Question:

In John 20:21-23, when Jesus infused the apostles with the Holy Spirit by breathing on them, and gave them the power to forgive sins, was he not telling us to confess our sins to the descendants of the Apostles for forgiveness?

Dave

Answer: Dear Dave,

No, I do not agree with that interpretation. The power to forgive sins belongs only to God – humans may only represent him in the sense that Jesus shines through us.

The sense that humans may "forgive" sins is the insight/power given to all believers through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Any believer possesses the power to pronounce/inform/verify/validate that someone’s sins have been forgiven, based upon trust and faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

The greater context of this passage gives us John’s version of the Great Commission, in which all believers are to be witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ. In that context all believers are given the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) – and it is the Pentecost event that John 20, and Acts 1 look to.

Were we to say that the power to forgive was given to the descendants of the Apostles, then we would have a denominational and sectarian controversy – as the debate wold be who is qualified as the descendants of the Apostles – and by inference, who is not. If one group of ministers/priests/vicars are, and others are not, then only one true church exists, and all others are false. Such a view is not in keeping with the historic Christian church, the Apostle’s and Nicene Creed, etc.

Hope this helps.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht