Yohanes 20:23

20:23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; ¹  if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.” ² 

Yohanes 16:9

16:9 concerning sin, because ³  they do not believe in me; ⁴ 

Yohanes 8:34

8:34 Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth, ⁵  everyone who practices ⁶  sin is a slave ⁷  of sin.

Yohanes 9:41

9:41 Jesus replied, ⁸  “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, ⁹  but now because you claim that you can see, ¹⁰  your guilt ¹¹  remains.” ¹² 

Yohanes 15:22

15:22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. ¹³  But they no longer have any excuse for their sin.

Yohanes 8:24

8:24 Thus I told you ¹⁴  that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am he, ¹⁵  you will die in your sins.”

Yohanes 16:8

16:8 And when he ¹⁶  comes, he will prove the world wrong ¹⁷  concerning sin and ¹⁸  righteousness and ¹⁹  judgment –

Yohanes 9:3

9:3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man ²⁰  nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that ²¹  the acts ²²  of God may be revealed ²³  through what happens to him. ²⁴ 

Yohanes 9:2

9:2 His disciples asked him, ²⁵  “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man ²⁶  or his parents?” ²⁷ 

Yohanes 1:29

1:29 On the next day John ²⁸  saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God ²⁹  who takes away the sin of the world!

Yohanes 8:7

8:7 When they persisted in asking him, he stood up straight ³⁰  and replied, ³¹  “Whoever among you is guiltless ³²  may be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Yohanes 8:11

8:11 She replied, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”]] ³³ 

Yohanes 8:46

8:46 Who among you can prove me guilty ³⁴  of any sin? ³⁵  If I am telling you ³⁶  the truth, why don’t you believe me?

Yohanes 9:25

9:25 He replied, ³⁷  “I do not know whether he is a sinner. I do know one thing – that although I was blind, now I can see.”

Yohanes 9:31

9:31 We know that God doesn’t listen to ³⁸  sinners, but if anyone is devout ³⁹  and does his will, God ⁴⁰  listens to ⁴¹  him. ⁴² 

Yohanes 9:34

9:34 They replied, ⁴³  “You were born completely in sinfulness, ⁴⁴  and yet you presume to teach us?” ⁴⁵  So they threw him out.

Yohanes 5:14

5:14 After this Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “Look, you have become well. Don’t sin any more, ⁴⁶  lest anything worse happen to you.”

Yohanes 8:21

Where Jesus Came From and Where He is Going

8:21 Then Jesus ⁴⁷  said to them again, ⁴⁸  “I am going away, and you will look for me ⁴⁹  but will die in your sin. ⁵⁰  Where I am going you cannot come.”

Yohanes 19:11

19:11 Jesus replied, “You would have no authority ⁵¹  over me at all, unless it was given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you ⁵²  is guilty of greater sin.” ⁵³ 

Yohanes 9:24

9:24 Then they summoned ⁵⁴  the man who used to be blind ⁵⁵  a second time and said to him, “Promise before God to tell the truth. ⁵⁶  We know that this man ⁵⁷  is a sinner.”

Yohanes 9:16

9:16 Then some of the Pharisees began to say, ⁵⁸  “This man is not from God, because he does not observe ⁵⁹  the Sabbath.” ⁶⁰  But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform ⁶¹  such miraculous signs?” Thus there was a division ⁶²  among them.

Yohanes 15:24

15:24 If I had not performed ⁶³  among them the miraculous deeds ⁶⁴  that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. ⁶⁵  But now they have seen the deeds ⁶⁶  and have hated both me and my Father. ⁶⁷ 

Yohanes 3:20

3:20 For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed.

Yohanes 5:22

5:22 Furthermore, the Father does not judge ⁶⁸  anyone, but has assigned ⁶⁹  all judgment to the Son,

Yohanes 5:27

5:27 and he has granted the Son ⁷⁰  authority to execute judgment, ⁷¹  because he is the Son of Man.

Yohanes 7:7

7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it that its deeds are evil.

Yohanes 5:24

5:24 “I tell you the solemn truth, ⁷²  the one who hears ⁷³  my message ⁷⁴  and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, ⁷⁵  but has crossed over from death to life.

[20:23]  ¹ tn Grk “they are forgiven to them.” The words “to them” are unnecessary in English and somewhat redundant.

