“The Lord gave Moses the following instructions for the people of Israel. When any of you are unfaithful to the Lord and commit a wrong against someone, you must confess your sin and make full repayment, plus an additional 20 percent, to the person you have wronged.” (Numbers 5:5-7)

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 Yes, Jesus did take away the sin of the world by dying on the cross; although is there any place in Scripture where it says, we mustn’t repent, we shouldn’t say sorry to God? If we didn’t have to repent ever, then why did Jesus say to His disciples “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained? We must remember that Jesus when he came to earth, didn’t get rid of the Old Covenant, but rather fulfilled it. That book of Numbers and Levitius explains what the Israelites had to do when they committed a sin. But who do they speak to? The answer is, to the priest. (Leviticus 5:5-6)

 

Jesus is the new High Priest and unlike the Old Testament no animals are required to partake in the confession. When Christ died on the cross, he opened the gates to Heaven, so that when someone repents and turns their old self around to follow Christ, they may receive everlasting life. 

 

In Luke 5 we read the story of Jesus healing the paralysed man who came to be physically healed, however, Jesus saw another need, to be spiritually healed. He heals the man’s spiritual needs, before his physical needs. This verse reveals that being physically healed is good, however the biggest need is to be spiritually healed from sin and safe from distress. 

 

“One day when Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of the Law were sitting there who had come from every town in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was present for Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a bed, and they tried to carry him into the house and put him in front of Jesus. Because of the crowd, however, they could find no way to take him in. So they carried him up on the roof, made an opening in the tiles, and let him down on his bed into the middle of the group in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the man, “Your sins are forgiven, my friend”. The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to say to themselves, ‘Who is this man who speaks such blasphemy! God is the only one who can forgive sins!’Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Why do you think such things? Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’ I will prove to you, then, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “tell you, get up, pick up your bed, and go home!” At once the man got up in front of them all, took the bed he had been lying on, and went home, praising God.” (Luke 5:17-25)

 

In verse 21, The Pharisees question Jesus’ authority, claiming that God can only forgive sins. That shows also their lack in faith understanding Jesus’ divinity. In John 20 however, Jesus passes that authority onto His disciples, giving them the power through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to forgive sins.