RETENTION OF SINS

re-ten'-shun, (krateo, "to lay fast hold of" (John 20:23)): The opposite of "the remission of sins." Where there was no evidence of repentance and faith, the community of believers were unauthorized to give assurance of forgiveness, and, therefore, could only warn that the guilt of sin was retained, and that the sinner remained beneath God's judgment.

While such retention has its place in connection with all preaching of the gospel, since the offers of grace are conditional, it is especially exercised, like the absolution, in the personal dealing of a pastor with a communicant, preparatory to the reception of the Lord's Supper. As the absolution is properly an assurance of individual forgiveness, so the retention is an assurance of individual non-forgiveness. That the retention is exercised by the ministry, not as an order, but as the representatives of the congregation of believers to which Christ gave the power of the keys, is shown by Alford, Greek Testament, on above passage. See also Melanchthon, Appendix to the "Schmalkald Articles."

H. E. Jacobs

Thomas' Test.
... Christ and their fellow-men, that the chief function they should be required to
discharge in this mediation was the forgiving and retention of sins, and that ...
/.../dods/the expositors bible the gospel of st john vol ii/xxiii thomas test.htm

John Chapter xx. 10-29.
... Therefore it is, that after saying "Receive ye the Holy Ghost," He straightway
added this regarding the remission and retention of sins. ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate cxxi john chapter xx.htm

Answer to Objections: Man's Freewill and God's Foreknowledge
... refinements, to impulsive praise and blame, on the basis of our retention of free ...
himself up in readiness to sin, will incite him to these particular sins. ...
/.../origen/origen on prayer/chapter iv answer to objections .htm

Accidental Causes of Corruption.
... loosed [113] us from our sins by His blood.' In early times a purist scribe, who
had a dislike of anything that savoured of provincial retention of Aeolian or ...
/.../chapter v accidental causes of.htm

Modesty, the Flower of Manners
... 712] wishing even the precision of them who advised the retention of circumcision. ...
at the same time among the moderate and among the greatest sins, so that ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/on modesty/chapter i modesty the flower.htm

Israel's Obstinacy and God's Patience
... to national vanity, and have for one of their chief themes the sins of the ... Observe,
too, that the punishment is the retention of the occasions of the sin. ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture f/israels obstinacy and gods patience.htm

Twenty Fourth Sunday after Trinity Prayer and Spiritual Knowledge.
... means faith in and the comfort of the forgiveness of sins, since we ... something which
the apostle calls "understanding"; that is, a careful retention of what has ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/twenty fourth sunday after trinity.htm

Ananias and Sapphira.
... Avarice was contented with the retention of a part; and vanity was gratified by ... wicked
to contrive and perpetrate very aggravated crimes; but some sins are so ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture vi ananias and sapphira.htm

Love and Remorse
... How it is not the possession, but the retention, of goodness and devout impressions ...
the stern retribution that followed them, but small acts may be great sins. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/love and remorse.htm

A Compendious view of the Christian Life.
... man," [1688] how is it not impious that they should fall into double sins? ... be the
keenness of a well-regulated mind [1710] for discourse, and retention of what ...
/.../clement/the instructor paedagogus/chapter xi a compendious view of.htm