Who Can Forgive Sin?

 3/19/2026

Phillip McSwain, Jr.

Sin is a disease that has plagued all humanity, from Adam and Eve to King David, the Apostles, and us today. Sin will continue to afflict mankind until Christ return in all of His glory. However, on the cross, Christ remedied the malady of sin by His substitutionary atonement when He shed His precious blood for humankind.

Forgiveness of sin through believing in Christ’s active obedience brought about His passive obedience, therefore justifying the demands of God that He placed upon the world as a penalty for sin.

Forgiveness is the act of pardoning one’s sins. The question then becomes, “Who can forgive sin?”

Catholicism teaches that priests have been given the authority to forgive sins through Scripture, but these teachings are erroneous and scripturally unsound. There is also a more recent trend of this idea of self-forgiveness, but this concept collapses as there is no biblical basis for such a notion.

Under the weight of unforgiven sins are false hope, shame, and guilt, and there are damaging effects on believers' and unbelievers lives that only God Himself can cure.

Unforgiven sin is too heavy of a burden to be placed in the hands of sinful men; therefore, it can only be trusted to a righteous, holy, blameless, and sinless God to lift and forgive.

Catholicism and the Priestly Forgiveness

In Catholicism, there is the belief that a priest can forgive the sins of its parishioners through confessionals.

For many years, the Catholic Church has long held the idea of priestly forgiveness, hidden behind the vale of badly interpreted Scriptures, which have led to erroneous doctrines on the topic of confessions and forgiveness.

The word confession is an act of confessing one's sins (confession, 2022, Merriam-Webster.com). While this practice has been prevalent in the Roman Catholic church for centuries, it is not the type of confession seen in Scripture, therefore, it cannot be solidified as a right of the church.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica (2022), “A detailed confession to a bishop or priest, however, appeared early in the church’s history. In the 5th-century discipline of the Roman Church, the practice was to hear confessions at the beginning of Lent and to Reconcile the penitents on Holy Thursday in preparation for Easter. Gradually, however, the practice of reconciling, or absolving, sinners immediately after confession and before fulfillment of penance was introduced. By the end of the 11th century, only notorious sinners were reconciled on Holy Thursday. Often, those guilty of serious, mortal sins put off penance until death approached. To correct this abuse, the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) established the rule that every Christian should confess to a priest at least once a year” (Britannica, para. 3).

This idea is taken from Leviticus 19: 20-22, where God commands a priestly atonement sacrifice for the sins of those who have committed sexual and other immoral sins (ESV).

Note that this practice was a part of the Israelite moral laws commissioned by God Himself under the Mosaic covenant. While the New Testament confirms the Old Testament, the sacrifice of animals could no longer atone for the sins of mankind.

This fact is found and confirmed in Psalms 40: 6-8 and Hebrews 10: 1-22 (ESV). The church now operates under the new covenant, and Christ became the ultimate sacrificial lamb for the sins of humanity. This new covenant can be found in Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 36, Mark 14: 24, Luke 22: 20, 1 Corinthians 11: 25, 2 Corinthians 3: 6, and Hebrews 8: 6-8, 13; 9: 15 (ESV).

Secondly, note that this directive was in a dispensation that differed from the Church age. The church was not established until Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost, so it would leave one to ask, “Why is the Roman Catholic church operating under the presumption of an old dispensation?” Vlach (n.d.) wrote, ‘Dispensationalism affirms that God has always had a people throughout history, but the church is a New Testament entity that began in the Book of Acts. The church did not exist in the Old Testament but is a New Testament organism linked with the arrival of Jesus the Messiah and the baptizing ministry of the Holy Spirit" (para. 15).

This concept of priestly forgiveness is antithetical and finds its footing in erroneous heresy.

The Catholic Church claims this idea is found in the Gospel of John. He records these words of our Lord, Jesus Christ, ‘“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so, I am sending you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld"’ (John 20:21-23, ESV).

This particular text is ground zero for their claim of priestly forgiveness as Catholicism tries to affirm that Jesus commissioned the apostles and other believers the power and authority to forgive sins here in this Scripture. Also,  this should be coupled with the false claim that Jesus Christ forgave sins as a man and not as God incarnate. (Staples, T., 2022, catholic.com).

MacArthur (2010) wrote, “This verse does not give authority to Christians to forgive sins. Jesus was saying that the believer can boldly declare the certainty of a sinner’s forgiveness by the Father because of the work of his Son if that sinner has repented and believed the gospel. The believer with certainty can also tell those who do not respond to the message of God’s forgiveness through faith in Christ that their sins, as a result, are not forgiven” (p. 1584).

