We have been asked to ‘shed some light’ on John 20:23, which reads, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:23 NKJV). This was spoken exclusively or only to the eleven surviving apostles following the resurrection of Jesus Christ and prior to His Ascension. There are at least three ways that we can go about interpreting the meaning of what Jesus said to His apostles on that occasion: (1) Examine the literal meaning of the words in the original language of Greek, including and especially the verb tenses, (2) Turn to parallel or similar declarations of our Lord to His apostles, and (3) Analyze the way in which the apostles did what they were instructed to do in John 20:23 or similar passages.
(1) Young’s Literal Translation of the Holy Bible gives us a hint of the verb tenses, which materially affect one’s understanding of the verse. “If of any ye may loose the sins, they are loosed to them; if of any ye may retain, they have been retained” (John 20:23 YLT emphasis added). Even more clearly, Wuest’s The New Testament: An Expanded Translation indicates, correctly so, that the apostles were authorized to do on earth what had already been determined in heaven. “If the sins of any certain individuals you retain in not forgiving them, they have been previously retained and thus have not been forgiven, with the present result that they are retained and in a state of not being forgiven” (John 20:23 Wuest, emphasis added). After all, it was not heaven and the Godhead taking orders from the apostles, but rather, the apostles followed the divinely given instructions through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21). The phrases “they are forgiven” and “they are retained” are both perfect passive verbs, meaning, “they have been forgiven” [already] and they have been retained” [already].
(2) Two other passages in particular where Jesus Christ addressed only His apostles contain essentially the same instruction. To the apostle Peter, Jesus said, “and I will give to thee the keys of the reign of the heavens, and whatever thou mayest bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever thou mayest loose upon the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens” (Matthew 16:19 YLT emphasis added). “Verily I say to you, Whatever things ye may bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever things ye may loose on the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens” (Matthew 18:18 YLT emphasis added). Clearly, our Lord authorized His apostles to conduct themselves in His service in a prescribed way, rather than subjecting Himself, the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit to the apostles.
(3) Regarding the matter of remitting or of not remitting sins, the way in which the apostles of Christ went about that was through the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ with its scheme of redemption or salvation. After the apostles received the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4), they preached the Gospel. The apostle Peter’s sermon was recorded in Acts 2. In verse 38, he told the believers present who had inquired about salvation (Acts 2:37), “…Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” That mirrored the words of Jesus Christ to the apostles immediately before His Ascension. “He who believes and is baptized will be saved…” (Mark 16:16). Throughout the New Testament, the inspired writers repeatedly taught that sins were remitted or forgiven at the point of baptism (i.e., preceded by acquaintance with the Gospel, Romans 10:17; believing Jesus to be the Christ, Messiah or Savior, John 8:24; repentance, Luke 13:3; professing Jesus to be the Christ, Acts 8:37). “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). “There is also an antitype which now saves us — baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21). This one baptism that remains valid today (Ephesians 4:5) is water baptism (1 Peter 3:20), which is immersion in imitation of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord (Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12). Being “baptized into His [Jesus Christ’s] death” is where the saved contacts the saving blood of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7; Revelation 1:5).
“What he commits to the disciples and to us is the power and privilege of giving assurance of the forgiveness of sins by God by correctly announcing the terms of forgiveness” (Robertson’s). “Here, then, they, directed by the Holy Spirit, “remit” and “retain” sins by declaring the terms on which Christ will pardon” (Johnson).
In the absolute sense only deity can actually forgive or retain sins; but, inasmuch as the gospel is God’s power to save [Romans 1:16] and the act of preaching it makes it available to others; and since the response of sinners to it, either by accepting it or rejecting it, determines whether the sins of those who thus do are remitted or retained, proclaimers of the gospel in this sense do “remit” and “retain” sins. (Woods)
From examination of original language verb tenses, parallel or similar passages and apostolic application of John 20:23, it is apparent that “the apostles doctrine” (Acts 2:42) was heaven sent, and that remission of sins was and is according to divine mandate. No means or manner of salvation or redemption is available aside from obeying Jesus Christ (Hebrews 5:8-9) or performing the will of God (Matthew 7:21-23) for anyone living in the Christian Age (Romans 7:6-7; Hebrews 8:13; 12:24).
Works Cited
Johnson, B.W. The People’s New Testament. CD-ROM. Austin: Wordsearch, 2004.
New King James Bible (NKJV). CD-ROM. Nashville: Nelson, 1982.
Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament. CD-ROM. Seattle: Biblesoft, 2006.
Woods, Guy N. A Commentary on the Gospel According to John. CD-ROM. Austin: Wordsearch, 2005.
Wuest, Kenneth S. The New Testament: An Expanded Translation. CD-ROM. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1961.
Young, Robert. Young’s Literal Translation of the Holy Bible (YLT). CD-ROM. Seattle: Biblesoft, 2006.
