It would be hard to argue based on the verses you posted that Jesus didn't give them some authority. One could be technical and say it's not the Apostles themselves but God through them forgiving the sins, yet the decision on who receives absolution rests in the hands of the Apostles even if God is the one doing it.
From what i have seen and perceive from Scripture, it is true that the apostles, and by extension church leadership, and by extension, the corporate body has conditional power to forgive wrongs done to them, under the principal that the one offended has a claim against the offender, and which God regards. And in which forgiveness equates to deliverance, healing, liberty in release from the charges and chastisement.
Leadership, together with the church, can bind one in church discipline such as offended the church, or a member - if they are impenitent, as in the case of Mt. 18:14,15 and 1 Co. 5:5. And also can loose one from this judgment upon repentance, effectively dropping the charges against them. And thus Paul said he would forgave the penitent sinner of 1 Co. 5 in the name of Christ, as in His stead, and anyone else they had charges against, along with them:
To whom ye forgive any thing, I
forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave
it, for your sakes
forgave I it in the person of Christ; (2 Corinthians 2:10)
However, this power is not autocratic, but such judgment presumes (as in promises for prayer) it is right and done in name (consistent with His character and will as representatives of Him). Thus if the one offended unjustly charged one as guilty, God would not (as in the case of the OT magisterial powers condemning Christ, yet those who chose to no hold any charges against those who crucified them in their spiritual blindness).
Likewise if the one offended was penitent and those who were offended refused to drop the charges they held against him, then they would actually incur judgement. Yet if one claims forgiveness based upon such texts as 1 John 1:9 for a actual sin that damaged others and did not confess it and seek to make amends, and the offended party brought charges before God in seeking judgment, then I do not think God would forgive, but would chastise the person if they refused to deal with it, perhaps after space was given for them to effectually repent.
Note also that leadership can also have power to bind or release subjects from vows made to God. All of which pertains to the power to bind and to loosing, which pertains to judicial judgments as well as spiritual exercises of it. And judicially formally speaking, the OT supreme court, could and civil courts can also bind a person in guilt or set such free.
Below is something i wrote before on this subject as I seek to see it more clearly, in response to Catholics who cite the promise of forgiveness in
James 5:15, as well as that of binding and loosing in
Matthew 18:18;
John 20:23.
Regarding which, the promise of forgiveness in
James 5:15 is in response to the intercession of holy men, that of clergy (presbuteros, not
Catholic priests ) these being the class more likely to be holy, and having disciplinary authority in union with the church, (
1 Corinthians 5:4,
5;
2 Corinthians 2:9–11) but without any example here of, or exhortation to regular confession of sins in general particularly to clergy being strongly recommended, which is what the CCC 1458 does.
And which forgiveness in James 5:15 was most likely was for sins of ignorance which the subject is being chastised for (cf.
Lv. 4:1-11;
Luke 12:47,
48) Which corresponds to what we see in
Mark 2:1-12, in which a man sick of the palsy is forgiven by Christ, without any confession on his part, and which equated to being healed, as a result of the intercession of his friends who brought him to Christ.
Thus we see here and in
James 5:14,
15 that God can show mercy and grace in response to the intercession of holy pastors. Yet as expanded upon below, the only command or exhortation to confess sins is to each other as a practice is in what follows, that of
James 5:16–20 in which holy faith-filled believers may obtain healing thru prayer, and “hide a multitude of sins,”and with the provision for binding and loosing being afforded to all of holy faith and fervent prayer as Elijah.
And which relates to the binding and loosing provision of
Matthew 18:18;
John 20:23, in which the provision for binding and loosing is given to the church, beginning with the pastors. Which has two aspects, one of which pertains to judicial judgments such as in disciplining members in union with the church. (
Matthew 18:15-18;
1 Corinthians 5:4,
5) In which God binds or looses what the church under magisterial leadership does if in His name - consistent with His will and character, as with the promise of prayer in His name:
John 14:14 - led by the pastors, and they in turn are to forgive those whom the church forgives.
2 Corinthians 2:9–11)
This spiritual binding and loosing is also seen in the OT, in which a father or husband could loose his daughter or his wife, respectively, from vows made them. (Numbers 30)
Also, the OT magisterium had the power to bind one in guilt or loose the same, dissent from which was a capital offense. (
Deuteronomy 17:8-13) Paul as Saul had authority from the chief priests to bind those who called on the name of Christ, (
Acts 9:14) and even civil powers are called ministers of God who can bind or loose, physically in this case. (
Romans 13:1-7) However, as with all earthly authority, this does not translate into sovereign autocratic spiritual authority in that God consents to whatever men do or ask, though they invoke His name in so doing.
And the disciplinary binding and loosing of
1 Corinthians 5:4,
5, this power also pertains to spiritual power, which is a provision with a scope that is not restricted to the clergy. For while Catholics invoke
Matthew 18:15-18 and
James 5:14,
15 as if only their priests have the power of binding and loosing, yet even though we should tell pastors of our spiritual state, and especially of wilful serious sins, and church discipline is under their leadership - and pastors who themselves sin are to suffer public rebuke - (
1 Timothy 5:19,
20) yet both confessing sins and the provision of binding and loosing is not restricted to clergy (and certainly not to Catholic priests).
For what follows
Matthew 18:15-18 is the promise to all believers in true unity in the name of Christ:
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (
Matthew 18:18-20)
And note that the context of
Mt. 18:15-18 is that of forgiving personal offenses (though it can in principal extend beyond that) and thus Peter next asks about how many times he is to forgive those who wronged him, meaning to loose one from the claims of judgment against him, and which again, is not restricted to clergy, but who are to forgive those whom you forgive, and whom the church forgives, as in
2 Corinthians 2:9–11.
Likewise, extending beyond the matter of binding or loosing one from the personal claims of judgment, is that which was shown before, that of spiritually binding and loosing as Elijah exampled in binding the sky from raining and loosing them again (which was that of a judgment and a release from the same). Which manner is a provision for all of holy faith and fervent prayer as Elijah (which i come very short of), and
James 5:17-20 speaks of this in relation to believers confessing to each others, who also can "hide a multitude of sins" as instruments of conversion. Thanks be to God.
