Simple question.

[Absolem]

What did Jesus mean when he said this?

John 20:23

Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soeversins ye retain, they are retained.

[missmuffet]

7 minutes ago, Absolem said:

What did Jesus mean when he said this?

John 20:23

Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soeversins ye retain, they are retained.

Question: "What is the correct interpretation of John 20:23?"

Answer: 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 that the way someone has their sins forgiven is by having faith in Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Savior. In Acts 10:43-44, when Peter was sharing the gospel, he said, “Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” First John 5:1-5 tells us only he who believes in Jesus will overcome the world. Luke 5:20 says, “When Jesus saw their faith, He said ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’” Colossians 2:13-14 says Jesus forgave all our sins. All these passages confirm that Jesus is the one who forgives sin, and He forgives all of our sins. If we have had genuine faith in Him, someone else cannot later decide we are not forgiven one sin or another. So, what exactly did Jesus mean in John 20:23?

Only God can forgive sins, and Christ, being God, has the power to do so as well, but He never communicated any such power to His disciples, nor did they ever assume any such power to themselves. The key to understanding the meaning of John 20:23 lies in the previous two verses: “Again 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.’” He sent them, as He is sending us, to bring the good news of the way to salvation and heaven to the whole world. Jesus was leaving the earth physically but promised God would be with them in the person of the Holy Spirit living in them. As they proclaimed the gospel, they could honestly tell people who believed in that message that their sins were forgiven, and they could honestly tell people that did not believe in the message that their sins were not forgiven and that they stand condemned in God’s eyes. Jesus said, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).

Believers today have the very same mission given to us! We are obligated to share the gospel message, the way to heaven, to others in the world, and we go about that mission with the Holy Spirit living inside us, guiding us as we share His truth. We are obligated to tell people the only way to be forgiven is through faith. Jesus said in John 8:24, “If you do not believe that I am (God), you will indeed die in your sins.” This is the very core of the gospel message and the very heart of what we are to explain to the world. It was Jesus’ last command to His followers before He physically left the earth—carry forward the message of hope and save as many as will believe in Him.

Jesus preached a crucial message about forgiving our brothers, as God forgave us. We stand in grace, and He expects us to keep our hearts pure toward others, not holding grudges or harboring a spirit of unforgiveness, especially after He gave us such undeserved love and forgiveness at such a high personal cost to Himself! Jesus said those who have been forgiven much, love much (Luke 7:47). He expects us to forgive others 70 times 7 times (Matthew 18:22). We are also told that if we are praying but hold something against anyone, we are to forgive that person so our relationship with God is right and righteous! Colossians 3:13 says, “Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” We know we are His if we love our brothers and don’t hate them or have unforgiveness in our hearts (1 John 2:3-6; 3:14-19; 4:16-21). Forgiveness is a key to showing we indeed have eternal life inside us, according to these passages. If we say we love God but hate our brother, we are liars and no truth is in us. So, our forgiveness of others is a major indicator of true fellowship with God. God looks at the heart and actions, not mere words. Jesus stated while on earth, “These people come near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” So, it’s important we have a living, genuine faith: “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers” (1 John 3:14).

https://www.gotquestions.org/John-20-23.html

Edited April 20, 2020 by missmuffet

[Absolem]

30 minutes ago, missmuffet said:

Question: "What is the correct interpretation of John 20:23?"

Answer: 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 that the way someone has their sins forgiven is by having faith in Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Savior. In Acts 10:43-44, when Peter was sharing the gospel, he said, “Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” First John 5:1-5 tells us only he who believes in Jesus will overcome the world. Luke 5:20 says, “When Jesus saw their faith, He said ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’” Colossians 2:13-14 says Jesus forgave all our sins. All these passages confirm that Jesus is the one who forgives sin, and He forgives all of our sins. If we have had genuine faith in Him, someone else cannot later decide we are not forgiven one sin or another. So, what exactly did Jesus mean in John 20:23?

Only God can forgive sins, and Christ, being God, has the power to do so as well, but He never communicated any such power to His disciples, nor did they ever assume any such power to themselves. The key to understanding the meaning of John 20:23 lies in the previous two verses: “Again 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.’” He sent them, as He is sending us, to bring the good news of the way to salvation and heaven to the whole world. Jesus was leaving the earth physically but promised God would be with them in the person of the Holy Spirit living in them. As they proclaimed the gospel, they could honestly tell people who believed in that message that their sins were forgiven, and they could honestly tell people that did not believe in the message that their sins were not forgiven and that they stand condemned in God’s eyes. Jesus said, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).

Believers today have the very same mission given to us! We are obligated to share the gospel message, the way to heaven, to others in the world, and we go about that mission with the Holy Spirit living inside us, guiding us as we share His truth. We are obligated to tell people the only way to be forgiven is through faith. Jesus said in John 8:24, “If you do not believe that I am (God), you will indeed die in your sins.” This is the very core of the gospel message and the very heart of what we are to explain to the world. It was Jesus’ last command to His followers before He physically left the earth—carry forward the message of hope and save as many as will believe in Him.

