John 20:23 (Roman Priesthood?)

[WaywardNowHome]

So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."

Without any training in any of the authentic languages of Scripture (Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, etc.), I have no real way of delving deeper into an analysis of these verses.

Of course, most readers of the Bible would interpret these verses to mean that Jesus gave His disciples the power and ability to forgive the sins of other men. As far as I know, Romanists use this verse to defend the power of their priests to forgive sins. I don't buy it. This interpretation of the verse contradicts the spirit of the entire Gospel so I am absolutely sure that this is not what Jesus meant.

But I can't seem to figure out what He really meant. Could I get some help, please?

 

[Spinningplates2]

I doubt if it means anything close the the Roman Churches understanding. I usually erad it as shorthand for theaching the people about Jesus and His ability to forgive sins.

 

[Contra_Mundum]

The power Jesus has vested in his ministers is "ministerial and declarative." The difference with Rome is that she believes/claims her priests have "magisterial" authority, that is to say, in accord with their sacerdotal powers (compare to their power to transubstatiate the elements) they actually retain or remit sins by virtue of their say-so.

We believe, in contrast, that as the keys to bind and loose are in accord with things that "shall have been bound in heaven" (note the passive perfect), so the minister's authority to declare a man's sin's forgiven or not has only to do with what the Word of God already says about Christ's work and faith in it, or the lack thereof.

 

[A.J.]

The Reformed View of the Keys of the Kingdom

Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 83-85

Lord's Day 31

83. What are the keys of the kingdom of heaven?
The Preaching of the Holy Gospel and Church Discipline. By these two the kingdom of heaven is opened to believers and closed to unbelievers.1
1 Mt 16:19; Jn 20:21-23

84. How is the kingdom of heaven opened and closed by the preaching of the holy Gospel?
In this way: that according to the command of Christ, it is proclaimed and openly witnessed to believers, one and all, that as often as they accept with true faith the promise of the Gospel, all their sins are really forgiven them of God for the sake of Christ’s merits; and on the contrary, to all unbelievers and hypocrites, that the wrath of God and eternal condemnation abide on them, so long as they are not converted; according to which witness of the Gospel, will be the judgment of God both in this life and in that which is to come.1
1 Mt 16:19; Jn 3:31-36, 20:21-23

85. How is the kingdom of heaven closed opened by Church discipline?
In this way: that according to the command of Christ, if any under the Christian name show themselves unsound either in doctrine or life, and after repeated brotherly admonition refuse to turn from their errors of evil ways, they are complained of to the Church or to its proper officers, and, if they neglect to hear them also, are by them excluded from the holy sacraments and the Christian communion, and by God Himself from the kingdom of Christ;1 and if they promise and show real amendment, they are again received as members of Christ and His Church.2
1 Mt 18:15-20; 1 Cor 5:3-5, 11-13; 2 Thes 3:14-15; 2 Lk 15:20-24; 2 Cor 2:6-11

 

[WaywardNowHome]

Thank you, Bruce and Albert. You both have provided the definitive answer that I was grasping for but couldn't complete fully.

 

[Rangerus]

John Calvin writes: "When Christ enjoins the apostles to forgive sins, He does not convey to them what is peculiar to Himself. It belongs to Him to forgive sins. He only enjoins them in His name to proclaim the forgiveness of sins."

Nowhere in the Book of Acts or in the Epistles do we find any instance of an apostle remitting the sins of anyone. They do go everywhere, proclaiming the forgiveness of sins. Let me ask the question: What is it that forgives sins? Even God cannot just arbitrarily forgive sins. Forgiveness of sins is only and alone through the blood of Jesus Christ. Back in the Old Testament, the forgiveness of sins was based on the fact that Christ would come and die. God saved "on credit" in the Old Testament until Christ would come and pay the penalty. Today God forgives our sins when we believe that Christ died for them.
How can you and I remit sins? By telling the gospel! This is the greater work which we shall do. When somebody turned and believed on Jesus while He was here on earth, that was wonderful. But what is staggering is when you or I simply give out the Word of God, and someone is born again and becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus. J Vernon McGee