John 20 Remission of Sins.....

These passages could be confusing, 

Joh 20:21    Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Joh 20:22    And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

Joh 20:23    Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Gill refers to Mak's version of the great commission.

It's interesting we may quote the beginning of this passage but rarely quote the "but" phrase.

Mar 16:15    And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Mar 16:16    He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

This is not unlike quoting John 3:16 with verse 18.

VJoh 3:15    That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Joh 3:16    For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Joh 3:17    For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Joh 3:18    He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

This can leave to easy believe ism, present a false gospel, or make as John Bunyan writes "professors" no true chosen believers. This doctrine is hard teaching.

	The Strait Gate, or, Great difficulty of going to heaven.

John Gill helps to clarify their interpretation.

John 20:22

And when he had said this,.... That is, declared he sent them forth in like manner as his Father sent him:

he breathed on them; in allusion to God's breathing the breath of life into man, at his creation; or rather, to the Spirit himself, who is the breath of God, and proceeds from him, as from the Father; and who breathes both upon persons in regeneration, and in qualifying for ministerial service, at the instance and influence of Christ: and such an opinion the Jews have of the Spirit of the Messiah, who say (p), that

"the Spirit went from between the wings of the cherubim, ונשביה, "and breathed upon him" (Menasseh) by the decree, or order of the word of the Lord.''

And saith unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghost; meaning not the grace of the Holy Ghost in regeneration, which they had received already; but the gifts of the Spirit, to qualify them for the work he now sent them to do, and which were not now actually bestowed; but this breathing on them, and the words that attended it, were a symbol, pledge, and confirmation, of what they were to receive on the day of Pentecost: hence it appears, that it is the Spirit of God, who, by his gifts and grace, makes and qualifies men to be ministers of the Gospel; and our Lord by this action, and these words, gives a very considerable proof of his deity: the Papists show their impudence and wickedness, in imitating Christ by their insufflations, or breathing on men; pretending thereby to convey the Holy Spirit to them.

(p) Targum in 2 Chron. xxxiii. 13.

John 20:23

Whose soever sins ye remit,.... God only can forgive sins, and Christ being God, has a power to do so likewise; but he never communicated any such power to his apostles; nor did they ever assume any such power to themselves, or pretend to exercise it; it is the mark of antichrist, to attempt anything of the kind; who, in so doing, usurps the divine prerogative, places himself in his seat, and shows himself as if he was God: but this is to be understood only in a doctrinal, or ministerial way, by preaching the full and free remission of sins, through the blood of Christ, according to the riches of God's grace, to such as repent of their sins, and believe in Christ; declaring, that all such persons as do so repent and believe, all their sins are forgiven for Christ's sake: and accordingly,

they are remitted unto them; in agreement with Christ's own words, in his declaration and commission to his disciples; see Mar 16:16. On the other hand he signifies, that

whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained: that is, that whatsoever sins ye declare are not forgiven, they are not forgiven; which is the case of all final unbelievers, and impenitent sinners; who dying without repentance towards God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, according to the Gospel declaration, shall be damned, and are damned; for God stands by, and will stand by and confirm the Gospel of his Son, faithfully preached by his ministering servants; and all the world will sooner or later be convinced of the validity, truth, and certainty, of the declarations on each of these heads, made by them.