Who but God alone can forgive

“Who but God alone can forgive sins?”

The Creator saw that our wound was grown great, and needed the care of a physician—and Jesus himself is our Creator, and himself heals us—and he sent forerunners before his face…. None among the creatures was able to heal that great wound, but only the bounty of God, that is to say his Only Begotten, whom he sent to be the Savior of all the world; for he is the great physician, who is able to heal the great wound…. And of his bounty the Father of creatures spared not his Only Begotten for our salvation, but delivered him up for us all and for our iniquities (Rom 8:32). And he humbled himself, and by his stripes we all were healed (Phil 2:8; Is 53:5). And by the word of his power he gathered us out of all lands, from one end of the world to the other end of the world, and raised up our hearts from the earth, and taught us that we are members one of another.

I beseech you, dearly beloved in the Lord: understand that this Scripture is the command of God. For it is a great thing for us to understand the form that Jesus accepted for us: for he became in all things like unto us, apart from sin (Heb 4:15). Now therefore it is right that we also should set ourselves free by his advent, that by his foolishness he may make us wise, and by his poverty may enrich us, and by his weakness strengthen us, and confer resurrection upon us all, destroying him that had the power of death (Heb 2:14)…. The advent of Jesus helps us to do what is good, until we have destroyed all our vices. Then Jesus will say to us, Henceforth I call you not servants, but brethren (Jn 15:15). When therefore the Apostles attained to receiving the Spirit of adoption, then the Holy Spirit taught them to worship the Father as they ought.

Saint Anthony of the Desert