“Why does this Man speak
blasphemies like this? Who can forgive
sins but God alone?”
In this passage of scripture, Jesus had been teaching in a
house, a packed house, inside and out.
Some guys bring along their friend to be healed. Since they could not get near the door, they
tore the roof apart and dropped their friend down to the floor in front of
Jesus. “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins
are forgiven you.’” (Mark 2:5) Scribes
were in the audience and they did not like what they heard, asking ‘who can
forgive sins but God alone?’
His Right to Forgive
It was good doctrine, wrongly applied. “They were expositors of the law, and their
doctrine was true—that it is blasphemy for any creature to undertake the
pardon of sin, and that it is God’s prerogative. “I,
even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not
remember your sins.” (Isaiah 43:25) But, as is usual with such
teachers, their application was false, and was the effect of their ignorance and enmity to Christ. It
is true, none can forgive sins but God only; but it is false
that therefore Christ cannot, who had abundantly proved himself to have a
divine power.” (Matthew Henry)
It is enlightening to read what the demons called Jesus,
such as ‘Son of God’ (Matthew 8:29). It
can be even more enlightening to study closely what the scribes and Pharisees
objected to about Christ. In this case
and in many others, their very criticism and actions reveal the divinity of
Jesus. “The experts in the law were hoist with their own petard. On their own
stated beliefs the man could not be cured, unless he was forgiven. He was
cured, therefore he was forgiven. Therefore Jesus’ claim to forgive sin must
be true.” (Barclay)
Further, Jesus perceived in His spirit what they reasoned in
their hearts. “This proves him to be
God, and therefore confirmed what was to be proved, that he had authority to forgive
sins; for he searched the heart, and knew what was in man. God’s royalties are inseparable, and he that
could know thoughts, could forgive sins.” (Matthew Henry)
Based upon the
proper doctrine, ask yourself: ‘who in this world is currently forgiving sins?’ Jesus died so that we could be forgiven of
our sins and have a personal relationship with Him. Do not let anyone come between you and Jesus
Christ.
Your Right to Forgive Yourself
When we finally realize what Jesus has done to forgive our
sins, the depths He has gone to for an undeserving, wretched sinner like me, we
are able to stop focusing on ourselves and joyfully accept the mercy and grace
of God. “Jesus will not disagree with
the principle that God alone can forgive sins. This is an important principle
for all who struggle with the concept of self-forgiveness, in the sense of “I
know God forgives me, but I just can’t forgive myself.” This principle teaches
us that we were never intended to forgive ourselves, and we don’t have the
authority to do so. The real issue is believing and accepting the forgiveness
of God, and allowing the reality of His great forgiveness to overwhelm our
feelings about ourselves.” (David Guzik)
The Miracle of Forgiveness
Jesus called the sick man ‘son,’ and endearing term, a term
of compassion. How compassionate, loving
and full of mercy God is toward us. The
greatest miracle in the Bible, in my opinion, is forgiveness. Man only might know a bit about a few of the
sins you have actually committed. Unlike
man, Jesus knows your thoughts, so he knows not just the particular aspects of
all the sins you have committed, but also knows your thoughts and therefore the
particulars of the sins you have considered in your mind. When you realize that nothing is hidden from
Him, are you not truly amazed at God’s love, a love that would forgive you
after all you have done or even thought about doing? A love so encompassing that He would sacrifice His own Son to save your sinning
soul?
It is only a forgiven sinner that can begin to grasp at the
amazing grace of Jesus Christ, to whom we owe a debt that we cannot repay.
“‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first
believed”
Do not wait. Believe
on Jesus Christ the Son of God, accept His gift of forgiveness and receive salvation
unto eternal life. Your life will never
be the same.
May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
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