These are only very brief notes. For full context, please listen to the full sermon audio, or wait for the full sermon transcript online.
Audio available at https://this-gospel-of-the-kingdom.mixlr.com/
Full transcript available soon within the next few days at https://www.isawthelightministries.com/transcripts/sermon-transcripts.html
This is a very controversial topic.
Most protestants always automatically reject this truth. They won't even consider what the bible says about it.
But the bible is very clear on it.
Please consider all of the bible verses (scriptures) that I will share.
Matthew 18:15-20
:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass (sin) against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee (if he repents), thou hast gained thy brother.
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. (Disfellowship from that person, forsake them and don't speak to them, and don't have anything to do with that person. They have lost their membership in the church. They have lost their salvation. It is as if they were never part of the church, never baptized.)
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.
(Luke 17:3-4 confirms that it's not required for us to always forgive everyone without exception. Despite traditional false religious teachings that we must always forgive. Even Christ himself doesn't always forgive. A person is required to repent before forgiveness is granted. Modern Pharisees want us to be more forgiving than God himself!)
(Jesus respects & honors our decisions on Earth. When I was in management of businesses, the head manager over me told me one time that whoever I fire, or any of these managers fire, that he will respect our decisions and not un-do our actions. He gave us full authority to run the business. Jesus gives us full authority in His kingdom upon this Earth.)
The context is forgiveness of sins for the sinner. Not only do we forgive or not forgive, but that same decision is upheld in Heaven if the church administration decides to so declare.
It’s not that the human is forgiving the sins in the same context as Jesus forgives sins. But rather that the human church administration (or lay-member, but especially the church administration) is stamping the invoice as the church manager. Then Jesus either pays it or not pays it, based upon how the invoice is stamped “Pay” (Remit) or “Don’t pay” (Retain).
John 20:19-23
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
23 Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.
(The Power of The Holy Ghost gives the church administration real power. Not weak power.)
Mark 2:5-10
:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?
9 Which is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, he saith to the sick of the palsy.
“Jesus in the flesh” didn’t exercise much of the power of God on Earth. He walked as a son of humans. Anything and everything that He did before his resurrection, some humans with the power of The Holy Ghost can also do.
John 14:10-14
:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
(As a human, I’m not in my dad. I might could say that my dad is inside of me because of his DNA that conceived me. But I could not possibly say that I am in my dad. This shows that He was saying that He and The Father were/are the exact same being, not 2/3 or 300 beings/persons. Anyone who believes in a trinity is the same as a pagan who believes in 2000 gods. It’s what separates a true Christian from a Hindu or some other strange cult.)
www.isawthelightministries.com/trinity.html
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
(We stamp the invoice. He does it.)
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. (The giving of keys = giving of power and authority!)
Matthew 17:20
"And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."
(Not just small, minor things. But also huge things!)
James 5:13-18
14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name/authority of the Lord:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
Objection: There is only one mediator between God and man, only Jesus. We don't need to go to priest to receive forgiveness of sins.
Answer:
1 Timothy 2:1-8
:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
Moses lifted up holy hands, then God did the action in response to the hands of Moses.
Verse 1 says that we are to intercede for people, even as Moses as the intercession person. That’s not the same as supplications (requests) and prayers. It’s a 3rd action. It’s more than a request. It’s actually interceding, actually interjecting yourself into it.
Numbers 12 (Entire chapter) Aaron recognized that Moses had the power to either retain or remit the forgiveness of sins to God.
Another example: Numbers 14:11-12 Jesus was determined to destroy the people.
:20 Jesus approved the forgiveness of sins because of the words submitted by Moses.
And this is why it’s possible that a true apostle or true prophet or true pastor can void a person’s baptism.
According to the bible, the church is the body of Christ. And we are baptized into Christ. And if we leave Christ, we leave the church. And if we leave the church, we leave Christ.
It’s impossible to be in Christ, but not in his church, his body.
In 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 Paul kicked a man out of the church and considered that man as lost. It’s logical that the man’s baptism was considered void and null.
Hebrews 10:25-26 connects leaving the church with having no forgiveness of sins, which we received at baptism according to Acts 2:37-38 and Mark 16:16.
I have presented here, solid, absolutely undeniable scriptural proof of this doctrine. Those that reject it, reject the bible and God’s authority and God’s truth. They trade it for the brainwashing of traditional false religion. They trade the powerful true Church of God for the weak/wimpy Joel Osteen effeminate false church.
https://www.isawthelightministries.com/RemitOrRetainSins.html