When does "you" not mean you in Scripture?

[ni8_shadow]

Ok I have heard some apologists say “when Jesus says you have the power to do x, he means all of his followers” and I have heard some say that when Jesus uses “you” he only means the person He is talking to.

When can you tell?

 

[deb1]

Ok I have heard some apologists say “when Jesus says you have the power to do x, he means all of his followers” and I have heard some say that when Jesus uses “you” he only means the person He is talking to.

When can you tell?

Have you read the verses in context of the surronding text?

 

[ni8_shadow]

I am mostly concerned with the “Binding and loosing” passage as well as the “forgive and retain sins” passage.

Protestants seem to try and say that He is giving all followers these powers since the pepople He is talking to are his followers.

 

[quasimodo]

I am mostly concerned with the “Binding and loosing” passage as well as the “forgive and retain sins” passage.

Protestants seem to try and say that He is giving all followers these powers since the pepople He is talking to are his followers.

Well, if He meant everyone could bind and loose, it would be quite a mess. Think about it. “Whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” Heaven would be quite a mess of contradictory bindings and loosing if everyone could do it.

 

[CalmDownWisWins]

Well, if He meant everyone could bind and loose, it would be quite a mess. Think about it. “Whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” Heaven would be quite a mess of contradictory bindings and loosing if everyone could do it.

Oh! So clearly put! Bravo!

This “spaghetti earth/heaven” situation is, of course, what that “train of thought” actually does produce!

That they are “comfotable” with that mess is a clear statement of “something” about the “protestant mind”, as it were, although I’m not entirely sure what that “something”, or “somethings”, might be.

 

[ni8_shadow]

Well I point out it was Peter and the chosen ones who have that authority…most common response to that is “Well that is your interpretation” and they say theirs is more accurate etc.

I try to point to theECF’s but then that is not “in Scripture” so some discount them?! What is the next step? IS there a next step?

 

[Archus]

not to mention that when he was referring to his followers, he called them his sheep, and Christ said ‘you’ as in Peter and the apostles, to tend to his ‘sheep’ (us). So basically, the idea of ‘you’ when Christ is giving his apostles the power to retain and forgive sins, he meant those particular people, because he then (or before, I am very bad on scripture, sorry) asks Peter to tend to his sheep, i.e. his followers.

In summary (for loose in heaven etc. part):

You = individual
Sheep = followers.

It is indeed about context, and also to see what other words there may be to mean the followers and the apostles.