And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you (singular) bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you (singular) loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”Matthew 16:17-19
If your brother sins [against you]*, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you (plural) bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you (plural) loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.Matthew 18:15-18
These are the only two references to church [ekklesia, church, congregation; assembly, gathering] in all of the gospels, and both times Jesus uses the word he also repeats this phrase: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Jesus seems to be linking heavenly authority to the earthly practices of the gathered body of the church. Although this authority is specifically mentioned in the case of corrective discipline of an unrepentant member, Christ’s accompanying phrase seems to indicate that he did not intend the church to have authority in this area alone. cf. Matthew 28:18-20; 6:9-10
Insight into the practice of New Testament churches especially in matters of discipline can be seen in the case study from the Corinthian letters:
Let [the unrepentant] who has done this be removed from among you. For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.1 Corinthians 5:2-5
When viewed in light of the teaching found in Matthew, discipline should take place along a set pattern: one on one, in groups of three or four, and only then among the church. So it can be assumed that the man mentioned in the previous passage is unrepentant. Earlier in Matthew 16 gives Peter alone the authority to bind and loose on earth as in heaven. In Matthew 18 the same authority of binding and loosing on earth as in heaven is given to the gathered body of believers. Paul’s two statements I have already pronounced judgment and my spirit is present, seem to indicate that Paul sees himself as having the same apostolic authority of binding and loosing that Jesus gives to peter in Matthew 16. In addition, Paul’s instructions to the church that when you are assembled in the name of the lord and you (plural) are to deliver seem to indicate that this same apostolic authority that Peter is given and as apostle Paul assumes is given by Paul to the church.
The responsibility for removal lies with in the assembled body and with no other group or leadership cf. v. 4. Even Paul’s apostolic authority is spoken of as equivalent to the authority of the assembled body of believers. cf. 5:2-3 By implication the phrase whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven expands the authority of the congregational gathering “in the name of the Lord” to include more matters than just the taking in or the removal of membership.
Compare the remainder of the Corinthian instruction:
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
Clearly, Paul’s recommendation, and by implication the command of scripture, is that congregations have a responsibility to judge its members in matters of discipleship (cf. v. 5 so that his spirit may be saved) and discipline (cf. v. 13 Purge the evil person from among you). This responsibility is not given here to any single individual but to all the congregation.
The assembled congregation is given an authority on par with the authority of Peter or Paul.
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