While appearing the apostles after his ressurection, Jesus said, "… “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, I also send you.” 22 And after he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.”" (John 20)
From these few verses spring the widely promoted doctrine of "priestly absolution for sins." It is contended if Jesus gave the apostles, and their successors and delegates, the ability to forgive sins, then by implication the church should make use of the ability to absolve sins through the act of confession to a priest.
Despite a misunderstanding of the basis on which the apostles’ authority to forgive or retain sins was based (it was not an arbitrary decision of the apostles themselves, but rather the revealed will of the Father through the Son, and the Son through the Spirit to the apostles – John 16:12-15; Luke 24:45-49; Acts 1:6-8; 2:1-4, 36-38), notice the doctrinal leap from what Jesus said about authority given to the apostles, an office created by the Lord (Ephesians 4:7-13), to the implication of Jesus giving a successive authority of absolution to a priesthood, an office not created by the Lord. We would also do well to note the absolute silence regarding priestly absolution not only in John 20:22-23, but throughout the entirety of the New Testament scriptures.
Such a situation reveals the danger of creating doctrine based upon perceived implications instead of directed declarations. What is true for the twenty-first century church was true for the first century church. This lesson is seen in the very next chapter of John’s gospel, where John recorded how the church mistakenly held to a belief based upon a perceived implication of Jesus’ words concerning his death instead relying upon what Jesus actually said to Peter about John’s death (John 21:20-23).
The forgiveness of sins is found at a throne in Heaven, not in an earthly booth. When someone places the act of confession to a manmade priesthood in between the absolute forgiveness of sins and a penitent believer in Christ, they are denying the grace of God made exclusively available through the high priesthood representation of Jesus and his atoning blood (Hebrews 1:3; 7:25; 1 John 1:5-10).
“14 Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.” (Hebrews 4)
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