Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
It was Roman Catholicism which first combined the elements of distorted oneness and Old Testament leadership. The result was a lineage of Popes bereft of godliness using twisted concepts of oneness to wield great power.
If the Apostle Paul had all of the "deputy authority" he was supposedly endued with, he would have been able to enact changes in Jerusalem. But he didn't and he couldn't.
The teachings of "deputy authority" have more roots in Chinese culture than in the Bible. How else could their dynasties exist for thousands of years? Like the Recovery, they have developed numerous teachings, as a system of error, which provide unlawful powers to its leaders.
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How do you work out issues between saints? If there is no authority to go to it seems that it would be very difficult to deal with offenses. Paul rebuked the Corinthians for going to court asking isn’t there someone among you who could have judged? He then told them that the destiny of the saints is to judge the world. The only way a judge can be effective is as a representative of the higher authority, or as a “deputy authority”. Matt. 18 recommends a progression in trying to deal with an offense that ultimately ends up with you “telling the church”. In that context Jesus said “whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven”. That to me is the definition of the NT “deputy authority”.
This doesn’t mean that this authority rests with elders nor does it in any way suggest that there is a hierarchy in the church. Neither Paul or Jesus suggest that there is a hierarchy, only that there are reputable brothers that both of the parties could respect to judge according to righteousness. Also Jesus makes it very clear that He places a lot of faith in any two or three saints coming to together in His name and agreeing on anything. To me this demonstrates strongly that there is no hierarchy in this matter yet at the same time the church age is an age in which we are trained to exercise the Lord’s authority here on earth.
How about if there are problems with those who are taking the lead in the church? To me the authority is all about ownership. The "church of Christ" indicates that Christ has the ownership and therefore the authority to deal with the church. The "church of God" indicates that God also has the ownership and authority to deal with the church. Likewise the "church of the saints" indicates that the saints have the ownership, position and right to exercise authority over the church. There is no verse, however, that says the "church of the elders" or the "church of the apostles" etc. Having an equal standing to deal with issues also means we have an equal responsibility and equal accountability before the Lord. Basically, once you see sin or are aware of sin you are responsible to deal with it.
With that in mind, looking at how Paul recommends you choose an elder is very similar to how you would choose someone to judge between two saints. Obviously you want someone of good repute. If the problem is within a marriage I would much rather have a brother or sister that was married and had experience. If the problem was with the kids I would want someone who had done a good job raising kids to talk to. Although an elder may have been chosen as someone most saints would respect in most cases to judge between them, there is no rule that you would have to choose an elder to judge.
How about the example of the sons of Sceva. "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you" demonstrates that this authority is all about our relationship with the Lord. Compare this account with the Lord's word in Matthew "depart from me workers of iniquity for I never knew you". My understanding is that whatever we do in the Christian walk is based on our relationship with the Lord. We are not exercising our authority, we are one with Him, and we are exercising His authority, that is the meaning of "head covering". If we are speaking according to our own opinion our head is not covered, if our speaking comes out of our fellowship with the Lord or with the teaching of the Apostles then our head is covered.