John 20:23 kjv
Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
John 20:23 nkjv
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
John 20:23 niv
If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
John 20:23 esv
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld."
John 20:23 nlt
If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
John 20 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Matt 16:19 | I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth shall be bound... and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. | Apostolic authority to declare God's will. |
| Matt 18:18 | Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven... and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. | Church discipline; corporate spiritual authority. |
| 2 Cor 5:18-20 | All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation... We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors... | Believers' role as reconcilers, proclaiming forgiveness. |
| Luke 24:47 | ...and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. | Evangelistic commission for repentance and forgiveness. |
| Acts 2:38 | Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins... | Early church preaching: repentance for forgiveness. |
| Acts 10:43 | To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. | Belief in Jesus brings forgiveness. |
| 1 John 1:9 | If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. | God's conditional promise of forgiveness for believers. |
| Mark 2:7 | "Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" | Forgiveness as a divine prerogative, highlighted by controversy. |
| John 14:26 | But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things... | Holy Spirit as enabler for understanding and ministry. |
| John 16:7-11 | ...if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. | Holy Spirit's role in conviction, laying groundwork for forgiveness/retention. |
| Acts 1:8 | But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem... | Spirit-empowered witnessing, which involves declaring truth. |
| Rom 10:9-10 | If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved... | Confession and belief for salvation and forgiveness. |
| Eph 1:7 | In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. | Forgiveness through Christ's blood. |
| Col 1:13-14 | He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. | Deliverance and forgiveness through Christ. |
| Titus 3:10 | As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him... | Example of retaining sin through church discipline. |
| 1 Cor 5:4-5 | When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan... | Example of extreme retention/discipline in the church. |
| Heb 10:26-27 | For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment. | Warning against deliberate unrepentance and retention of sins. |
| Isaiah 43:25 | "I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins." | God as the ultimate source of forgiveness. |
| Jer 31:34 | For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. | Prophecy of new covenant forgiveness. |
| Mic 7:18 | Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression...? You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. | God's unique character as forgiver. |
| 2 Chron 7:14 | ...if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin... | God's condition for forgiving His people. |
| Jas 5:16 | Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power... | Corporate aspect of confessing and seeking forgiveness. |
John 20 verses
John 20 23 Meaning
This verse grants Jesus' disciples the authority, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to declare God's forgiveness to those who repent and believe, and to declare that sins remain unforgiven for those who reject Christ and His message. This authority is primarily declarative, meaning their pronouncements on earth align with what God has already decided in heaven based on repentance and faith.
John 20 23 Context
John 20:23 takes place on the evening of the first Easter Sunday. Jesus, having risen from the dead, appears to His disciples (minus Thomas) in a locked room. His first words are "Peace be with you." He shows them His hands and side, proving His resurrection. Immediately following this, He declares His commissioning of them: "As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." This establishes their mission as a continuation of His own. He then "breathes on them" and says, "Receive the Holy Spirit," a symbolic action foreshadowing the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost and signifying their immediate endowment for the mission. It is after this divine commissioning and impartation of the Spirit that Jesus gives the disciples the authority articulated in John 20:23. The original audience, accustomed to forgiveness being a divine prerogative, would have recognized the immense and sacred nature of this authority given to mere mortals. It clarifies that participation in God's divine work of reconciliation is only through the Spirit and delegated authority.
John 20 23 Word analysis
- If you forgive (ἐάν τινῶν ἀφῆτε - ean tinōn aphēte):
- "If" (ἐάν - ean): Introduces a conditional clause, implying consequences tied to discernment.
- "you forgive" (ἀφῆτε - aphēte): From aphiēmi, meaning to send away, release, remit. A definite, accomplished act.
- "the sins" (τὰς ἁμαρτίας - tas hamartias): Refers to moral wrongdoing, missing God's standard.
- "of any" (τινῶν - tinōn): Emphasizes individual sins and persons, not general absolution.
- their sins are forgiven them (ἀφέωνται αὐτοῖς - apheōntai autois):
- "are forgiven" (ἀφέωνται - apheōntai): Perfect passive indicative. Action completed in the past with continuing results. Passive voice implies divine agency – God is the ultimate forgiver. It means "they have been forgiven [by God] and remain forgiven."
- if you retain (ἐὰν κρατῆτε - ean kratēte):
- "if you retain" (ἐὰν κρατῆτε - ean kratēte): From krateō, meaning to seize, hold fast. Also an aorist subjunctive, denoting a decisive act.
- they are retained (κεκράτηνται - kekratēntai):
- "are retained" (κεκράτηνται - kekratēntai): Perfect passive indicative, mirroring "are forgiven." It means "they have been retained [by God] and remain retained." The divine passive again points to God as the ultimate one who withholds forgiveness.
- "If you forgive...their sins are forgiven them; if you retain...they are retained": This double conditional statement gives the disciples weighty responsibility. The grammatical construction, particularly the perfect passive tense, strongly indicates that the disciples' earthly pronouncements are consequential declarations that align with a divine verdict already rendered. They are not unilaterally forgiving or retaining sins but discerning and declaring the state of forgiveness or unforgiveness based on the individual's repentance or lack thereof, empowered by the Spirit and aligned with God's will. This links with "binding and loosing" in Matthew.
John 20 23 Bonus section
- The immediate gift of the Holy Spirit (John 20:22) before this commission highlights that this authority is not exercised by human wisdom alone but is Spirit-empowered. It is a prophetic discernment given for the work of the kingdom.
- The phrase "receive the Holy Spirit" (λαβετε Πνευμα Αγιον - labete Pneuma Hagion) given through Jesus' breath evokes the creation account (Gen 2:7), symbolizing a new spiritual creation or empowerment, fitting for the post-resurrection, new covenant era.
- While this authority is directly given to the initial disciples, it is broadly understood in Christian theology to extend to the Church as a whole in its proclamation of the Gospel and administration of discipline, though specific denominations interpret the scope and mechanism differently.
- The connection to Matthew 16:19 ("keys of the kingdom") and 18:18 ("binding and loosing") suggests this authority pertains not just to individual forgiveness but to ecclesiastical authority – the church's ability to discern and pronounce God's will regarding inclusion, exclusion, and moral teaching based on His Word.
John 20 23 Commentary
John 20:23 reveals a profound aspect of the disciples' post-resurrection commission. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, which Jesus had just breathed upon them, they are given authority to function as agents in the divine economy of forgiveness. This authority is not to override God's sovereign prerogative, but to declare and discern God's judgment and grace. When the disciples, operating under the Spirit's guidance, pronounce a person's sins forgiven (typically through preaching the Gospel, leading to repentance and faith), they are announcing what God has already effected in heaven for the repentant sinner. Conversely, when they retain sins (through church discipline, exclusion from fellowship for impenitence, or clear declaration of an individual's unrepentant state), they are likewise stating what aligns with God's heavenly judgment. This principle underlines the critical role of the Church, particularly its leadership, in administering God's Word concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment, reflecting God's ultimate authority through Spirit-led discernment. This verse is foundational to the church's ministry of reconciliation, its evangelistic mandate, and its call to maintain purity through discipline.