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If Yahushua isn’t God, how did he forgive sins?

Question: If Yahushua isn’t God, how did he forgive sins?

Answer: Yahuwah gives to His chosen the authority to forgive sins.

Mark 2:7
Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?

The above words were spoken by a Jewish religious leader after Yahushua had told a paralyzed man his sins were forgiven. Scripture often quotes what people said, but what they said is many times quite different than what Yahuwah says in His Word.

No verse of Scripture says that "only God can forgive sins." That idea came from their tradition. The truth is that Yahuwah grants the authority to forgive sins as He pleases. He granted that authority to His Son Yahushua and later also to the apostles.

1) Yahuwah grants the authority to forgive sins to Yahushua:

Matthew 9:2
And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Yahushua seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

Mark 2:5
When Yahushua saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

When Yahushua forgave the man’s sins, the religious leaders could see no evidence of his having been forgiven, and so they scoffed within themselves: "Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?" (Mark 2:7)

Mark 2:8-12
And immediately when Yahushua perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?

But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

Yahushua calls himself not God or God the Son, he calls himself the son of man, a human being in modern language. The man Yahushua had the power on earth to forgive sins.

2) Disciples of Yahushua received the authority to forgive sins:

After Yahushua was risen, he ascended to his Father and on the first day of the week at evening he came and stood in the midst of his disciples:

John 20:21-23
Then said Yahushua to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Yahushua breathed on them and they received the Holy Ghost. They received the authority to forgive sins. They were men, not God. And they used this authority under the guidance of the Holy Spirit given to them.

Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Yahushua Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 10:42-43
And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he (Yahushua) which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

Yahushua also instructed Saul (Paul) when he went to Damascus:

Acts 26:16
But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;

Acts 26:17-18
Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Conclusion:

1) Firstly Yahuwah sent his son Yahushua with the authority to forgive sins and heal sick men.
2) Later Yahushua sent his disciples and Paul with the authority to forgive sins and heal sick men.

No Scripture says that "only God can forgive sins." Yahushua and apostles were human beings filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to forgive sins and heal sick people. They were sent as Yahushua was sent by his Father. Yahuwah gives such authorities to His chosen people as He pleases.