[20:23]  ² sn The statement by Jesus about forgive or retaining anyone’s sins finds its closest parallel in Matt 16:19 and 18:18. This is probably not referring to apostolic power to forgive or retain the sins of individuals (as it is sometimes understood), but to the “power” of proclaiming this forgiveness which was entrusted to the disciples. This is consistent with the idea that the disciples are to carry on the ministry of Jesus after he has departed from the world and returned to the Father, a theme which occurred in the Farewell Discourse (cf. 15:27, 16:1-4, and 17:18).

[16:9]  ³ tn Or “that.” It is very difficult to determine whether ὅτι (Joti; 3 times in 16:9, 10, 11) should be understood as causal or appositional/explanatory: Brown and Bultmann favor appositional or explanatory, while Barrett and Morris prefer a causal sense. A causal idea is preferable here, since it also fits the parallel statements in vv. 10-11 better than an appositional or explanatory use would. In this case Jesus is stating in each instance the reason why the world is proven guilty or wrong by the Spirit-Paraclete.

[16:9]  ⁴ sn Here (v. 9) the world is proven guilty concerning sin, and the reason given is their refusal to believe in Jesus. In 3:19 the effect of Jesus coming into the world as the Light of the world was to provoke judgment, by forcing people to choose up sides for or against him, and they chose darkness rather than light. In 12:37, at the very end of Jesus’ public ministry in John’s Gospel, people were still refusing to believe in him.

[8:34]  ⁵ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[8:34]  ⁶ tn Or “who commits.” This could simply be translated, “everyone who sins,” but the Greek is more emphatic, using the participle ποιῶν (poiwn) in a construction with πᾶς (pas), a typical Johannine construction. Here repeated, continuous action is in view. The one whose lifestyle is characterized by repeated, continuous sin is a slave to sin. That one is not free; sin has enslaved him. To break free from this bondage requires outside (divine) intervention. Although the statement is true at the general level (the person who continually practices a lifestyle of sin is enslaved to sin) the particular sin of the Jewish authorities, repeatedly emphasized in the Fourth Gospel, is the sin of unbelief. The present tense in this instance looks at the continuing refusal on the part of the Jewish leaders to acknowledge who Jesus is, in spite of mounting evidence.

[8:34]  ⁷ tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.

[9:41]  ⁸ tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”

[9:41]  ⁹ tn Grk “you would not have sin.”

[9:41]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “now because you say, ‘We see…’”

[9:41]  ¹¹ tn Or “your sin.”

[9:41]  ¹² sn Because you claim that you can see, your guilt remains. The blind man received sight physically, and this led him to see spiritually as well. But the Pharisees, who claimed to possess spiritual sight, were spiritually blinded. The reader might recall Jesus’ words to Nicodemus in 3:10, “Are you the teacher of Israel and don’t understand these things?” In other words, to receive Jesus was to receive the light of the world, to reject him was to reject the light, close one’s eyes, and become blind. This is the serious sin of which Jesus had warned before (8:21-24). The blindness of such people was incurable since they had rejected the only cure that exists (cf. 12:39-41).

[15:22]  ¹³ tn Grk “they would not have sin” (an idiom).

[15:22]  sn Jesus now describes the guilt of the world. He came to these people with both words (15:22) and sign-miracles (15:24), yet they remained obstinate in their unbelief, and this sin of unbelief was without excuse. Jesus was not saying that if he had not come and spoken to these people they would be sinless; rather he was saying that if he had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of the sin of rejecting him and the Father he came to reveal. Rejecting Jesus is the one ultimate sin for which there can be no forgiveness, because the one who has committed this sin has at the same time rejected the only cure that exists. Jesus spoke similarly to the Pharisees in 9:41: “If you were blind, you would have no sin (same phrase as here), but now you say ‘We see’ your sin remains.”

[8:24]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “thus I said to you.”

[8:24]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “unless you believe that I am.” In this context there is an implied predicate nominative (“he”) following the “I am” phrase. What Jesus’ hearers had to acknowledge is that he was who he claimed to be, i.e., the Messiah (cf. 20:31). This view is also reflected in English translations like NIV (“if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be”), NLT (“unless you believe that I am who I say I am”), and CEV (“if you don’t have faith in me for who I am”). For a different view that takes this “I am” and the one in 8:28 as nonpredicated (i.e., absolute), see R. E. Brown, John (AB), 1:533-38. Such a view refers sees the nonpredicated “I am” as a reference to the divine Name revealed in Exod 3:14, and is reflected in English translations like NAB (“if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins”) and TEV (“you will die in your sins if you do not believe that ‘I Am Who I Am’”).

[8:24]  sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.

