At first glance, it seems that Jesus gave His disciples the authority to forgive sins. But is that really what He meant?
Jesus said:
“If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
— John 20:23
If we are honest, when we read these words for the first time, an unavoidable question arises:
Was Jesus giving His disciples the authority to forgive sins?
Because the verse appears to say exactly that.
However, when we continue reading the rest of the Bible, we find other passages that affirm that the forgiveness of sins belongs to God. When Jesus forgave the sins of a paralytic, the religious leaders asked:
“Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
And Jesus did not deny that statement. On the contrary, to prove that He had authority to forgive sins, He told the paralytic to get up, take his mat, and walk. The man was immediately healed in front of everyone. Jesus was demonstrating that He did indeed have authority to forgive sins because He is God.
So how do these two ideas fit together?
For nearly two thousand years, sincere Christians have studied this passage and reached different conclusions. Some believe that Jesus granted the apostles a special authority related to the forgiveness of sins. Others believe that Jesus gave them authority to proclaim the forgiveness that God grants to those who believe in Christ.
So, what did Jesus mean?
Although there are different interpretations, many scholars understand that Jesus was commissioning His disciples to take the Gospel to the world. When a person receives Christ and believes in Him, the disciples could authoritatively proclaim that his or her sins had been forgiven by God. And when someone rejected Christ, they could declare that the person remained in his or her sins.
However, other Christians understand that Jesus did grant the apostles a special authority related to the forgiveness of sins. That is why this passage continues to be debated to this day.
I invite you to join me in this prayer:
Lord, thank You for Your Word. Help me to study it with sincerity, humility, and a love for the truth. Deliver me from the pride that thinks it knows everything, and give me wisdom to better understand what You have revealed. May every time I open the Bible, I draw closer to You and gain a deeper understanding of Your will. In Jesus’ name, amen.
SomosCristianos.
Connecting hearts with Christ.
