WORDS fromthe WORD by Charles L. Feinberg, Th.D., Ph.D., Director, Talbot Theological Seminary
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Binding and Loosing
lesson material — pages for records and other aids. Comments based on Interna tional Sunday School Lessons *— not a commentary. Size 3Vi x 5 y2l 96 pages, 80c. ORDER FROM DEPT. KSG AM ER ICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION 1816 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia 3, Pa. RIBLE WORKBOOK By Catherine B. Walker, M.A., D.R.E. Widely used in high school Bible classes. Suitable as adult Bible study guide. Questions, notes, maps, and outlines Vol. 1— Old Testament Vol. 2— New Testament BIBLE WORKBOOK DISTRIBUTORS 90c each 420 E. Madison, Wheaton, Illinois BOOK MANU SCR IPTS CONSIDERED by cooperative publisher who offers authors early publication, higher royalty, national distribution, and beautifully designed books. All subjects welcomed. Write, or send your MS directly. GREENWICH BOOK PUBLISHERS, INC. Atten. MR. HALSEY 489 FIFTH AVE. NEW YORK 17, N.Y. OUTSTANDING OLD TESTAMENT FILMS New Series - 14 Films in Color Time - 17 minutes each Rental $9 Large Film Catalog Free on Request (G ive name of your church) (H AN SEN S C H U R C H F I L M S Hollywood 3 - 3 1 5 S
ploying a current form of speech in His words to His disciples. He was investing His disciples with authority such as the scribes and Pharisees claimed they had. It is important to notice that in Matthew 16:19 the words are addressed to Peter, but the authority is given to all the disciples in Matthew 18:18 and John 20:23. Thus, there is no basis in Scripture for the unfounded and impudent claims of Rome for the primacy of P e t e r i n c h u r c h matters. In the “ Clementine Homilies” Peter is sup posed to have selected Clement as his successor with these words: “ I com municate to him the power of bind ing and loosing so that, with respect to everything which he shall ordain in the earth, it shall be decreed in the heavens; for he shall bind what ought to be bound and loose what ought to be loosed as knowing the rule of the church.” Jewish sources feel that John 20:23 is a departure from the Judaic view of the Matthew passages. It was on the basis of the passage in John that Tertulilan and the Church Fathers invested the head of the church with the power to for give sins — the clavis ordinis, “ the key-power of the church.” As has al ready been stated, no exegesis can be valid that does not recognize that Matthew 18:18 and John 20:23 are directed to all the disciples. One view suggests that the binding and loosing refer only to discipline in the church, not to remission of sins or eternal salvation. Surely Matthew 18:18 is to be understood in that con nection, but the other passages are much broader. The keys, symboliz ing administrative authority (Isa. 22:22; Rev. 3:7), were used by Peter, not just twice (at Pentecost and at the home of Cornelius), for the plural noun comprehends a limitless num ber, just as every preacher and teach er handles the Word now. When proclaiming the terms of salvation in Christ, believers are continuing the work of Christ on earth, clothed with His authority. Thus the Lord Jesus Christ ratifies in heaven what is obe diently done by His authority on earth. The -authority resides in the church as such,, not in individuals alone. Christ never gave anyone at any time authority to inject himself between God and man.
Twice in the Gospel of Matthew our Lord made mention of the acts of binding and loosing, terms which have been misunderstood and wrong ly applied in large segments of Chris tendom. These passages (Matt. 16:19; 18:18; and the related text in John 20:23) are: “ And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heav en: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heav en.” “Whose soever sins ye remit [forgive], they are remitted [for given] unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” The Hebrew of the rabbis for bind ing and loosing was asar wehitter, meaning forbidding or permitting. The Old Testament concept apparent ly stems from the binding quality of an oath mentioned in Numbers 30:3 ff. relative to what is allowed or dis allowed, binding or non-obligatory. The power of binding and loosing was claimed by the Pharisees. With them it meant not merely the decid ing of what the law allowed or for bad, but that by their authority, sup posedly of divine origin, they could pronounce or revoke an anathema on any individual. Josephus (Wars of the Jews, Book I, Chapter 5, ft 2) has an interesting statement in this con nection. In speaking of Alexandra, the wife of Alexander, and her relation ships to the Pharisees, he states: “Now, Alexandra hearkened to them to an extraordinary degree, as being herself a woman of g r e a t p i e t y towards God. But these Pharisees art fully insinuated themselves into her favor by little and little, and became themselves the real administrators of the public affairs; they banished and reduced whom they pleased; they bound and loosed at their pleasure. . . .” Here the meaning is to punish or absolve men judicially. Different schools in Judaism made these pro nouncements, as it was stated, “ The school of Shammai binds; the school of Hillel looses,” although authority was supposed to proceed from God through the Sanhedrin. In all probability Christ was em
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The King's Business/October 1958
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