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If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” --- John 20:23 ESV If you forgive the sins of anyone they are forgiven [because of their faith]; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained [and remain unforgiven because of their unbelief].” --- John 20:23 AMP Clarifying that we cannot forgive sins, only God can. The expressions “they are forgiven” and “it is withheld” both represent perfect-tense verbs in Greek and could also be translated, “they have been forgiven” and “it has been withheld,” since the perfect gives the sense of completed past action with continuing results in the present. The idea is not that individual Christians or churches have authority on their own to forgive or not forgive people, but rather that as the church proclaims that those who believe in Jesus have their sins forgiven, and that those who do not believe in him do not have their sins forgiven---which simply reflect what God in heaven has already done. --- Crossway ESV Study Bible notes