John 20: 23- Forgiveness

Read John 20: 23-

This one verse says a lot. Jesus is telling the disciples they have been the first to receive the essence of the Holy Spirit from Him. Now Jesus is telling the disciples if they forgive someone of their sins, then it is done. What type of spiritual authority was Jesus giving the disciples?

Verse 23, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

The disciples have already heard and believed there is only one way for salvation and that is through accepting Jesus Christ as their LORD and savior. Jesus has given the disciples the spiritual authority to act on His behalf and He also gave them the Holy Spirit to guide them and help them to discern the spiritual nature of given situations.

I want to personalize this whole idea of forgiving the sins of others and realize, I need to be prepared to forgive others who may wrong me. Jesus has spoken to the disciples to forgive 7 times 70 or continuously, I need to consciously be aware of the need to learn to forgive and forgive quickly. Jesus has the responsibility for their souls and their ultimate forgiveness. I have the responsibility to have a heart of forgiveness and be prepared to act on that.  

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