Jesus preached a crucial message about forgiving our brothers, as God forgave us. We stand in grace, and He expects us to keep our hearts pure toward others, not holding grudges or harboring a spirit of unforgiveness, especially after He gave us such undeserved love and forgiveness at such a high personal cost to Himself! Jesus said those who have been forgiven much, love much (Luke 7:47). He expects us to forgive others 70 times 7 times (Matthew 18:22). We are also told that if we are praying but hold something against anyone, we are to forgive that person so our relationship with God is right and righteous! Colossians 3:13 says, “Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” We know we are His if we love our brothers and don’t hate them or have unforgiveness in our hearts (1 John 2:3-6; 3:14-19; 4:16-21). Forgiveness is a key to showing we indeed have eternal life inside us, according to these passages. If we say we love God but hate our brother, we are liars and no truth is in us. So, our forgiveness of others is a major indicator of true fellowship with God. God looks at the heart and actions, not mere words. Jesus stated while on earth, “These people come near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” So, it’s important we have a living, genuine faith: “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers” (1 John 3:14).

https://www.gotquestions.org/John-20-23.html

I don't understand.

So forgiving them in the person of Christ, like Paul did and said in one of his letters to demonstrate the forgivness God offers to salvation?

[BeyondET]

Right there at the end stood out in the gotquestions.org post.

 

God looks at the heart and actions, not mere words.

[Coliseum]

1 hour ago, Absolem said:

I don't understand.

So forgiving them in the person of Christ, like Paul did and said in one of his letters to demonstrate the forgivness God offers to salvation?

I think an accurate and much shorter version is the commentary offered by Vernon McGee:

"Nowhere in the Book of Acts or in the Epistles do we find any instance of an apostle remitting the sins of anyone. They do go everywhere, proclaiming the forgiveness of sins. Let me ask the question: What is it that forgives sins? Even God cannot just arbitrarily forgive sins. Forgiveness of sins is only and alone through the blood of Jesus Christ. Back in the Old Testament, the forgiveness of sins was based on the fact that Christ would come and die. God saved "on credit" in the Old Testament until Christ would come and pay the penalty. Today God forgives our sins when we believe that Christ died for them."

J. Vernon McGee's Thru the Bible 

I hope that is helpful.

Edited April 20, 2020 by Coliseum

[Absolem]

2 hours ago, Coliseum said:

I think an accurate and much shorter version is the commentary offered by Vernon McGee:

"Nowhere in the Book of Acts or in the Epistles do we find any instance of an apostle remitting the sins of anyone. They do go everywhere, proclaiming the forgiveness of sins. Let me ask the question: What is it that forgives sins? Even God cannot just arbitrarily forgive sins. Forgiveness of sins is only and alone through the blood of Jesus Christ. Back in the Old Testament, the forgiveness of sins was based on the fact that Christ would come and die. God saved "on credit" in the Old Testament until Christ would come and pay the penalty. Today God forgives our sins when we believe that Christ died for them."

J. Vernon McGee's Thru the Bible 

I hope that is helpful.

That is actually quite longer and really only goes to demonstrate J. Vernons ignorance. There's a reason why Jesus said what He said. Dismissing it like Mr. McGee did is quite telling to the mans perceived spiritual maturity. I other words instead of simply saying "I don't know." He dismisses the Scripture entirely and rambles on some puffed up answer.

Edited April 20, 2020 by Absolem

[Absolem]

1 hour ago, Sonshine said:

Hi, Absolem ... It all becomes a lot clearer if verse 22 is included. It is the Holy Spirit in the apostles that would do the convicting, not the apostles themselves.  Blessings!  

John 20:22-23 King James Version (KJV)

²² And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

²³ Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

 

John 20:23 doesn't say anything about convicting of sin. Jesus is taking about remitting, or forgiving.

[Absolem]

33 minutes ago, PromisesPromises! said:

 

Hi @Absolem...     In John 20:19-23, Jesus appears to a few of His followers after His resurrection.  What an exciting moment for them!  As @Sonshine points out, it's very important to view what verse 23 says in light of what happens in the preceding verses, especially verse 22 which tells us that Jesus breathed out His Holy Spirit on these followers.  The Holy Spirit is the One who helps us as believers to discern truth.  The Holy Spirit equips us to carry the gospel to unbelievers and reminds us what we need to say. The Holy Spirit indwells us and is a most invaluable gift.  

Jesus explains just how important the Holy Spirit is in John 16:7-11:  "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."

With the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus sends his disciples out to carry the message of salvation to all the world.  Those who hear and believe will have their sins remitted.  If we as believers fail to be the bold witnesses for Christ that He has enabled us to be, we cause sin (unbelief) to be retained.  Without the Holy Spirit, we would not have that power or responsibility. 

Thats not what He said either. He put the imperative on the believer to "remit" or "retain" someones sins.

Edited April 21, 2020 by Absolem

[Jostler]

it has everything to do with forgiving or retaining sin.  If I forgive a man who sins against me, that sin is forgiven by Father, eternally.  The record of it is blotted out of the "books" and will not even be mentioned at the judgement.  It will not be remembered against him....ever....saved or not.  And it also determines how God can deal with whether to remember my sins or not....not in relation to salvation, but in relation to eternal judgement.  Which is a much bigger topic than just determining our eternal destiny.....which is ONLY determined by blood...not works.

[Absolem]

13 hours ago, Jostler said:

it has everything to do with forgiving or retaining sin.  If I forgive a man who sins against me, that sin is forgiven by Father, eternally.  The record of it is blotted out of the "books" and will not even be mentioned at the judgement.  It will not be remembered against him....ever....saved or not.  And it also determines how God can deal with whether to remember my sins or not....not in relation to salvation, but in relation to eternal judgement.  Which is a much bigger topic than just determining our eternal destiny.....which is ONLY determined by blood...not works.

Well that sort of makes sense but i cant imagine they are forgiven eternally. Judgment and salvation are linked. The saved don't fall into condemnation. But salvation is from God alone.