“If You Forgive The Sins Of Any…” (John 20:23)

Question: Carol asks, “What is the meaning of John 20:23, (Jesus, speaking to the disciples) ‘If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’?”

Answer: Rather than answering this question myself, I have provided quotations from a number of commentaries. This manner of response, a little different from my usual, will serve, I hope, a couple of purposes. It will show the general consensus among conservative evangelical scholars as to the meaning of the text. Not that we decide on a proper interpretation by some kind of majority vote. But it is helpful, and surely significant, when reputable students of the Word agree. My other reason for approaching the answer this way is to recommend the volumes I have quoted. They would be valuable additions to any library.

1. “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.” (The MacArthur Study Bible, Word Publishing, 1997)
2. “Jesus was giving the apostles (and by extension, the church) the privilege of announcing heaven’s terms on how a person can receive forgiveness. If one believes in Jesus, then a Christian has the right to announce his forgiveness. If a person rejects Jesus’ sacrifice, then a Christian can announce that person is not forgiven.” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Vol. II, SP Publications, 1983)
3. “Since only God can forgive sins (Mk. 2:7), the disciples and the church are here given the authority to declare what God does when a man either accepts or rejects His Son.” (The Ryrie Study Bible, Expanded Edition, Moody Press, 1986)
4. “It was not the work of the disciples to forgive sins, but the work of the Holy Spirit through the disciples as they fulfilled the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20). Christ gave the disciples authority to state that forgiveness of sins was possible.” (The Parallel Bible Commentary, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1994)
5. “The disciples were given the right to declare sins forgiven….The disciples go out preaching the gospel. Some people repent of their sins and receive the Lord Jesus. The disciples are authorized to tell them that their sins have been forgiven. Others refuse to repent and will not believe on Christ. The disciples tell them that they are still in their sins, and that if they die, they will perish eternally.” (The Believer’s Bible Commentary, by William MacDonald, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995)
6. “The commission to forgive sins is phrased in an unusual construction. Literally, it is: “Those whose sins you forgive have already been forgiven; those whose sins you do not forgiven have not been forgiven….God does not forgive people’s sins because we decide to do so, nor does He withhold forgiveness because we do not grant is. We announce it; we do not create it.” (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Abridged Edition, Zondervan, 1994)
7. “It has been claimed by some that these disciples were the first bishops of the Church, and the Lord was giving them the authority to remit [forgive] sin and retain sin, and that they were to go out into the world and people were to confess sins to them, and they would tell them what penance to do and thus obtain remission of their sins. I do not find anything like that here.
   One of the most important of the group, the Apostle Peter, was there that day, and Peter went forth in the name of the Lord to proclaim remission of sins. How did he do it? Did he say, “You come to me and confess your sins to me and I will forgive them?” Did he say anything like that? Let us see. In Acts 10 we find Peter preaching the gospel in the household of Cornelius. He tells of Christ’s wonderful life. “The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (He is Lord of all)….To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever”–confesseth his sins to a priest–“shall receive remission of sins.? Is that right? Do you have your Bible open? What does it say? “That through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.”
   Believe on Jesus and you will get remission. That is the commission that every servant of Christ has. We go out to the world and say, We are commanded by Jesus Christ to offer you remission of sin if you will believe on Jesus. And when they do, we dare to say, “Your sins are forgiven or remitted.” And if they do not believe, what then? We say to them, “Your sins are retained.” How do we know it? Because He said so.” (John, a commentary by Harry Ironside, Loizeaux Brothers Incorporated, 1971)
8. “John 20:23 must not be interpreted to mean that Jesus gave to a select body of people the right to forgive sins and let people into heaven….As the early believers went forth into the world, they announced the good news of salvation. If sinners would repent and believe on Jesus Christ, their sins would be forgiven them….All that the Christian can do is announce the message of forgiveness; God performs the miracle of forgiveness. If sinners will believe on Jesus Christ, we can authoritatively declare to them that their sins have been forgiven; but we are not the ones who provide forgiveness.” (The Bible Exposition Commentary, Vol. I, by Warren Wiersbe, SP Publications, 1989)