“If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” (John 20:23).
These words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of John are misunderstood by many and given widely different interpretations in different branches of Christianity. In Roman Catholicism, they are taken to mean that the apostles and their successors were given the power to forgive or not forgive when they hear the confession of sins. Protestants understand the statement very differently, so we should look closely at the context in which the statement appears and also at other biblical passages on forgiveness.
The context of Jesus’ words is not one of forgiveness, per se, but the commissioning of the disciples – and the wider church – to evangelize the world. Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ ” (John 20:21-22). How does this connect with his following statement about forgiveness?
Many scriptures show that God gives everyone the power to forgive those who wrong them personally and individually in the sense of not holding the wrong against the other person (Ephesians 4:32; etc.), but other Scriptures show just as clearly that only God can truly and fully forgive sins (Isaiah 43:25; Mark 2:7; Luke 5:21; etc.).
In his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter said “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). Acts tells us “With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ Those who accepted his message were baptized… And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:40-47). This is the greater context in which Jesus’ words can be understood. The apostles preached the gospel as Jesus had commanded them, and some accepted the gospel message and were saved while others did not.
Jesus’ words “If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” are, then, not talking about any power Christians have to forgive people’s sins, but the message of forgiveness in Christ that they were commissioned to teach. In declaring the will of God, Jesus promised his followers would be taught by the Holy Spirit to state on what terms God would extend His forgiveness of sins – repentance and baptism showing the acceptance of Jesus Christ. It was not authority to forgive individuals Jesus was giving his disciples, but the truth regarding the conditions by which people could be pardoned by God.
In other words, their message was a declaration of the reality of God's judgment based on a person's response or non-response to the gospel message. In that sense, Jesus gave authority to his Church to tell the people of the world their sins were forgiven or not based on their response to God’s message to them.
It is also interesting to note that the expression “If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” is in the plural on both sides of this equation. Just as it is the plurality of Christians rather than any one individual who is given this power, so it is expressed to groups of people – who believe or do not – rather than to individuals. The two groups do not indicate what God’s will is (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9; Matthew 23:37; etc.) but what is the case when God’s message is rejected or accepted.
These words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of John are misunderstood by many and given widely different interpretations in different branches of Christianity. In Roman Catholicism, they are taken to mean that the apostles and their successors were given the power to forgive or not forgive when they hear the confession of sins. Protestants understand the statement very differently, so we should look closely at the context in which the statement appears and also at other biblical passages on forgiveness.
The context of Jesus’ words is not one of forgiveness, per se, but the commissioning of the disciples – and the wider church – to evangelize the world. Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ ” (John 20:21-22). How does this connect with his following statement about forgiveness?
Many scriptures show that God gives everyone the power to forgive those who wrong them personally and individually in the sense of not holding the wrong against the other person (Ephesians 4:32; etc.), but other Scriptures show just as clearly that only God can truly and fully forgive sins (Isaiah 43:25; Mark 2:7; Luke 5:21; etc.).
In his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter said “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). Acts tells us “With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ Those who accepted his message were baptized… And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:40-47). This is the greater context in which Jesus’ words can be understood. The apostles preached the gospel as Jesus had commanded them, and some accepted the gospel message and were saved while others did not.
Jesus’ words “If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” are, then, not talking about any power Christians have to forgive people’s sins, but the message of forgiveness in Christ that they were commissioned to teach. In declaring the will of God, Jesus promised his followers would be taught by the Holy Spirit to state on what terms God would extend His forgiveness of sins – repentance and baptism showing the acceptance of Jesus Christ. It was not authority to forgive individuals Jesus was giving his disciples, but the truth regarding the conditions by which people could be pardoned by God.
In other words, their message was a declaration of the reality of God's judgment based on a person's response or non-response to the gospel message. In that sense, Jesus gave authority to his Church to tell the people of the world their sins were forgiven or not based on their response to God’s message to them.
It is also interesting to note that the expression “If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” is in the plural on both sides of this equation. Just as it is the plurality of Christians rather than any one individual who is given this power, so it is expressed to groups of people – who believe or do not – rather than to individuals. The two groups do not indicate what God’s will is (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9; Matthew 23:37; etc.) but what is the case when God’s message is rejected or accepted.
RSS Feed
