You Have the Keys to Forgiveness :: John 20:19-23

It is impossible for a person to confess all of their sins. There are too many we have thought and left unthought, and done and left undone to enumerate them all. 

It is also impossible to look into a person’s heart and decide if they are actually sorry for their sins. But when we go to the almighty God in humble, heartfelt confession of our sins, we are not alone. We stand before the throne of God in the name and for the sake of Jesus. Therefore, in the sted and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is impossible for the church to withhold forgiveness from someone who is repentant, no matter how grotesque or heinous their sin actually is. Whoever confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believes in their heart that God raised him from the dead, will be saved. 

THIS IS MOST CERTAINLY TRUE: YOU HAVE THE KEYS TO FORGIVENESS

That is our theme. 

I.

The Office of the Keys is that special authority which Christ has given to his church on earth to forgive the sins of any. You hold those keys when you know that our Lord Jesus lived, died, and rose again for you. You hold those keys when you know that he who knew no sin suffered the indignities of being stripped and beaten, humiliated and spit upon for you. He died on the cross for you, and that ... as Saint John writes ... On the evening of [the first Easter Sunday], the disciples were hiding behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jews. [Suddenly,] Jesus came into their midst, and said, Peace to you. ... Which means you have the forgiveness of sins on his account. ... Then he showed them the marks of his crucifixion, his hands and side, and to their joy, he gave them double comfort, saying again, Peace to you. Just as the Father has sent me, I also send you. And having said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven. If you hold back forgiveness, it is withheld (vv 19-23).

There are the keys of forgiveness.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, it needs to be said again, Jesus has just shown us that your sins are forgiven on account of his life, death, and resurrection. All of your sin ... yesterday’s sin, today’s sin, tomorrow’s sin ... all of it was erased by the blood of Jesus. You who have faith in this word and work of Christ have the forgiveness of sins and the eternal life that comes with it. 

You don’t receive the forgiveness of sins necessarily because you were baptized one time a long time ago. You can despise your baptism, walking away from it. 

You don’t receive the forgiveness of sins necessarily just because you come to the Lord’s Supper. You can despise his salvation and take the cup of wrath instead.

You don’t even receive the forgiveness of sins just because I say in the stead of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, you have the forgiveness of sins precisely because of the Gospel ... the life, death, and resurrection of Lord Jesus ... is for you. This is the key to forgiveness. Use them. Christ has announced this to you. And he delivers it to you through his means of grace ... namely, baptism, absolution, and the Lord’s Supper. Use them. All of these means work together. They are keys to forgiveness.

Some might think that because baptism is necessary for salvation, that it is the most important sacrament. But you need to know, today’s Word of Absolution is no less powerful or effective than baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Christ’s Word of forgiveness is complete and absolute. 

As God’s Word reminds us over and over and over: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Gospel of peace (Isa 52:7). ... Faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ (Rm 10:17). ... Son, your faith has saved you. Daughter, your faith has saved you. Child, your faith has saved you. Knowing this is a key to forgiveness.

II. 

At the same time, you need to know, the power which Christ has given is not only to receive his forgiveness and to forgive each other ... but it is also to retain the sins of those who do not repent until they repent. As Saint John teaches us in his first epistle, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us, but if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 Jn 1:8-9). 

Our goal ... by our ... I mean not just pastors but the entire body of Christ, the church ... our goal is always to announce the forgiveness of sins to everyone in our lives, and to do it as quickly as possible. We need to hear the Gospel. It is a key to forgiveness. 

Unrepentant sinners ... that is, those who are not sorry for their sins, and therefore see no need of a savior ... are not to be forgiven as long as they do not repent. If you are a Christian, you should not need my compulsion to repent. ... Please ask me to preach the Gospel. I long to announce that your key has opened the door to forgiveness. 

III

Essential to a proper understanding of this task is that we understand what repentance actually is. Most of us think of repentance as something we do. You probably have heard someone say something like this ... repentance is turning away from your sin ... doing a 180, so to speak ... changing the direction of your lives. To be sure, that is not wrong. It is just an incomplete thought. 

First, and foremost, repentance is a work of God. Theologically speaking, repentance has two parts: contrition and faith. Simply put, contrition is sorrow for your sin, and faith is a trust in the promises of God. In other words, both of these are works of God. 

It is easy to lose sight of this. We are easily tempted to think that we cannot receive the forgiveness of God unless we have the proper or intense feeling that will win God’s approval. Luther himself learned the failure of that notion. But like Paul, through the Word of God, he learned to recognize that I do not practice what I want; I do what I hate (Rm 7:15). And he cried out with David, God, have mercy on me (Ps 51:1).

And he did! 

He preserves us from trouble. He surrounds us with shouts of deliverance (Ps 32:7)!

Brothers and sisters in Christ, once we are convicted of sin ... once we mourn our sin, knowing that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition, we can take comfort in hearing the Gospel that God, who is faithful and just, announces the forgiveness of your sins on account of our Lord Jesus. 

This is why we urge you to confess and express your needs, not for the purpose of performing a work but to hear what God wants to say to you. The Word or absolution I say is what you should concentrate on, magnifying and cherishing it as a great and wonderful treasure to be accepted with all praise and gratitude (LC Exhortation 22).

IV.

In Jesus, God has laid bare his heart. He loved us in this way: He sacrificed his only begotten son on the cross for you. Your sin died with Jesus, and the life you now live is yours in Jesus. You are not just not guilty ... but innocent of all your sins. This is God’s promise to you, the promise that gives you faith. And in that faith you now know that my announcement of this truth to you is just as valid and certain as if Christ himself was dealing with us himself. 

So there you have it, the power of keys, the unique power which God has given to you ... his church on earth. Now you who have faith can forgive the sins of the penitent and to retain the sins of the impenitent. 

So .... do that! Seek forgiveness from each other and forgive each other! Confess your sins to each other, and believe that on account of Christ, you have peace, which is forgiveness. Do it even when you struggle with it. You have the key to forgiveness, and there is always more joy in heaven when we use it faithfully in love ... in Jesus’ name.