Call them Forgiven
[Jesus] breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.

John 20:22-23 NIV
The whole idea of “one man calling another man forgiven” sends a bit of a shiver up my spine. These words (or maybe a commission) from Jesus sounds blasphemous. I really want to correct Jesus and remind him that only God can forgive sins. I want to remind Jesus of King David's words, "Against you alone have I sinned" (Psalm 51:4). If all of our sins are ultimately against God, then it is He alone who holds our absolution. But even now, I am struggling with this. Why would Jesus would share this power with mere men?
I think that when a man confesses his sins to the Lord, he is forgiven. But when a man confesses his sins to a brother or sister in the faith, the community shares the burden of his sins and has the right (and duty) to forgive him. If we believers really are the aroma of Christ to those being saved (2 Corinthians 2:15), then I think we represent Christ in this world. And part of representing the Lord involves calling the repentant forgiven and the unrepentant accountable. And this accountability is not "judging", which too many are critical and fearful of. As long as we have called upon the Holy Spirit first, then calling a sin a sin is in keeping with the character of Christ. And likewise, calling a man or woman forgiven is also in keeping with the character of Christ.
Calling a person forgiven is not so much about absolving them as it is about restoring them. God gladly rejoices because one soul has repented. He forgives them without restraint, alms, favors or coercion because their heart has turned to Him. And we too should rejoice when someone confesses their sins and turns toward the Lord. When one tells us of their sins, they have placed their entire trust in the community of believers. And like God, we can restore them by calling them "Forgiven".