Let's go now to Chuck, listening in Southington, Ohio.

Hi, Chuck.

Hi, Patrick.

Here's my question.

I was saved in 1969 when I came back from Vietnam in a Protestant church.

Okay?

I was saved and baptized.

Now, Jesus said to Peter, whatsoever about sins, whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,

whatsoever you lose on earth shall be loose in heaven.

And I always worry, you know, did the Protestant church have a right to forgive my sins

since the Catholic Church was originally designated to do that?

Well, the answer is no.

If by that you mean what Jesus is referring to in John 20,

where you're quoting from, is the sacrament of confession, where he imparts on the apostles,

the authority, and the ability to forgive sins in his name. Only God can forgive sins, but if he

delegates this authority to the apostles, God's free to do that.

And that's what Jesus did there. You know, he breathes on them and says, receive the Holy Spirit.

He's who sins you forgive or forgiven. He who sends you hold bound or held bound. So that is a special

power and authority granted to the apostles and to their successors. And all other things

being what they are, Protestants do not have apostolic succession. So they don't have that ability,

certainly not sacramentally. So my sins aren't forgiven? Well, no. As a Protestant, right.

You were...

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