get the same results.

This went on for a month or so, she was just a nasty person that hated Jesus as far as I could tell.

The Holy Spirit will let us know who to stick by, who to walk away from.

Be blessed.

 

[Stan1953]

Not sure where you got this TR quote, but here is the TR as found in the Stephanus Text of 1550 contrasted with Westcott & Hort (James 5:16):
Stephanus Textus Receptus 1550 ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἀλλήλοις τὰ παραπτώματα, καὶ εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων ὅπως ἰαθῆτε πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη (faults)
Westcott and Hort 1881 w/o Diacritics εξομολογεισθε ουν αλληλοις τας αμαρτιας και προσευχεσθε υπερ αλληλων οπως ιαθητε πολυ ισχυει δεησις δικαιου ενεργουμενη (sins)
Also note the other corruptions (bolded) in W&H.

I used BlueLetterBible.org in this case. It didn't indicate which version of the TR was used and neither did you. Are you now advocating only one particular version of the TR is acceptable to you? Are you also KJVO?
Here's another link for you;
http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/jam5.pdf
FYI, I'm not a big fan of the WH and neither are most modern Greek translators/scholars, who use the GNT or NA mostly.