Day 38
John 20: 19-23
21Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld."
Forgiving and Refusing to Forgive (John 20: 19-23)
Now we come to one of the most difficult parts of the teaching of Jesus; it involves forgiving and refusing to forgive (verse 23). This verse is used by some denominations to give their clergy authority to forgive and retain sins. But whatever the verse means, it is clear that all disciples have the power to do it. The verbs are in the perfect tense and therefore point to a fact that already exists. Surely what these words are saying is that every believer can point to the death of Christ as the basis of forgiveness. If someone accepts the work of the cross, then forgiveness is theirs. If necessary, they can be given assurance of this (1 John 1:9). If they don’t accept the work of the cross, then there can be no forgiveness (1 John 5:11).
Think: How has what Jesus says in verse 23 been misunderstood? How then should this verse be interpreted? What are our responsibilities?
