# What does John 20:23 Mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [October 14, 2026, 2:46pm UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760 "2026-10-14T14:46:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Disprov](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/disprov/32/1297_2.png) [@Disprov](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/Disprov)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 2:46pm UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/1 "2026-10-14T14:46:15Z")
I’m stumped on this verse. On the surface, it really does sound like Jesus is handing the disciples direct power to forgive people of their sins. Forgiving sins has always been understood as something only God has the authority to do… So how do you square those two ideas when the text seems to just… say what it says? What does John 20:23 mean? I have read a bunch of different takes on this passage (commentaries, blog posts, a few sermon series) and none of them have fully clicked yet. Would love to hear how you all think about it. ---
**Author:** ![mustardseed7](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/mustardseed7/32/1403_2.png) [@mustardseed7](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/mustardseed7)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 7:47am UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/2 "2026-10-15T07:47:48Z")
Jesus gives the disciples the job of handing out his forgiveness and holding back assurance when someone keeps clinging to a sin instead of repenting of it. I don’t buy that “only God can forgive” means he has to be speaking figuratively here. God is still the source, and he can give the Spirit-filled church a real part in applying that forgiveness through things like preaching, baptism, confession, restoration… and discipline. That authority stays answerable to Jesus and his gospel, though. The disciples don’t get to forgive or condemn based on how they happen to feel about someone. ---
**Author:** ![TabithaJoy](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/tabithajoy/32/1217_2.png) [@TabithaJoy](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/TabithaJoy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 8:15am UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/3 "2026-10-15T08:15:55Z")
John 20:23 is Jesus sending the disciples out to announce forgiveness on God’s behalf. The disciples are declaring a verdict heaven has already reached, kind of like a courier delivering a letter someone else wrote. Look at the verses right before it too. Jesus says “as the Father has sent me, I am sending you” and then breathes the Spirit on them. So yeah, you’re right that only God forgives. ---
**Author:** ![PeacefulMind88](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/peacefulmind88/32/1228_2.png) [@PeacefulMind88](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/PeacefulMind88)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 9:32am UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/4 "2026-10-15T09:32:59Z")
The verse sounds like Jesus is handing over something only God can do. The disciples pointed people to forgiveness through Jesus’ name. When Simon’s heart was wrong in Acts 8, Peter told him to pray that the Lord might forgive him. So I read John 20:23 as Jesus giving them the go-ahead for that kind of plain speech. A repentant person can be told their sins are forgiven, and someone who won’t turn is told their sins are still on them. ---
**Author:** ![Jesuspraise](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/jesuspraise/32/965_2.png) [@Jesuspraise](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/Jesuspraise)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 5:56pm UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/5 "2026-10-15T17:56:14Z")
> [@TabithaJoy](#): > > The disciples are declaring a verdict heaven has already reached, kind of like a courier delivering a letter someone else wrote. It’s ‘they have been forgiven’ and ‘they have been retained,’ so the forgiveness is already done before the disciple ever opens their mouth. They get to recognize the verdict when repentance is standing right in front of them. Peter with Simon in Acts 8 is the example. ---
**Author:** ![Walking\_Beth](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/walking_beth/32/167_2.png) [@Walking\_Beth](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/Walking_Beth)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 6:39pm UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/6 "2026-10-15T18:39:41Z")
> [@PeacefulMind88](#): > > When Simon’s heart was wrong in Acts 8, Peter told him to pray that the Lord might forgive him. My old pastor used that exact Simon passage to show me Peter sent him straight to the Lord, not to himself, for forgiveness. ---
**Author:** ![BeatingSatan](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/beatingsatan/32/155_2.png) [@BeatingSatan](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/BeatingSatan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 7:50pm UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/7 "2026-10-15T19:50:03Z")
The part about the authority staying answerable to Jesus is key, because I’ve seen church discipline go sideways when it turned into personal grudges. ---
**Author:** ![HolyLoFi](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/holylofi/32/974_2.png) [@HolyLoFi](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/HolyLoFi)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 8:39pm UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/8 "2026-10-15T20:39:19Z")
> [@PeacefulMind88](#): > > The disciples pointed people to forgiveness through Jesus’ name. When Simon’s heart was wrong in Acts 8, Peter told him to pray that the Lord might forgive him. I used to read John 20:23 as giving the apostles a personal power to forgive sins. Peter’s response to Simon in Acts 8 changed my mind. If he thought he held that power himself, he would have forgiven Simon on the spot. He tells Simon to pray to the Lord. The apostles spoke forgiveness in Jesus’ name with confidence, and the forgiveness itself came from him. ---
**Author:** ![Disprov](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/disprov/32/1297_2.png) [@Disprov](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/Disprov)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 1:53am UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/9 "2026-10-16T01:53:01Z")
> [@HolyLoFi](#): > > I used to read John 20:23 as giving the apostles a personal power to forgive sins. That Acts 8 angle is new to me… Peter tells Simon to go pray to the Lord himself. ---
