On Henry commentary I disagree. Why do u look at 20th century
exegetes of John 20. Lets see how the early Christians especially
in the first century explained it.
In church confess your
sins, and do not come to your prayer with a guilt
conscience. Such is the Way of Life...On the Lord's own day,
assemble in common to break bread and offer thanks; but first
confess your sins, so that your sacrifice may be pure." Didache,
4:14,14:1 (c. A.D. 90).
"Moreover, it is in accordance with reason that we should return to
soberness[of conduct], and, while yet we have opportunity, exercise
repentance towards God. It is well to reverence both God
and the bishop." Ignatius, Epistle to the Smyraeans, 9 (c.
A.D. 110).
"Moreover, that this Marcus compounds philters and love-potions, in
order to insult the persons of some of these women, if not of all,
those of them who have returned to the Church of God--a thing which
frequently occurs--have acknowledged, confessing, too, that they
have been defiled by him, and that they were filled with a burning
passion towards him. A sad example of this occurred in the case of
a certain Asiatic, one of our deacons, who had received him
(Marcus) into his house. His wife, a woman of remarkable beauty,
fell a victim both in mind and body to this magician, and, for a
long time, travelled about with him. At last, when, with no small
difficulty, the brethren had converted her, she spent her
whole time in the exercise of public confession, weeping
over and lamenting the defilement which she had received from this
magician." Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 1:13 (A.D. 180).
"Such are the words and deeds by which, in our own district of the
Rhone, they have deluded many women, who have their consciences
seared as with a hot iron. Some of them, indeed, make a
public confession of their sins; but others of them are ashamed to
do this, and in a tacit kind of way, despairing of [attaining to]
the life of God, have, some of them, apostatized
altogether; while others hesitate between the two courses, and
incur that which is implied in the proverb, 'neither without nor
within;' possessing this as the fruit from the seed of the children
of knowledge." Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 1:13 (A.D. 180).
"Father who knowest the hearts of all grant upon this Thy servant
whom Thou hast chosen for the episcopate to feed Thy holy flock and
serve as Thine high priest, that he may minister blamelessly by
night and day, that he may unceasingly behold and appropriate Thy
countenance and offer to Thee the gifts of Thy holy Church.
And that by the high priestly Spirit he may have authority
to forgive sins..." Hippolytus, Apostolic Tradition, 3
(A.D. 215).
"The Pontifex Maximus--that is, the bishop of bishops--issues an
edict: 'I remit, to such as have discharged (the
requirements of) repentance, the sins both of adultery and of
fornication.'" Tertullian, Modesty, 1 (A.D. 220).
"In addition to these there is also a seventh, albeit hard and
laborious: the remission of sins through penance...when he
does not shrink from declaring his sin to a priest of the
Lord." Origen, Homilies on Leviticus, 2:4 (A.D.
24
.
"For although in smaller sins sinners may do penance for a set
time, and according to the rules of discipline come to public
confession, and by imposition of the hand of the bishop and clergy
receive the right of communion: now with their time still
unfulfilled, while persecution is still raging, while the peace of
the Church itself is not vet restored, they are admitted to
communion, and their name is presented; and while the
penitence is not yet performed, confession is not yet
made, the hands Of the bishop and clergy are not yet laid
upon them, the eucharist is given to them; although it is written,
'Whosoever shall eat the bread and drink the cup of the Lord
unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.'"
Cyprian, To the Clergy, 9 (16):2 (A.D. 250).
"Moreover, how much are they both greater in faith and better in
their fear, who, although bound by no crime of sacrifice to idols
or of certificate, yet, since they have even thought of such
things, with grief and simplicity confess this very thing to God's
priests, and make the conscientious avowal, put off from them the
load of their minds, and seek out the salutary medicine even for
slight and moderate wounds, knowing that it is written, 'God is not
mocked.' God cannot be mocked, nor deceived, nor deluded by any
deceptive cunning. Yea, he sins the more, who, thinking that God is
like man, believes that he evades the penalty of his crime if he
has not openly admitted his crime
I entreat you, beloved brethren,
that each one should confess his own sin, while he who has sinned
is still in this world, while his confession may be
received, while the satisfaction and remission made by the priests
are pleasing to the Lord?" Cyprian, To the Lapsed, 28-29
(A.D. 251).
"For if any one will consider how great a thing it is for one,
being a man, and compassed with flesh and blood, to be enabled to
draw nigh to that blessed and pure nature, he will then clearly see
what great honor the grace of the Spirit has vouchsafed to priests;
since by their agency these rites are celebrated, and others nowise
inferior to these both in respect of our dignity and our salvation.
For they who inhabit the earth and make their abode there are
entrusted with the administration of things which are in Heaven,
and have received an authority which God has not given to angels or
archangels. For it has not been said to them, 'Whatsoever
ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatsoever ye
shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.' They who rule on
earth have indeed authority to bind, but only the body: whereas
this binding lays hold of the soul and penetrates the heavens; and
what priests do here below God ratifies above, and the Master
confirms the sentence of his servants. For indeed what is
it but all manner of heavenly authority which He has given them
when He says, 'Whose sins ye remit they are remitted, and
whose sins ye retain they are retained?' What authority could be
greater than this? 'The Father hath committed all judgment
to the Son?' But I see it all put into the hands of these
men by the Son." John Chrysostom, The Priesthood, 3:5
(A.D. 387).
So u can clearly see, the early Christians intepretated Scripture
the Catholic way. Im afriad Henry exegis of Scripture is hardly
historical.
On the Biblical issue, he is moving in circles attempting to
confuse his reader with Christ sacrifice on calvary and the Church
ability to forgive sins. Christ gave the Apostles the power to
'forgive and retain sins'. How do u intepretate that?
First, we see that Jesus breathes on His apostles in the upper
room. The only other time God breathted on man was when He created
him and breathed life into his body. Genesis 2:7. When God breathes
on man, a transformatoin takes place. Here, the apostles were
transformed and filled with the Holy Spirit and with Jesus' divien
authority to forgive sins. Thus,Mathtew writes that God gave the
authuority to forgive sins to men. Matt. 9:8. By virtue of God's
mercy, the apostles are able to forgive all sins.
While such authority is reserved to God alone, Christ shared this
authority with the apostles.
I cant see any way out of this intepretation.