Why did Jesus say this to them then?
“Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain, they are retained”.
What is the point of that? If one must only confess to Jesus, in private, in silence, why would the Apostles be told this?
*****6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. *****
What does it mean to walk in darkness?
What does it meant to practice the truth?
*****7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. *****
If we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
Jesus washed the feet of the disciples at the Last Supper, because even if one has been bathed, one’s feet get dirty while walking. Baptism/Confession/Forgiveness
This is an apostolic gift for the formation of the church..it is ecclesiastical in nature and speaks to church discipline( excommunication) as we see in the epistles such as 1 Corth..
Clearly the apostles themselves did not understand it OR TEACH it as the Roman church does.
*****6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. *****
What does it mean to walk in darkness?
...
Jhn 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Jhn 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not
.Jhn 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Jhn 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
,Rom 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, [even] in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
http://bible.cc/john/20-23.htm
Commentary further down the page.
Supposing that the RCC interpretation were correct (not that I believe it is) , for the sake of argument, where in Scripture was this ever practiced or where were instructions on how to practice this given?
Why would Jesus give to fallible, corruptible men that kind of unlimited power?
How does that fit in with Jesus instructions to pray only to the Father and that HE would hear and answer our prayer?
Why would God bind Himself to the decisions of men in regards to a person’s salvation?
*****6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. *****
What does it mean to walk in darkness?
What does it meant to practice the truth?
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To live in deliberate, unrepentant sin.
To deal with sin appropriately when convicted of it, going to God and asking Him for forgiveness for the sin and endeavoring to not sin any more.
Which does not cost one one's salvation.
Where is that found in scripture?
“Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain, they are retained”
But that is not what scripture says. This is what it says.
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.<<
And in Matthew 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
One only needs to study the words binding and loosing or bound and loosed in the Talmudic writings to understand that it had nothing to do with forgiving sins. This is only of doctrines, or declarations of what is lawful and unlawful, free, or prohibited to be received, or practiced. The Apostles would have understood the Jewish meaning of those words as it related to Jewish practices. Jesus was telling the Apostles that they were basically in charge of establishing the church rules and practices.