Catholicism also tries to ground its assertions with several other Scriptures to framework this particular doctrine but finds itself lacking as these Scriptures speak of forgiveness amongst believers and not of the sinful behavior of one individual who sinned against a Holy God. According to Turner (2020), “While modern understandings of forgiveness focus almost exclusively on the emotional and attitudinal aspects of forgiveness, the early church emphasized its relational aspects” (p. 39). Scriptures such as 1 Peter 2: 5 speak of believers being a royal priesthood (ESV). In James 5: 16, it states that believers should confess their sins to one another and pray for one another for healing (ESV). Furthermore, 2 Corinthians 2: 5-11; 5: 18-19 are used to justify priestly forgiveness but end in farce lies and a lack of misunderstanding of the Word of God.

Mike Gendron (2011) wrote, “Such teaching leaves people full of doubt and fear and at the mercy of their church. It devalues the work of Christ and robs Him of His glory and power.

I Forgive Me?

In recent years, there has been a trend matriculating through Christian circles called self-forgiveness. An idea that is spiritually and emotionally damaging in the Christian world and plays itself out in physical expressions.

This ideology is harmful not only to the believing world but to the world as a whole.

This teaching has seemingly taken Christianity by storm as believers believe and subscribe to it, and popular Gospel artists have written "encouraging" songs referencing it. Christian psychologists are diagnosing and recommending steps to practice self-forgiveness, and pastors are even proclaiming it as the Word of God from the pulpits of the House of God. Their question, however, should be, “Is this ideology biblical?”

Self-forgiveness is a concept that originated in secular thought and produced itself in secular psychological circles. According to Enright and Kim (2014), “In the psychological literature, self-forgiveness is perceived as one’s healing journey from estrangement to a sense of arriving at home in the sense that one is now comfortable with the self. It is generally conceived to be a construct similar to interpersonal forgiveness directed toward the self, that is, a willingness to give up one's right to resentment (self-resentment in this case) in the face of injustice (self-offense in this case) while developing compassion, generosity, and love toward the self. Self-forgiveness is also seen as a series of cognitive changes that gradually diminish self- condemnation, cease retaliation against self, and leads to the offering of benevolence to the self. Further, it is seen as a coping strategy particularly dealing with feelings of grief and a psychological mechanism of reducing shame and promoting self-esteem” (p. 260).

While one may choose to forgive themselves, it leaves no true lasting relief from unforgiven sins.

There is a weight to unforgiven sin that leads to shame and guilt. While shame and guilt may be products of unforgiven sin, other damaging effects exist. The most damaging effect of unforgiven sin is the strained relationship the believer has with God.

When unconfessed, sin leaves believers in a non-communal state with God.

While the relationship is not severed because the believer has been sealed and cannot lose their salvation, there is a loss of fellowship.

Wiersbe (2007) wrote, “To repent simply means change one’s mind” and disobedient Christians need to repent, not in order to be saved, but in order to restore their close fellowship with God” (p. 522). Secondly, unconfessed habitual sin can lead to believers being removed from this world before their time because they are not a benefit to the kingdom but a hindrance (1 John 5: 16, ESV). MacArthur (2010) concludes, “Such a sin could be any premeditated and unconfessed sin that causes the Lord to determine to end a believer’s life. It is not one particular sin like homosexuality or lying, but whatever sin is the final one in the tolerance of God. Failure to repent of and forsake sin may eventually lead to physical death as a judgment of God” (p. 1923).

Paul states that Godly grief produces repentance without regret because repentance leads to salvation, but death is produced by worldly grief (2 Corinthians 7: 10, ESV). MacArthur (2010) further adds that godly grief is inducted by the will of God and generated by the Holy Spirit. It is a continual act by believers while sinners repent upon believing faith. Worldly grief is human remorse that does not satisfy sin’s ailment and leaves the sinner in the same condition. It is wounded pride from having one's sinful desires going unfulfilled, which leads to guilt, shame, depression, and so on (p. 1727).

If one believes they can forgive their sins, it manifests in a “god” complex.

If sinners can forgive their sins, then they replace God and do not need Him in the confession, repentance, and forgiveness process. Why pray? Why feel remorse or shame and guilt? Why ask for forgiveness when I can do what God does? This thought leads to a false hope of security. Believing that one's sins can be forgiven by self-forgiveness leaves the one seeking forgiveness shackled under the weight of compounded sins.

“The cautionary views on self-forgiveness have been largely for two reasons: its lack of theological justification and its tendency for narcissistic pseudo-self-forgiveness that occurs when the self-forgiver claims to have forgiven himself without acknowledging his self-offense and accepting responsibility" (Enright, R. & Kim, J., 2014, p. 261).

There are several Scriptures used to teach such heretical ideologies: Mark 11: 25, 1 John 1: 9, Colossians 3: 13, Ephesians 4: 32, Matthew 6: 12; 14-15; 18: 15, Luke 7: 47; 17: 3-4, Romans 8: 1, and Isaiah 65: 16, and just like Catholicism, these justification Scriptures are steeped in bolstered heresies.

Only God Can Forgive

The climax of forgiveness can only be found in God.