[16:8]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “when that one.”

[16:8]  ¹⁷ tn Or “will convict the world,” or “will expose the world.” The conjunction περί (peri) is used in 16:8-11 in the sense of “concerning” or “with respect to.” But what about the verb ἐλέγχω (elencw)? The basic meanings possible for this word are (1) “to convict or convince someone of something”; (2) “to bring to light or expose something; and (3) “to correct or punish someone.” The third possibility may be ruled out in these verses on contextual grounds since punishment is not implied. The meaning is often understood to be that the Paraclete will “convince” the world of its error, so that some at least will repent. But S. Mowinckel (“Die Vorstellungen des Spätjudentums vom heiligen Geist als Fürsprecher und der johanneische Paraklet,” ZNW 32 [1933]: 97-130) demonstrated that the verb ἐλέγχω did not necessarily imply the conversion or reform of the guilty party. This means it is far more likely that conviction in something of a legal sense is intended here (as in a trial). The only certainty is that the accused party is indeed proven guilty (not that they will acknowledge their guilt). Further confirmation of this interpretation is seen in John 14:17 where the world cannot receive the Paraclete and in John 3:20, where the evildoer deliberately refuses to come to the light, lest his deeds be exposed for what they really are (significantly, the verb in John 3:20 is also ἐλέγχω). However, if one wishes to adopt the meaning “prove guilty” for the use of ἐλέγχω in John 16:8 a difficulty still remains: While this meaning fits the first statement in 16:9 – the world is ‘proven guilty’ concerning its sin of refusing to believe in Jesus – it does not fit so well the second and third assertions in vv. 10-11. Thus R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:705) suggests the more general meaning “prove wrong” which would fit in all three cases. This may be so, but there may also be a developmental aspect to the meaning, which would then shift from v. 9 to v. 10 to v. 11.

[16:8]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “and concerning.”

[16:8]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “and concerning.”

[9:3]  ²⁰ tn Grk “this one.”

[9:3]  ²¹ tn Grk “but so that.” There is an ellipsis that must be supplied: “but [he was born blind] so that” or “but [it happened to him] so that.”

[9:3]  ²² tn Or “deeds”; Grk “works.”

[9:3]  ²³ tn Or “manifested,” “brought to light.”

[9:3]  ²⁴ tn Grk “in him.”

[9:2]  ²⁵ tn Grk “asked him, saying.”

[9:2]  ²⁶ tn Grk “this one.”

[9:2]  ²⁷ tn Grk “in order that he should be born blind.”

[9:2]  sn The disciples assumed that sin (regardless of who committed it) was the cause of the man’s blindness. This was a common belief in Judaism; the rabbis used Ezek 18:20 to prove there was no death without sin, and Ps 89:33 to prove there was no punishment without guilt (the Babylonian Talmud, b. Shabbat 55a, although later than the NT, illustrates this). Thus in this case the sin must have been on the part of the man’s parents, or during his own prenatal existence. Song Rabbah 1:41 (another later rabbinic work) stated that when a pregnant woman worshiped in a heathen temple the unborn child also committed idolatry. This is only one example of how, in rabbinic Jewish thought, an unborn child was capable of sinning.

[1:29]  ²⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[1:29]  ²⁹ sn Gen 22:8 is an important passage in the background of the title Lamb of God as applied to Jesus. In Jewish thought this was held to be a supremely important sacrifice. G. Vermès stated: “For the Palestinian Jew, all lamb sacrifice, and especially the Passover lamb and the Tamid offering, was a memorial of the Akedah with its effects of deliverance, forgiveness of sin and messianic salvation” (Scripture and Tradition in Judaism [StPB], 225).

[8:7]  ³⁰ tn Or “he straightened up.”

[8:7]  ³¹ tn Grk “and said to them.”

[8:7]  ³² tn Or “sinless.”

[8:11]  ³³ tc The earliest and best mss do not contain 7:53–8:11 (see note on 7:53).

[8:46]  ³⁴ tn Or “can convict me.”

[8:46]  ³⁵ tn Or “of having sinned”; Grk “of sin.”

[8:46]  ³⁶ tn Or “if I tell you.”

[9:25]  ³⁷ tn Grk “Then that one answered.”

[9:31]  ³⁸ tn Grk “God does not hear.”

[9:31]  ³⁹ tn Or “godly.”

[9:31]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:31]  ⁴¹ tn Or “hears.”

[9:31]  ⁴² tn Grk “this one.”

