S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

In John 20:23, Jesus tells His disciples, "If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." The very core of the gospel message is the truth th...

Login or Sign Up to view the rest of this answer.

July 01 2013 • 4 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Billy P Eldred Supporter

I believe the key to this verse lies in verse 21 "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you". Why did Jesus come? To save the lost! Why was he sending out his disciples? To save the lost! 

And how are the lost saved? By Faith in Jesus. So I believe Jesus was saying: I am empowering you with the Holy Spirit to witness to the lost. They will either believe and therefore their sins will be forgiven commuting their death sentence or they will remain in their sin, unforgiven. 

As I reread this answer this morning, this verse came to mind:
: Romans 10:14 NIV
[14] How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 

I believe Jesus was encouraging his disciples and saying "If you don't go to these people and preach the good news, what hope do they have! I am annointing you with the Holy Spirit so you will have what you need to succeed.

January 20 2016 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Richard Magee Supporter Disabled Scholar

To understand this passage, I feel that it must be looked at in a different way. I think Jesus used this to sway people to believe in him so that their sins are forgiven summarily and without question. Otherwise he warns that you will be bound to your sins by each and every individual who will not, in and of themselves, forgive you. I feel it was a successful attempt at being a "sobering thought" to clench his deal with those present and the future of us who are made the same offer to join in Him for absolution, by the spreading of his gospel.

November 29 2015 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

paul thieman Supporter

one sins block one's faith. To forgive is a key to God's Kingdom so to
have victory we must forgive.

January 21 2016 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Michael Davis Supporter Former Baptist Pastor now Catholic, lover of the poor

None of what I say here will be my opinion. I am a human with a sin nature and so my opinion is short-sided. I appeal to the Scritpures and to the Early Fathers who were discipled by the apostles. 

1. In the context Jesus is speaking to the Apostles directly. He is not speaking to the entire church, but to specific people. He is giving them His authority to forgive sins or to withhold forgiveness. Again, before going back to Heaven Jesus is giving the Apostles His authority to lead His Church. Of course, only God can forgive sin, but He is now using human leaders to be a visible sign of Him with His people. Therefore, He is giving them authority to speak on His behalf to forgive sins. 

2. The Early Fathers who were discipled by the Apostles wrote in many places that the Apostles, and thus their successors, have the authority to loose and to bind, to forgive or to withhold forgiveness of sins acting in Persona Christi (in the Person of Christ). They also taught that for them to be able to know whether to forgive or withhold forgiveness they had to know what the sins are, so we have the sacrament of reconciliation (formerly called Confession). If the ones who were discipled by the Apostles held this interpretation of this passage, then who am I to argue?

The quotes of the Early Fathers on the interpretation of the scripture and their writings on the fact that we should confess our sins to the Apostles, or their successors, and that they are acting in Persona Christi is so numorous that I cannot take up the space here. I will just encourage you to do your own research. It is God Who forgives sin, but since the Incarnation of Christ He uses His human leaders to carry out His mission in the Church.

February 28 2019 • 6 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

What is the correct interpretation of John 20:23?

John 20:23 ESV - 23: If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.

Interpretation of John 20:23 

John 20:23 presents Jesus granting His disciples a serious, Spirit-empowered responsibility. 

After giving them the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), He commissions them to announce the reality of forgiveness or the absence of forgiveness as people respond to the message about Him. 

This authority does not allow them to generate forgiveness or decide its recipients; rather, it enables them to declare the status of a person's sins based on God's already established judgment.

God alone removes guilt, yet He appoints His servants to communicate that removal when someone genuinely turns to Him. 

When the apostles proclaim forgiveness, they are confirming what heaven has already enacted. When they state that forgiveness is withheld, they are identifying the unchanged condition of a person who rejects Christ. 

Their role is representative, not creative; they speak on behalf of God's verdict, not in place of it.

The Greek structure of the passage indicates that the forgiving or retaining of sins occurs before the disciples' announcement. 

Their words reveal what God has done, not what they decide. This aligns with Jesus' earlier teaching about the "keys of the kingdom" (Matthew 16:19; 18:18), where the church is entrusted with declaring the terms of entering God's reign. 

The apostles therefore act as authorised heralds, making known the spiritual reality of those who accept or refuse the gospel.

This responsibility is illustrated in Acts 5:1 11, where Peter exposes the deception of Ananias and Sapphira through Spirit-given insight. 

His pronouncement reflects heaven's judgment, showing that their sin remained unforgiven. The authority exercised there is the same authority Jesus described in John 20:23—Spirit-empowered discernment and proclamation of God's assessment.

In essence, Jesus entrusts His followers with announcing the truth about forgiveness: when someone embraces Christ, they can confidently affirm that God has granted mercy; when someone rejects Him, they must state that sin remains. Their task is to reveal the spiritual reality God has already determined.

Beginner Friendly Version 

Jesus told His followers that when they share His message, they can explain whether someone is forgiven. They look at how a person responds to Him. If someone turns to Jesus, they can say, "God has forgiven you," because God promises mercy to those who believe. 

If someone refuses Jesus, they can say, "Your sins are still there," because nothing has changed inside that person. The disciples are not choosing who is forgiven; they are helping people understand what God has already done. Their job is to show others their true spiritual condition before God.

Summary

John 20:23 should be understood in light of Jesus sending out His disciples after the resurrection and giving them the Holy Spirit in John 20:22. In this moment, Jesus assigns them a role that involves declaring God's judgment, not creating it. Their task is to state how God views a person's response to Christ. 

This authority comes from the Spirit and is tied to their mission to preach the gospel and explain its results.

6 days ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report