John 20:22

John 20:22 says, And when He had said this, He breathed on them and saith unto them, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost."  The disciples had just been told they were being sent by Jesus as the Father had sent Him.  Jesus had come to redeem the world, and the disciples were now to be His representatives in this task.  We as followers of Christ have the same task today.  They were not being sent under their own power though, but under the power of the Holy Ghost.  We today go under that same power.  Once more, when we see the corruption and evil in the world, we do not need to fear, because God is with us since the Holy Spirit indwells us.  Wherever we go or whatever we do, the Holy Spirit goes with us.  The Holy Spirit does not just come to us in times of trouble and then leave but is with us always to help us carry out our commission.  Verse twenty-three adds, "Whose so ever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whose so ever sins ye retain, they are retained."  This was Jesus talking, so we need to understand what He was really saying.  We do not have the power to forgive sins.  Only Jesus has this power.  What we have the power to do is present the gospel under the power of the Holy Spirit, and those who accept the gospel have their sins forgiven.  Those who do not don't have their sins forgiven.  As disciples of Christ, we are called on to present the gospel.  Those who receive it are forgiven.  No one can change the gospel and be redeemed.  Everyone who would come to God must come through Christ, and the first thing they must do is ask for God's forgiveness.  We cannot just learn from our mistakes and be a better person.  This would mean we redeem ourselves, and we can never do this.  Those who accept the message of Christ when we present it are forgiven.  The message cannot be altered or watered down.  Through Christ alone is forgiveness and restoration made possible.