**Author:** ![Naveed](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/naveed/32/53_2.png) [@Naveed](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/Naveed)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 5:06pm UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/10 "2026-10-16T17:06:04Z")
1 Corinthians 6 about judging angels… Still His representatives carrying real authority (not fully perfected yet, granted). If we’re going to judge the world and angels someday, announcing forgiveness God has already granted doesn’t seem like such a stretch. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomeGirl](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/lonesomegirl/32/19_2.png) [@LonesomeGirl](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/LonesomeGirl)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 5:08pm UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/11 "2026-10-16T17:08:43Z")
The disciples got the ability to announce forgiveness. But forgiving each other, like in the Lord’s Prayer, is different from wiping away someone’s sin before God. That absolving part is his alone. ---
**Author:** ![Followinghissteps](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/followinghissteps/32/1333_2.png) [@Followinghissteps](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/Followinghissteps)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 8:16pm UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/12 "2026-10-16T20:16:26Z")
We forget that humans are made in God’s image, and that Christians are called to have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. So when he breathes on the disciples and says “receive the Holy Spirit,” he’s equipping them to participate in something divine. God has set a place for redeemed humanity to rule alongside him. Scripture talks about us being placed above angels, sharing in Christ’s kingship over creation. Christ can do whatever he wants, and he chooses to let his Spirit-filled followers participate in his work… The Father sent him, and now he’s sending them, with the same Spirit enabling the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![CozySocks](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/cozysocks/32/1323_2.png) [@CozySocks](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/CozySocks)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2026, 12:57pm UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/13 "2026-10-17T12:57:08Z")
The apostles were the ones speaking forgiveness here, but God was still the one doing the actual forgiving through them. They had delegated authority to announce what heaven had already decided, not to decide it. ---
**Author:** ![AdeptControl](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/adeptcontrol/32/1435_2.png) [@AdeptControl](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/AdeptControl)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 2:02am UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/14 "2026-10-18T02:02:31Z")
Jesus is giving them real authority to forgive sins right there in that moment, and John 20:19-23 is pretty explicit about it. It’s His power, conferred on them. ---
**Author:** ![mannafromabove](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/mannafromabove/32/1433_2.png) [@mannafromabove](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/mannafromabove)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 9:46am UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/15 "2026-10-20T09:46:13Z")
Forgiveness is serious business. Withholding it condemns someone. The disciples were told to do 2 things, really one: apply Jesus’s forgiveness and let the church know what brings salvation. 2 sides of the same coin. ---
**Author:** ![BigFishingBoats](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/bigfishingboats/32/173_2.png) [@BigFishingBoats](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/BigFishingBoats)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 7:29am UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/16 "2026-10-26T07:29:25Z")
Leviticus, maybe. Jesus could be echoing the priests here. They declared someone clean or still unclean, but didn’t cause the cleansing themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Beyonos](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/beyonos/32/1301_2.png) [@Beyonos](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/Beyonos)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 8:34am UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/17 "2026-10-30T08:34:21Z")
I heard a priest say ‘I absolve you’ with this verse as the backing. Luke 24 says the eleven and those with them were in the room, and Jesus tells them repentance and forgiveness will be proclaimed in his name to all nations… The you in John 20:23 is plural too. So is this authority given to a select group of clergy, or to the whole gathered church? ---
**Author:** ![Too\_Many\_Sighs](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/too_many_sighs/32/55_2.png) [@Too\_Many\_Sighs](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/Too_Many_Sighs)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 7:18pm UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/18 "2026-10-30T19:18:53Z")
> [@Beyonos](#): > > So is this authority given to a select group of clergy, or to the whole gathered church? John only says the disciples were gathered and Thomas, one of the Twelve, wasn’t even there. Matthew 18:18 places binding and loosing within the gathered church too, not Peter alone. Traditions differ though, some see it entrusted to ordained ministers on the church’s behalf. ---
**Author:** ![Century](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/user_avatar/forum.victoriousinprayer.com/century/32/1128_2.png) [@Century](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/Century)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 12:05pm UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/19 "2026-11-02T12:05:16Z")
But Matthew 18:18 says the same thing. Binding and loosing. Read them side by side. ---
**Author:** ![Gonzio](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Gonzio](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/u/Gonzio)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2026, 1:30pm UTC](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760/20 "2026-11-10T13:30:59Z")
Plain speech. That’s the authority Jesus gave the disciples. When someone repents, you can tell them straight up that their sins don’t count against them anymore. [Next page](https://forum.victoriousinprayer.com/t/what-does-john-20-23-mean/1760.md?page=2)