Comparison Of Joh_20:23 To Other Scripture
IV. COMPARISON OF JOHN 20:23 TO OTHER SCRIPTURE
John 20:23 is the verse relied upon as the strongest to support this position of the Lutherans and Roman Catholics. This they claim is their right and power given to them by God to forgive your sins. To obtain the correct teaching of John 20:23, as any Bible student knows, you must compare all other Scriptures that pertain to the same subject or verse in question. When all Scriptures pertaining to the same subject AGREE, then you have the correct teaching of that subject or verse.
If they do not agree; then you have a wrong interpretation or application of the verse or subject in question. This would then lead to a false teaching per-petrated upon the unsuspecting congregation.
Since all Scripture is given by the "inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 3:16), there can be no error or contradiction in God's Word. This is why Peter declared in 2 Peter 1:20 that, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any PRIVATE INTERPRE-TATION.” The Word "prophesy" is the Greek "propheteia" and defined by Vine's An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words:
"Signifies the speaking forth of the mind and counsel of God. Though much of the Old Testament prophecy was purely predictive, it is the declaration of that which cannot be known by natural means. It is the FORTH-TELLING OF THE WILL OF GOD, WHETHER WITH REFERENCE TO THE PAST, THE PRESENT, OR THE FUTURE." This does not mean that one cannot understand the Scriptures for themselves. It does warn against anyone building a doctrine on one, isolated, verse without comparing all other verses on the same subject. This is why the Holy Spirit inspired Paul in his second epistle to Timothy, to emphasize the value of studying the Word of God for yourself.
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, RIGHTLY DIVIDING the Word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15).
"Rightly dividing" comes from the Greek Word "orthotom" and means "teaching Scripture accurately”. Our study thus far has shown that only God, who is Christ in human flesh, can forgive sins. Now let us compare John 20:23 with some other Scriptures con-cerning forgiveness of sins, and a preacher or priest trying to place himself as mediator and intercessor between God and man.