What is a symbol of a priest's power to forgive?

Answer 1

A biblical priest was just a medium through which God communicated forgiveness to the people and the priest interceded for them to God. The only priest who has had, or will ever have, any power to forgive is Christ Jesus. For He is both God and man, something a human priest is not.

Answer 2

The Judeo-Christian Bible teaches that only an individual may forgive another who has offended/sinned against him. In fact, the New Testament has Jesus Christ telling us that if we wished to be forgiven, we must first forgive all who have done so against ourselves.

The Scripture is also very clear that the priest, acting as an intermediary to God, can offer 'sacrifices' or prayer requests to have the people forgiven. Only God can forgive.

The only human priest to be able to forgive was Jesus Christ - as the Son of Man and the Son of God - being Himself, a God Family member.

That being said, there are those humans who have the title of priest, minister, reverend, etc., who take it upon themselves to 'forgive' people of their sins. There is no biblical authority for this although some use the words of Christ saying 'whatever you forgive will be forgiven and whatever you do not forgive will not be forgiven. One must realize that the Apostles spent 3 1/2 years of close and personal training with Jesus Himself, learning from Him and being full of God's Holy Spirit to guide them. They had a 'special calling' and mission as shown here as even Peter knew better than to eat against the dietary laws when he misunderstood his dream from Jesus at first. The 'binding' statement of Jesus to the Apostles had to do with civil ordinances/statutes and not the Law of God which Jesus said no dot or small mark would be lost from the Law - not even by Him who gave mankind the Law of His Father.

Answer 3

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