Replies

>>You can see there are Biblical principles to be found here, not just about "human" authority or "Church" authority, but about authority in general.<<

There is no "authority" established by Christ or the apostles other than the authorulity of Christ over the assembly of believers and the husband over the wife. Any other supposed "authority" within the assembly of believers is a perversion.

>>I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven<<

The "keys" are the scriptures. If you read the Greek it says that whatever you bind "will have already been bound in heaven". They were to simply apply the scriptures and declare what had been established in heaven. The Catholic Church has totally abandoned what the words in Greek mean. The apostles did NOT decide what would be established, they declared what was established in heaven.

>>Christ calls men to serve the Church (2 Tim. 1:6–7) as pastors, teachers, and spiritual fathers who heal, feed, and strengthen God’s people.≤<

Those are all servants. Not one of those was to be in a position of " authority. Reference Christ's words when the apostles asked who amongst them was greatest.

Everything you're saying here is harmonious with what I said as well. The leaders and the teachers in the Church can't just make rulings out of thin air: they have to discern what is agreeable to the Holy Spirit (as in Acts), which is another way of saying it has "already been bound in heaven." If the apostles, pastors, administrators (as listed by Paul) are "binding or loosing" something on earth, it is because "it is agreeable to the Holy Spirit and to us.." or "It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us..." or "We agree with the Holy Spirit that..."

It's not like Church authorities can force things to be bound or loosed in heaven. It is the Holy Spirit who acts in all these things.

Second: servant authority is exactly what I'm talking about. This is the kind of authority Christ gives His Church.