Reply to the Second Passage

The second passage is taken from Matthew 16, verse 19: "And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

But this does not in the least tend to prove that church discipline, or the power of expelling from and readmitting to the church, was given, among the apostles, to Peter alone, and to no other of the twelve; for in verse 13 it is written: "When Jesus came into the coasts of Cesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Who do men say that I, the Son of man, am?" At this it is related that Peter (in the name of all) answered: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Then follows, verse 19: "I will give to you the keys," and so on — a promise which, though addressed specially to Peter, extended to all the apostles in general, since the Lord did not ask Peter alone, but all of them together; and when he (Peter) had answered in the name of all, the promise mentioned above followed.

This is explained still further by the holy evangelist John, who says, in chapter 20, verses 19, 22, and 23, that Christ, after His resurrection, standing in the midst of His disciples, breathed on them all, and said: "Receive the Holy Ghost," adding

"Whoever's sins you remit, they are remitted to them; and whoever's sins you retain, they are retained;" [n68-1] which words are of equal importance with those just quoted from Matthew, concerning the giving of the keys.

Moreover, that the church also has received this power is expressed in words that are not obscure at all, in Matthew 18, verses 17 and 18: If he (the sinner) neglects to hear the church, let him be to you as a heathen man and a publican. Truly I say to you, whatever you (understand, according to the sentence of the church, which is spoken of here) bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Who doubts that these are the very words which were previously addressed to Peter, but which are, of course, intended for all the apostles, and here for the whole church?

We see that the Corinthian church, in the time of Paul, possessed the right of expelling and readmitting, which is called binding and loosing; for concerning the expulsion of the sinner it was said to them

"Purge out therefore the old leaven" (namely, the obstinate sinner), and so on. First Corinthians 5, verse 7. Again: "Put away from among yourselves that wicked person." Verse 13.

Concerning the readmitting of the one who showed penitence, they are commanded: "Sufficient to such a man (namely, one who repents of his sins) is this punishment (that is, the expulsion from the church) which was inflicted by many. So that on the contrary you ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, so that such a one should not be swallowed up with too much sorrow" (Second Corinthians 2, verses 6 and 7).

Besides the fact that this power of binding and loosing was not given to Peter alone, but to all the apostles, and also to the church, it is entirely different in its nature from the power of which the pope of Rome, as the imaginary successor of Peter, boasts. For the power Christ spoke of must be limited by the rule of His Word, Matthew 7, verses 24 and 26; Galatians 1, verses 6 to 8; while the power the pope boasts of is, on the contrary, unlimited, has no rule, and goes as far as he pleases. Baldus on chapter Ecclesia. Also, distinction 40, chapter S. Papae, and so on. [n68-3]

It follows, then, that a power is wrongly attributed to the pope which was not given to Peter himself; and further, that the power which was given him was common to all the apostles, and also to the church.