If the power of binding and loosing were committed to the Apostles only, and not to their successors, has the Church of Christ now no commission to remit sins?

ANSWER.

The power of binding and loosing men was at no time committed to one or to many, apart from the immediate presence of the Holy Spirit. "Son," said Jesus, "thy sins be forgiven thee." Let it be remembered that this was said by one to whom God had given the Spirit without measure. But those who appeared to men to be righteous, when they heard it, said: "Why doth he thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?" Now, mark the proof adduced by Jesus to show that others might forgive sins without being guilty of blasphemy. "That ye may know," said he, "that the Son of Man hath power on the earth to forgive sins, I say with effect unto this man, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way to thine house." And he did so forthwith; and when the multitude saw it, they were amazed, and glorified God, "who had given such power unto men."

Here, extraordinary physical power was demonstrative of divine, moral, or spiritual authority. Hence, whenever, or wherever, one or many claim authority to forgive sins, they must be able to adduce the same kind of proof; but where the claim exists, and the proof is wanting, there the claimant is guilty of blasphemy against God. By this rule, it is not difficult to ascertain who on earth is commissioned to forgive sins.

In the absence of Jesus, but always in the presence of the Holy Spirit, Peter first, and then the other apostles, and the Church, were authorised to remit sins. On Peter, who believed the Gospel of the kingdom which Jesus preached, confessing that he was the Anointed, the Son of the living God, Jesus said to him: "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whosoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in the heavens; and whosoever thou shalt loose on the earth shall be loosed in the heavens." This was a promise of sin-remitting authority; but it was not conferred till the Holy Spirit was breathed into Peter and the rest of the apostles.

As to the authorisation of the Church, to which the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers, belonged, to forgive sins, it is written: "If an offending brother neglect to hear the Church, let him be as a Gentile and a publican. Verily, I say unto you, Whosoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in the heaven; and whosoever ye shall loose on the earth, shall be loosed in the heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

Now, this was an authorisation to the Church when the seven-branched golden lampstand stood in her midst, well supplied with the holy oil of Jehovah, with which he anointed Jesus, the apostles, and them who obeyed the truth. A Church thus illuminated, so long as it walked in the light of God, was capable of discerning the true merits of all cases, of awarding to offenders according to their demerits, and of forgiving their offences, on repentance, infallibly. Such an one was the Church in Jerusalem. It was filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, which guided it into all truth, and impressed all with fear of trespassing against it.

The connection between the bestowal of the Holy Spirit and power to forgive sins, is seen in the action and words of Jesus to the apostles after his resurrection. "Peace be unto you," said he; "as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit; whose sins soever ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose sins soever ye retain, they are retained." From that time they were competent to act for God in forgiving sins upon the earth.

Such was the nature of things Christian in the last days of the Mosaic dispensation. Such a sin-remitting authority, however, has now no existence upon the earth; for the apostles had no official successors, and there is no church with the Holy Spirit burning in its midst for the profit of all. The only real successors of the apostles are those who believe and obey the Gospel they preached, and walk after their example. Nor are there any churches that can be scripturally regarded as a succession to those in which the lamps of the Spirit burned. Christ walked in the midst of these by the Spirit, seen, felt, and heard, and dwelt in the hearts of their members by faith in the things of his kingdom and name. But now, if Christ is to be found among men, it is not in churches by the Spirit, but in the hearts of a scattered few by the truth revealed, and evinced by the obedience they have yielded thereto, according to the prescription of the Word. Hence, the Spirit being wanting, there is no church upon the earth commissioned to remit sins.

But, though this is the fact, the world called "Christendom" is full of pretenders to the authority. The clergy claim to be successors to the apostles, to have the Spirit, and to remit and retain sins. But this is pure blasphemy. They do remit sins, indeed; but their remissions will not be ratified in the heavens. That they have no divine authority to do this, is proved by the total absence of miraculous power. They can do nothing that other men cannot do; so that they have no authority over or beyond them. It is all pretence and pure hypocrisy, or the presumption of ignorance, indoctrinated into them by the "Mother of All the Abominations of the Earth," which they recognise as a true, but erring, church! Successors of the apostles, indeed! Men who, with the Bible in their hands, could not, to save their lives, tell what the apostles "made known to all nations for the obedience of faith." God does not give of his Spirit to infidels, however pious the world may esteem them; but in the seasons of the early and the latter rains, to them who believe and obey the truth.

In the absence of any divinely-appointed human authority to remit sin, there is a positive institution for the purpose, whose power for forgiveness resides in the truth believed. To him who believes the Gospel of the kingdom and the name of Jesus, and on such a faith shall be baptised into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, shall be granted repentance and remission of sins that are past. This is the decree of heaven; and all the priests, all the clergy, all the churches, and all the pious, of all the ages and generations that have gone to the shades of death until this present, cannot modify, reverse, or abolish. "The gospel is the power of God to the salvation of every one that believes; for in it God’s justification by faith is revealed for faith; as it is written, The justified shall live by faith." Being justified, then, by faith, we have peace with God, which church nor world can neither give nor take away. This peace being established, the past is blotted out; so that all that remains to do is to guard the future. Having washed our robe white in the blood of the Lamb, which they only can do who believe and obey the Gospel of the kingdom Jesus and the apostles preached, we have to keep it unspotted from the world. And then who shall lay any thing to the charge of such? Will God who justifieth? Who will condemn them? Will Christ, who makes intercession for them? By no means.

But, if those who are justified from all their past sins should be overtaken with a fault, or error, or do iniquity, what then? If the offence be not worthy of death, there is forgiveness with God, on condition of repentance, and asking for it through Jesus, who will undertake the case as the intercessor of his household. When he returns with the names of the accepted graven on his heart, he will give judgment according to the truth. By such an arrangement as this, impartial justice is secured. When the Church became unfaithful, her candlestick was removed, and her authority to pardon in the name of Jesus withdrawn, and resumed by himself for judicial exercise in the day of his power.

December 10, 1854. EDITOR.

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