The question of “Who can forgive sins?” was answered within a rhetorical question oneday as Jesus preached in Capernaum. As soon as Jesus heals a paralytic man who was lowered down through the roof of a house by his friends, some scribes who sat and watched, questioned in their hearts, “Who can forgive sins but God alone” (Mark 2:1-7)? Rightly questioned, but wrongly asked from indignant hearts.

God is the one who forgives sins, but little did they know, Jesus is God.

God is the one who sets the standard for the prerequisites for forgiving sins. To circumvent these preconditioned requirements leaves the seeker of forgiveness back to where they first started or worse. Only forgiveness comes from God. As stated in earlier paragraphs, only a righteous, holy, blameless, and sinless God, who knows no sin, can forgive sins.

To say that sinful man can forgive sin is to repeat the words of Christ, “Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:14, ESV).

‘God’s forgiveness entails our accountability through the practices of prayer and repentance. Repentance as an embodied way of forgiveness is the way we unfold God’s forgiveness. It is in this way that we become pure in heart and “see God”’ (p. 52). Several Scriptures solidify that forgiveness belongs solely to God. Daniel 9: 9 states mercy and forgiveness belong to our God (ESV). In Psalm 32: 5, David declares that God forgave the iniquity of his sins after he asked for forgiveness, acknowledged his sin to Him, and did not hide them from God.

Psalm 103: 12 says that God will remove our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west (ESV). In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus states that we must pray to God for His forgiveness (Matthew 6: 12, ESV). The Apostle John wrote, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, ESV).

The Old Testament and the New Testament say the same thing about God; He is the only one who forgives sins.

MacArthur (2010) notes, ‘Continual confession of sin is an indication of genuine salvation. While the false teachers would not admit their sin, the genuine Christians admitted and forsook it. The term "confess" means to say the same thing about sin as God does; to acknowledge his perspective about sin. Confession of sin characterizes genuine Christians, and God continually cleanses those who are confessing. Rather than focusing on confession for every single sin as necessary, John has especially in mind here a settled recognition and acknowledgment that one is a sinner in need of cleansing and forgiveness’ (p. 1915).

The key is to confess one’s sins solely to God for forgiveness if total retribution for sin is desired.

He or she must be godly sorrowful and desires to be released and pardoned from their sins. Honesty with one’s self is in view here. Before forgiveness can be initiated, one must be honest with self. Charles, Jr. (2022) wrote, “Consequently, honesty with…self is a precious commodity seldomly found in either the world and the church” (p. 95). Honest, genuine repentance is a necessary requirement. It must be duly noted, there will be times when Satan will bring up one's past sins, but God has cast them away, and so should the one who has received clemency.

The idea here is to realize that God's forgiveness is sure and absolute. Understand that you have been forgiven, move on, and do not look back.

Conclusion

“The idea of forgiving one's self is becoming all too common, but the truth is, only God can forgive you of your sins or anything else that ails you. The Apostle John in 1 John 1:9 helps us to come to terms with this fact as he tells us that true confession to God about one's sins and shortcomings initiates God’s forgiveness. Forgiving one's self requires active participation solely on the part of the offender. It suggests that one is in it alone but this is far from the truth because we can do nothing of spiritual or eternal value apart from God” (McSwain, P., 2021, thechristianinquiry.com).

The burden of shame and guilt results from unforgiven sins that God can only absolve through honest, repentant prayer. To fall short of such requirements will leave one destitute and in danger of deadly consequences.

False hope is all that is offered to those who believe the lies of false teachings about forgiveness.

The results are shame and guilt that can only be satisfied by God, who knows no sin, is perfect in all His ways, guiltless, and pure. Sin left in the hands of sinful men is a burden too heavy to bear, but not for God.

References

1. Charles, H. (2022). In It Happens After Prayer (p. 95). essay. Moody Publishers.

2. Encyclopedia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Confession. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved October 5,

   2022, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/confession-religion

3. Kim, J. J., & Enright, R. D. (2014). A Theological and Psychological Defense of Self-forgiveness:

   Implications for counseling. Journal of Psychology & Theology, 42(3), 260–261.

4. MacArthur, J. (2010). In The MacArthur Study Bible: English standard version (p. 1920). essay, Crossway. 

5. McSwain, P. (2021, May 24). Forgiveness: It Belongs to God. Christian Inquiry. Retrieved October 7, 2022, from https://www.thechristianinquiry.org/podcast/episode/b8e8c1b0/weekly-spotlight-forgiveness-it-belongs-to-him 

6. Mitchell, L. L. (Leonel L. (1985). To Declare God’s Forgiveness: Toward a Pastoral Theology of Reconciliation. Anglican Theological Review, 67(3), 301–302.

7. Staples, T. (2022, March 14). Is confession in Scripture? Catholic Answers. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/is-confession-in-scripture 

8. Turner, M. J. (2020). A History of Confession of Sin: from the Early Church to Modern Evangelicalism. The Reformed Theological Review, 79(1), 39.

9. Wiersbe, W. W. (2007). In The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The complete old testament in one volume (p. 522). essay, David C. Cook.