[9:34]  ⁴³ tn Grk “They answered and said to him.” This has been simplified in the translation to “They replied.”

[9:34]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “From birth you have been evil.” The implication of this insult, in the context of John 9, is that the man whom Jesus caused to see had not previously adhered rigorously to all the conventional requirements of the OT law as interpreted by the Pharisees. Thus he had no right to instruct them about who Jesus was.

[9:34]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “and are you teaching us?”

[5:14]  ⁴⁶ tn Since this is a prohibition with a present imperative, the translation “stop sinning” is sometimes suggested. This is not likely, however, since the present tense is normally used in prohibitions involving a general condition (as here) while the aorist tense is normally used in specific instances. Only when used opposite the normal usage (the present tense in a specific instance, for example) would the meaning “stop doing what you are doing” be appropriate.

[8:21]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:21]  ⁴⁸ tn The expression οὖν πάλιν (oun palin) indicates some sort of break in the sequence of events, but it is not clear how long. The author does not mention the interval between 8:12-20 and this next recorded dialogue. The feast of Tabernacles is past, and the next reference to time is 10:22, where the feast of the Dedication is mentioned. The interval is two months, and these discussions could have taken place at any time within that interval, as long as one assumes something of a loose chronological framework. However, if the material in the Fourth Gospel is arranged theologically or thematically, such an assumption would not apply.

[8:21]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “you will seek me.”

[8:21]  ⁵⁰ tn The expression ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ὑμῶν ἀποθανεῖσθε (en th Jamartia Jumwn apoqaneisqe) is similar to an expression found in the LXX at Ezek 3:18, 20 and Prov 24:9. Note the singular of ἁμαρτία (the plural occurs later in v. 24). To die with one’s sin unrepented and unatoned would be the ultimate disaster to befall a person. Jesus’ warning is stern but to the point.

[19:11]  ⁵¹ tn Or “power.”

[19:11]  ⁵² tn Or “who delivered me over to you.”

[19:11]  sn The one who handed me over to you appears to be a reference to Judas at first; yet Judas did not deliver Jesus up to Pilate, but to the Jewish authorities. The singular may be a reference to Caiaphas, who as high priest was representative of all the Jewish authorities, or it may be a generic singular referring to all the Jewish authorities directly. In either case the end result is more or less the same.

[19:11]  ⁵³ tn Grk “has the greater sin” (an idiom).

[19:11]  sn Because Pilate had no authority over Jesus except what had been given to him from God, the one who handed Jesus over to Pilate was guilty of greater sin. This does not absolve Pilate of guilt; it simply means his guilt was less than those who handed Jesus over to him, because he was not acting against Jesus out of deliberate hatred or calculated malice, like the Jewish religious authorities. These were thereby guilty of greater sin.

[9:24]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “they called.”

[9:24]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “who was blind.”

[9:24]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “Give glory to God” (an idiomatic formula used in placing someone under oath to tell the truth).

[9:24]  ⁵⁷ tn The phrase “this man” is a reference to Jesus.

[9:16]  ⁵⁸ tn As a response to the answers of the man who used to be blind, the use of the imperfect tense in the reply of the Pharisees is best translated as an ingressive imperfect (“began to say” or “started saying”).

[9:16]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “he does not keep.”

[9:16]  ⁶⁰ sn The Jewish religious leaders considered the work involved in making the mud to be a violation of the Sabbath.

[9:16]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “do.”

[9:16]  ⁶² tn Or “So there was discord.”

[15:24]  ⁶³ tn Or “If I had not done.”

[15:24]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “the works.”

[15:24]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “they would not have sin” (an idiom).

[15:24]  ⁶⁶ tn The words “the deeds” are supplied to clarify from context what was seen. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.

[15:24]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “But now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father.” It is possible to understand both the “seeing” and the “hating” to refer to both Jesus and the Father, but this has the world “seeing” the Father, which seems alien to the Johannine Jesus. (Some point out John 14:9 as an example, but this is addressed to the disciples, not to the world.) It is more likely that the “seeing” refers to the miraculous deeds mentioned in the first half of the verse. Such an understanding of the first “both – and” construction is apparently supported by BDF §444.3.

[5:22]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “condemn.”

[5:22]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “given,” or “handed over.”

[5:27]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “him.”

[5:27]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “authority to judge.”

[5:24]  ⁷² tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[5:24]  ⁷³ tn Or “obeys.”

[5:24]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “word.”

[5:24]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “and does not come into judgment.”