DAVEH:
Did not the early apostles (mentioned in the Bible) possess
the authority of God? Do you know of any who you are
certain had the authority as was given by the Lord who
lived after they (the Biblical apostles) died?
I think St. Martin might be a proper example, but rather than get bogged
down in names and history, how about we simply examine the Biblical basis
for authority.
We find Jesus conferring authority in the following passage:
Matthew 16:15-19
(15) He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
(16) And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
living God.
(17) And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona:
for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is
in heaven.
(18) And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I
will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
(19) And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and
whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever
thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Now Peter had already been given authority prior to this event (see Matthew
10:1). Therefore, what we are seeing here is insight from Jesus into how
authority is conferred upon a person. It comes from the faith of the
believer. The confession of faith is what brought Simon authority, causing
his name to be changed to Peter (meaning rock), and giving him the keys to
the kingdom of heaven. Every believer receives the keys of the kingdom of
heaven when he steps into this realm of faith. After all, the promise of
the kingdom was not made to one person, but to many. The entire church is
to inherit the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
Peace be with you.
David Miller.
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"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you
ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org
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