The familiarity of the resurrection story can cause us to miss the important dialogue between Jesus and the disciples. Often, what captures our attention is the Great Commission in Matthew 28 or Jesus spending the day with two of the disciples in Luke 24. What the Gospel of John gives us, as it has consistently done, is intimate conversions with theological significance. Two such statements I did address in a sermon but worth exploring.

First, in John 20:23 Jesus said, “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained” (John 20:23, NASB).[1] The text reads as though Jesus is giving the disciples the power to forgive or not forgive sin. This is a significant power because eternity hangs in the balance. What did Jesus mean in John 20:23?

The ability to forgive sin lies within the power of God alone. Sin is a spiritual issue that humanity cannot fix. We can, however, repent and believe the Gospel (Mark 1:15). To repent means to turn and go the other way. Repentance of sin is the admission of spiritual guilt before God. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23, NASB). There is no question that each person has a spiritual sin problem. God has provided forgiveness for our sin through Jesus. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23, NASB). The free gift, applied through the repentance of sin, is the forgiveness of God through Christ. Men do not have the ability to forgive other men of their sin against God. We are commanded to forgive sin, but that is man-to-man, not man-to-God.

So what does this mean? I posit that we can affirm that sin is forgiven by God. According to Matthew 18, when a believer refuses to repent of sin, the church disciplines that unrepentance. And affirms the sin remains unforgiven by God. If repentant, the believer is affirmed by the church as forgiven. Similarly, when an unbeliever repents and believes the Gospel, the church can affirm sin is forgiven and vice-versa. Of course, God's Word is the guide and the authority on which the church confidently stands.

Second, after Thomas was convinced of the resurrection because he touched the nail scarred hands of Jesus, Jesus said, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see and yet believed” (John 20:29, NASB). The Disciples and those who were with Jesus in His earthly ministry had the great blessing of seeing Jesus in the flesh. Paul writes that up to 500 people at one time saw the resurrected Christ (1 Corinthians 15:6). Their response to Jesus in faith that He is Lord is a visible response from seeing with their own eyes.

Since the ascension of Christ, every subsequent believer has believed the testimony of an eyewitness. That does not mean that we have all talked to an eyewitness, but we have believed the testimony of an eyewitness. This testimony is called the New Testament. God's Word is faithful to deliver to us the life, death and resurrection of Jesus who is the Messiah of God. Humanity craves ‘signs’ or visible evidence of truth. That’s what Thomas craved. Jesus, by grace, gave Thomas visible evidence of His resurrection. The death of that generation meant that no living person has seen the resurrected Lord. Yet, faith continues. Thus, Jesus says, “Blessed are they who did not see and yet believed” (John 20:29, NASB). Is the Lord suggesting that subjective faith is better than objective faith? That, somehow, we, who have not seen Jesus, have greater faith than those that do? If so, then believers today could argue our faith is greater which is pointless.

James Montgomery Boice argues for a satisfied faith. Believers today are satisfied with the biblical testimony. Signs and miracles are not required.[2] The power of the living testimony of Scripture applied to our life through the work of the Holy Spirit is enough. Blessed are those who are satisfied with this testimony and believe, by faith, in the resurrected Savior for the forgiveness of sin.

Praise God that we can be sure our sin is forgiven. Praise God that He has given us the faith to believe in Jesus as Lord.   

[1] All Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible (Lockman; Anaheim) unless otherwise noted.

[2] James Montgomery Boice John 18-21 (Baker Books; Grand Rapids), p. 1614.