=Protestor;11473245]Randy Carson yes when they were still the universal church or faith. Do not take full authority as being authority over details of faith that do not matter.
Jmcrea ok just as an example I did a quick skim of the end of joshua and beginning of judges this is what I found. Moses had central power or authority and passed it on to Joshua he had central power or authority then the elders at the time of his death were given authority not so central and they were not given authority over everything. After their deaths no authority. Then God gives authority to judges. You see how this is not working in your favor or do I have to point it out? The whole OT is pretty much the same story over and over again God gives authority man messes it up usually one or two generations down the line and then it gets passed to someone else. Does the mosaic law reign as the authority yes but laws can be interpreted in many ways and man has a tendency to add superfluous things.
PJM I am not sure if you think that changing the color of your argument makes it stronger or easier to understand but it does not. Second just because you (put things in parenthesis does not mean that I had to inte)rpret something the same way. Even bible commentators do not normally do what you are doing “bible quote(what I think it means) bible quote” and it holds no weight in my book. So I guess God breaks his commitments and Christ does not(this is not what I think you are saying but definitely how I could interpret it). I think you are missing the point of John 17:20 -21 he is not only giving the disciples authority and unity with the father but he is also giving this to all christians.That is at least how i interpret it. These blessings are for the church as a whole not just the disciples.
That position is clearly NOT biblical
Here’s why
begin with Mt 10:1-8
Then Mt. 16:15-19
Mt. 18:18
John 20:19-23
Mk. 14: 15-16
Mt. 28: 16-20
Eph. 4:4-8
AND their is even more, but in each case; and in every case it is Christ speaking exclusively to; directly to and precisely to His apostles THROUGH Peter.
Following Old Testament Tradition and example of Just “One Chosen People”
Exodus 6:7 “And I will take you to myself for my people, I will be your God: and you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the work prison of the Egyptians”
EVERY reference to “church” in the bible was [and continues to be] meant ONLY “the Church” Mt 16: “MY CHURCH” singular"; that Christ founded and gave CONTROL of to Peter. TODAY’S Catholic Church. That my friend is the FIRST meaning of “binding and loosening”: TERMS of complete Power and Authority of Governance.
Just as in the OT God Choose ONLY One “people”; Christ followed suit with Only One Church.
One God
Can and does have ONLY One set of Faith beliefs AND he did not wait for Henry, Luther, Calvin, Smith:some 1,200 to 1,500 years to introduce His One Faith in One Church
Further: in John 17:18 And John 20:21 Christ is LIMITING to who he is granting ALL of His Powers and Authority: cf. as the Father has sent ME SO TO I [GOD] SEND YOU
This TRANSFER of Godly power simply cannot extend by some sort of proxy; more than 1,000 years later:shrug:
Thanks for your critique:thumbsup:
God bless you,
Patrick
