Jesus has been resurrected for about 12 hours. He has appeared in a locked room with ten of the disciples (Judas is dead and Thomas is absent). He offers them peace twice and tells them that they are being sent. Jesus then breaths on them telling them to receive the Holy Spirit. This is not John’s Pentecost. Pentecost will come in 50 days when the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit will be given to all believers. Right now, it seems, the disciples need wisdom, courage, strength and these come through the Holy Spirit. So this is just a foretaste giving power and ability to the disciples to carry on until Pentecost.
Then Jesus tells them that if they forgive the sins of any they are forgiven but if they withhold forgiveness, forgiveness is withheld. As a protestant pastor I do not hold to the Catholic idea of confession. In confession, priests can given penance and forgive sins or if they feel the confession is insincere they can withhold forgiveness. Catholics and protestants alike agree that God is the great forgiver of sins and no one, on their own has the power to eternally forgive sins except God himself.
So this passage in John 20:23 must mean that we are to offer God’s forgiveness to people. This would agree with the rest of the Bible. Christians spread the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, and if someone believes, prays for forgiveness, repents of the sin of unbelief, then I can give them God’s forgiveness. I can proclaim to them God’s forgiveness. I can stand and with full confidence, declare them forgiven.
If, on the other hand someone comes to me on their own terms, and using the philosophies of the world, tries to convince me that they are worthy of God’s forgiveness, I would withhold it. I would tell them, with great confidence, that they are not forgiven. How do I know? The Bible is clear who is saved and who is not, so God has already declared that this unbeliever is not forgiven. If they die in that state, they will have a great deal of explaining to do to Christ, the judge. But at that moment, as they try and defend their eternal state using worldly philosophies, I would tell them they are not forgiven and will never be, unless the change and believe.
Finally, there is the aspect of Christians forgiving each other. If someone offends me, lies to me, hurts me in some way and they are a brother or sister in Christ, the command straight from Jesus Christ is to forgive them. Even if they keep treating me badly, I am to forgive them until I forgive them more than Christ has forgiven me, and that will never happen. As we pray in the Lord’s prayer, “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." Forgiveness is at the core of Christianity. Live it, teach it and never forget it.
Then Jesus tells them that if they forgive the sins of any they are forgiven but if they withhold forgiveness, forgiveness is withheld. As a protestant pastor I do not hold to the Catholic idea of confession. In confession, priests can given penance and forgive sins or if they feel the confession is insincere they can withhold forgiveness. Catholics and protestants alike agree that God is the great forgiver of sins and no one, on their own has the power to eternally forgive sins except God himself.
So this passage in John 20:23 must mean that we are to offer God’s forgiveness to people. This would agree with the rest of the Bible. Christians spread the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, and if someone believes, prays for forgiveness, repents of the sin of unbelief, then I can give them God’s forgiveness. I can proclaim to them God’s forgiveness. I can stand and with full confidence, declare them forgiven.If, on the other hand someone comes to me on their own terms, and using the philosophies of the world, tries to convince me that they are worthy of God’s forgiveness, I would withhold it. I would tell them, with great confidence, that they are not forgiven. How do I know? The Bible is clear who is saved and who is not, so God has already declared that this unbeliever is not forgiven. If they die in that state, they will have a great deal of explaining to do to Christ, the judge. But at that moment, as they try and defend their eternal state using worldly philosophies, I would tell them they are not forgiven and will never be, unless the change and believe.
Finally, there is the aspect of Christians forgiving each other. If someone offends me, lies to me, hurts me in some way and they are a brother or sister in Christ, the command straight from Jesus Christ is to forgive them. Even if they keep treating me badly, I am to forgive them until I forgive them more than Christ has forgiven me, and that will never happen. As we pray in the Lord’s prayer, “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." Forgiveness is at the core of Christianity. Live it, teach it and never forget it.
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