"In some translations of Matthew [16:19 and] 18:18, it sounds like Jesus promised his disciples that whatever they bound on earth would be bound in heaven, and whatever they loosed on earth would be loosed in heaven . . . But the matter is not quite so simple; the actions described in heaven are future perfect passives - which could be translated ‘will have already been bound [or loosed] in heaven. In other words, the heavenly decree confirming the earthly one is based on a prior verdict [God had already made]. "Jewish legal issues were normally decided in Jesus’ day by elders in the synagogue community (later by rabbis). Many Jewish people believed that the authority of Heaven stood behind the earthly judges when they decided cases based on a correct understanding of God’s law. Jesus’ contemporaries often envisioned God’s justice in terms of a heavenly court; by obeying God’s laws, the earthly court simply ratified the decrees of the heavenly court" (Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, page 121, comments added).
What is PAPAL INFALLIBILITY? The doctrine of Papal infallibility states that the Pope, when believed to be acting under the Holy Spirit, will be free from ANY errors when he declares to the church a dogmatic teaching on faith. Papal infallibility did not become an official church doctrine until the First Vatican Council of 1870 A.D. | What authority did Jesus give His disciples? The Bible truth is that Jesus did NOT give ANY of his followers the unilateral power to make binding decisions regardless of what his Word teaches. Jesus specifically stated that his Father's laws and the other writings of the Old Testament were NOT abolished. Rather, God's words in the Law, Prophets or Psalms are STILL (with the New Testament) the standard by which any decision must be judged against. "'DO NOT THINK that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. "'Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called LEAST in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called GREAT in the kingdom of heaven.'" (Matthew 5:17-19, NKJV)
Whatever is decided within the church CANNOT be contrary to God's laws and commandments. As Matthew 5 states, those who break the commandments and teach others to do so as well are the LEAST! Jesus, however, DID give the disciples authority to loose the sometimes silly religious traditions others taught that were not supported in the Bible (see Mark 7:1-13, Acts 10:28, 14:8-18, etc.). | | What is the HOLY SEE? | | | | | The "Holy See" is the official name for the Pope's jurisdiction and is the entity through which the Catholic church officially speaks and acts. It is the highest authority in the Catholic Church's top-down church government structure. Since the time of the middle ages, the Holy See has been recognized as an individual independent entity. It is NOT the same as the Vatican City State, which came into existence in 1929 A.D. The See has diplomatic relationships with more than 150 independent states around the world. Papal representatives represent the Holy See to nations and organizations around the world. At the present time it has no relations with China, Saudi Arabia, Oman and a few other countries. |  Emblem of the Papacy The emblem symbolizes the Pope's power of "binding and loosing." |
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What Old Testament teachings are still valid? Some of the teachings in the New Testament foreshadowed in the Old Testament before Jesus arrived on earth include the below. Jesus would die for the sins of the world (Psalms 22; Isaiah 53; John 1:36, etc.) Jesus would magnify God's Law and make it glorious (Isaiah 52:14; Matthew 5-7) Sin would be forgiven upon repentance (Psalms 32:1-2; 51:1-17; Romans 3:20-24, etc.) True circumcision would be of the heart and not the flesh (Deuteronomy 10:16; Romans 2:28-29, etc.) Seventh-day Sabbath and God's annual feast days would still need to be kept, even by Gentiles (Isaiah 56:1-6, Acts 13:42-44, Hebrews 4:9, etc.)
Does heaven honor ALL church decisions? Any ministry or church organization that promotes sin, which is the transgression of the Law, in any of its decisions is operating contrary to the Bible and will of God. Such decisions are simply the inventions of men and do not have the authority of heaven. Examples of decisions not honored in heaven are below. Worshiping pagan gods (Exodus 20:2-3;1Corinthians 10:20-21) Endorsing worshiping of idols (Exodus 20:4-6; Isaiah 42:8,17; 44:9-20; 1Corinthians 10:14; 12:2, etc.) Adding to or taking away from the Bible (Deuteronomy 12:30-32; Revelation 22:18-19) Worshiping dead saints (Isaiah 8:19-20) Adopting pagan worship practices and holidays like worship on Sunday, Halloween, Christmas, Easter, etc., in place of Biblical practices and Holy days.
God has never given a single human, not even Peter, or a single church the sole authority to make decisions for all. All binding and loosing decisions made by the ministry and brethren must be in harmony with the Bible. Decisions are authoritative only when they have "already been bound or loosed in heaven." |
