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Maybe you guys can help me understand this:

Matthew 16:19 " And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

John 20:23 is down in the cross reference and it says:

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

I looked up remit in the back of my bible and it says that it means forgive.

My question is what does these verses mean?

No one knows what it means?

   

     Hello Kris.The way it was explained to me is,
if someone sins against you and you forgive him/
her,it is forgiven(loosed) in Heaven,but if you
don't forgive him/her(hold it),it's not forgiven
in heaven.
    I may be wrong,but that's what I was taught.
   
                 Yours in Yeshua,
                 curious

Hi Kris,

These verses have been an area of contention amongst many Christians. Some consider that this gave permission for the Apostles to forgive, absolve peoples sins. Others say that this is wrong because only Jesus can forgive a person, not any man. Others say that Jesus was giving them the authority through the Holy Ghost to set up the Church here on earth. That what the Apostles said about the organization of the church here on earth would be such. In other words what they forbade the church to do and what they gave permission for the church to do.

Yet others say that Jesus was bestowing a gift upon the Apostles through the Holy Spirit, that this is why their teachings, both orally and written are the inspired works of God.

I personally see it as the last one here because we are taught elsewhere that there is only one mediator between man and God and that is Jesus Christ, that God is the only person that can forgive or condemn.

Thanks Pastor Roger and curious.