[stfassisi]

Regarding Binding and Loosing

Matt. 16:18-19 – Jesus was speaking about Peter’s confession of faith (not Peter himself) based on the revelation he received, the verses are clear that Jesus, after acknowledging Peter’s receipt of divine revelation, turns the whole discourse to the person of Peter: Blessed are “you” Simon, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to “you,” and I tell “you,” “you” are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church. I will give “you” the keys to the kingdom, and whatever “you” bind and loose on earth will be bound and loosed in heaven. Jesus’ whole discourse relates to the person of Peter, not his confession of faith.

For Jesus to give Peter and the apostles, mere human beings, the authority to bind in heaven what they bound on earth requires infallibility. This is a gift of the Holy Spirit and has nothing to do with the holiness of the person receiving the gift.

Matt. 16:19; 18:18 - Jesus gave the apostles binding and loosing authority. But this authority requires a visible Church because "binding and loosing" are visible acts. The Church cannot be invisible, or it cannot bind and loose.

[William Terrell]

This all goes back to Peter founding the Catholic church.

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

What was a "rock" about Peter? Why would Jesus call him a "rock"? It has to be presumed that this would be based on his recognition of Jesus as the Lord. Peter certainly didn't act like a rock, and the Lord knew it.

But before that verse:

Matthew 16:17. . .for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Jesus had said that the Kingdom of God is within you.

Luke 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

Luke 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

I don't think it means the Catholic church, for God is accessible to and by each individual, and two of them if they want Christ to be there. Remember, God comes to individuals, not conglomerates.

And you're trying to interpret it as a conglomerate would.

The "rock" upon which He will build His church (a body of likebelieving (in the Gospels) individuals) is the connection with God that Peter showed. Jesus commended the act of receiving revelation from God.

In this, Jesus recognized Peter for communicating with God and His kingdom that is within. Each person who is in connection with God in his heart and is guided by the Holy Spirit indeed has the key to the kingdom, because he or she receives revelations from that Spirit.

Whatever an individual binds on earth is bound for that individual in heaven, for there are judgments to answer for, and whatsoever an individual looses on earth is loosed, for that individual, in heaven for the same reason.

Individuals are sons of God, individuals with a mustard seed of faith can move mountains to the sea, individuals pray, only two are needed to call Christ's presence, God spoke to individuals, individuals choose to follow God's law or stray, individuals go to Heaven or Hell, Peter was an individual.

In the Bible as a whole we focus on individuals, and only on groups as they are composed of individuals.