Interpretation of John 20:23 on Forgiveness and Retention
Interpretation of John 20:23
John 20:23 states, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained" [1]. This verse is part of Jesus' post-resurrection commission to his disciples, where he gives them authority to forgive or retain sins.
The literary context of John 20:23 is Jesus' appearance to his disciples after his resurrection. He commissions them to continue his work, saying, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" (John 20:21). Jesus then breathes the Holy Spirit on them, giving them the authority to forgive or retain sins. This passage is closely tied to the larger narrative of John's Gospel, which emphasizes Jesus' role as the giver of new life and the Holy Spirit [1].
The historical setting of John 20:23 is the early Christian community, where the disciples are being commissioned to carry on Jesus' mission. The verse has been interpreted in various ways throughout history, with different traditions understanding the nature of the authority given to the disciples.
The key terms in John 20:23 are "forgive" (ἀφιέναι, aphienai) and "retain" (κρατεῖν, kratein), which are related to the concept of sin and forgiveness. The verse implies that the disciples have the authority to declare forgiveness or withholding of forgiveness, but the nature of this authority is debated.
One major exegetical decision related to John 20:23 is whether the authority to forgive or retain sins is limited to the apostles or is a broader commission to the church. Some traditions interpret this verse as giving the church, particularly its leaders, the authority to declare forgiveness or excommunicate individuals [2, 3].
The Reformed tradition, represented by John Calvin, understands John 20:23 as giving the church the authority to exercise discipline, including excommunication, but not to forgive sins in the sense of absolving individuals of their guilt [2]. Calvin argues that the power to forgive sins is reserved for Christ alone.
In contrast, the Lutheran tradition, as represented by the Augsburg Confession, interprets John 20:23 as giving the church the power to remit and retain sins through the preaching of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments [4]. This understanding is rooted in the idea that the church is entrusted with the means of grace, through which forgiveness is mediated.
The Patristic tradition, represented by Augustine, also understands John 20:23 as giving the church a role in the forgiveness of sins, but with a focus on the importance of love and unity within the church [5]. Augustine emphasizes that the power to forgive or retain sins is not to be exercised in a way that causes harm or division.
The interpretation of John 20:23 has significant implications for the practice of church discipline and the understanding of forgiveness within the Christian community. While different traditions have understood the verse in various ways, they all agree that it is a crucial text for understanding the nature of the church's authority and its relationship to the forgiveness of sins.
In the broader Christian tradition, John 20:23 has been used to support various practices, including confession, absolution, and church discipline. The verse has also been the subject of controversy, particularly in debates between Protestant and Catholic traditions over the nature of the church's authority.
The ongoing relevance of John 20:23 is evident in its continued use in Christian worship and practice. The verse remains a key text for understanding the church's role in the forgiveness of sins and the importance of maintaining unity and love within the community of believers [6].
Sources
- John “John 20:23 (LEB) — If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.””
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 93: excommunication, solemn admonitions, and everything of that description, we must, of necessity, give some jurisdiction to the Church. Let the reader observe that we are not here treating of the general authority of doctrine, as in Mt. 21 and John 20 , but maintaining that the right of the Sanhedrim is transferred to the fold of Christ. Till that time, the power of government had belonged to the Jews. This Christ establishes in his Church, in as far as it was a pure institution, and with a heavy sanction. Thus it behoved to be, sinc”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 79: soul, to expose all its wounds, and in virtue of the authority vested by our Blessed Saviour in him, to receive through his hands, on earth, the sentence which is ratified in heaven, of God’s forgiveness.” Christ also “gave to the Church power of retaining sins, that is, of withholding forgiveness, or delaying it to more seasonable time.” 804 804 Wiseman, Lectures vol. ii. p. 15. “Here is a power, in the first place, truly to forgive sin. For this expression ‘to forgive sins,’ in the New Testament, always signifies to clear the sinner of ”
- Augsburg Confession (Lutheran) “Augsburg Confession (Lutheran, 1530), 5 But this is their opinion, that the power of the Keys, or the: 5 But this is their opinion, that the power of the Keys, or the power of the bishops, according to the Gospel, is a power or commandment of God, to preach the Gospel, to remit and retain sins, and to administer Sacraments. 6 For with this commandment Christ sends forth His Apostles, John 20:21 sqq.: As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained. 7 Mark 16:15: G”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 7: Augustine — Homilies on John — CHAPTER XV. 23. (part 3): forgiveness. 3. But amid all these darknesses of human hearts, it happens as a thing much to be wondered at and mourned over, that one, whom we account unjust, and who nevertheless is just, and in whom, without knowing it, we love justice, we sometimes avoid, and turn away from, and hinder from approaching us, and refuse to have life and living in common with him; and, if necessity compel the infliction of discipline, whether to save others from harm or bring the person himself back to rectitude, we even pursue him with a sa”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 3: Augustine — On the Holy Trinity — CHAP. 66.--THE PARDON OF SIN HAS REFERENCE CHIEFLY TO THE FUTURE JUDGMENT.: Now the pardon of sin has reference chiefly to the future judgment. For, as far as this life is concerned, the saying of Scripture holds good: "A heavy yoke is upon the sons of Adam, from the day that they go out of their mother's womb, till the day that they return to the mother of all things."(6) So that we see even infants, after baptism and regeneration, suffering from the infliction of divers evils: and thus we are given to understand, that all that is set forth in th”