John 20:23's "Retaining Sin"
 

NASB
"If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."

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

ESV
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”



So what exactly does the last part of this verse mean in context of the commision here?

Re: John 20:23's "Retaining Sin"
 

I don't know, but the question deserves an answer.

There is a possibility that when we forgive someone, the sin we forgave them of is not laid to their cause even if they don't repent of it. I've heard that before, and it would be in keeping with Jesus' prayer on the cross, as well as Stephen's when he was stoned.

Re: John 20:23's "Retaining Sin"
 

I think someone is "retaining" my sins. :foottap

Re: John 20:23's "Retaining Sin"
 

Just one person, Timmy??

Re: John 20:23's "Retaining Sin"
 

:spit

Re: John 20:23's "Retaining Sin"
 

Well, he's our resident theologian and Bible expert.
Where else would we go?

Re: John 20:23's "Retaining Sin"
 

OK,
I'll give a couple of explanations:

1. Roman Catholic:
Jesus authorized them to forgive sins. Here He institutes the sacrament of Confession. Here is a note from the Douay Bible that I have:
See here the commission, stamped by the broad seal of heaven, by virtue of which the pastors of Christ's Church absolve sinners upon their confession.

2. Apostolic Pentecostal:
Only God can forgive sin but we humans can remit or wash away sins. We wash away sins by pronouncing the name "Jesus" when we baptize them. If we do not baptize they remain in sin so it can be said that we retain their sins.

The first is based on my understanding of Catholicism and the referenced note in a Roman Catholic Bible. The second is based on what I once heard a UPC pastor/teacher say.

Re: John 20:23's "Retaining Sin"
 

A note at John 20:23 of the Spirit Filled Life Bible.
The disciples are to preach both the way of salvation and the way of damnation explaining how sinners can be forgiven and the danger of rejecting the gospel. Whether or not the hearers' sins are forgiven depends on their acceptance or rejection of Christ. this is from page 1613 of the Bible I have. The text is NKJV

This is another note on page 1614 of the same Bible
John 20:21-23 Commissioned with a Mandate and a Message
John's Gospel presents the deity of Jesus --the Son of God. As God He has created all things (1:1-3), and as God He has come to redeem all --to bring the fullness of forgiveness. This aspect of His mission is conveyed to His disciples as their commission as well: Go with forgiveness. It is stated here as both a mandate and a mission: 1) "I also send you." Precisely as the Father sent the Son to bring salvation as an availability to every human being (3:16), so we are sent to insure that availability is understood by everyone. 2) "if you forgive" indicates the conditional nature of His provision. It cannot be responded to unless it is delivered. There is no escape from the awesome nature of His terminology here. We are not only sent with the substance of the message --salvation; we are sent to bring the spirit of its truth --forgiveness. Only the breath of His Spirit, which He breathed upon those who first heard these words, can enable us to go obediently and to reach lovingly. This message (salvation) and its meaning (forgiveness) are ours to deliver, and we need to receive the Holy Spirit to do both."
The initials here are GC which I assume to mean Glen Cole, Senior Pastor of Capital Christian Center in Sacramento, CA.

The edition of The Spirit Filled Life Bible that I have is copyrighted 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc

Re: John 20:23's "Retaining Sin"
 

OK, I've given some thoughts and opinions on this passage.

My personal opinion is that as God sent Jesus to save the world, Jesus sends us. Jesus came to bring the message of God's love and forgiveness. He did that by preaching the kingdom (kingship) of God and giving His life on the cross for us. Jesus has sent us --the Body of Christ-- to save the world. We do it by proclaiming the Gospel, by preaching the kingdom of God. By doing so we provide forgiveness for all those who believe and accept. If we do not preach the message we are actually retaining people's sins because we with hold the good news and the means for them to receive forgiveness.

This is sorta like Ezekiel 3:17-21 in my mind.

Re: John 20:23's "Retaining Sin"
 

John 20:23 is part of John's account of the "Great Commission." Whereas Mathew and Mark specify "baptism;" Luke and John refer to remission of sins. So, I take John 20:23 as being a reference to baptism for the remission of sins. "Retaining sins," to me, would then refer to not baptizing a person who has not actually repented of their sins.

JLW