Archivedwhat is dogmatic law?No, only God is the lawmaker, Jesus gave the apostles the authority to apply the law to believers. To this, therefore, do these words amount: When the time was come wherein the Mosaic law, as to some part of it, was to be abolished, and left off, and, as to another part of it, was to be continued and to last forever, he granted Peter here, and to the rest of the apostles, Matt 18:18, a power to abolish or confirm what they thought good, and as they thought good; being taught this, and led by the Holy Spirit: as if he should say, Whatsoever ye shall bind in the law of Moses that is, forbid, it shall be forbidden, the divine authority confirming it; and whatsoever ye shall loose, that is, permit, or shall teach that it is permitted and lawful, shall be lawful and permitted. Hence, they bound, that is forbade, circumcision to the believers; eating of things offered to idols, of things strangled, and of blood, for a time, to the Gentiles; and that which they bound on earth was confirmed in heaven. They loosed, that is, allowed purification to Paul, and to four other brethren, for the shunning of scandal; Acts 21:24: and, in a word, by these words of Christ it was committed to them, the Holy Spirit directing, that they should make decrees concerning religion, as to the use or rejection of Mosaic rites and judgments, and that either for a time, or forever.
In other words the minutia of the Law is bound (forbidden to be enforced) on Earth for the Gentiles while the moral aspects of the Law are loosed (applied to Gentile believers) on earth and in heaven at the direction of the Holy Spirit.
What Jesus is telling the Apostles is they have the authority to correct, reprove, discipline only those who accept and follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Paul emphasizes this in 1 Corinthians 5:9f 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters; for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler-- not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves. NAS
Hill, the man who killed the abortionist violated God's moral Law and the church should judge him according to God's Law. Troy Perry, a professed Christian, teaches that homosexual sex is okay, a violation of God's Law so as Christian's we have the authority to judge his actions. Phelp's and Westboro Baptist Church are violating God's Law to "love your neighbor"; so we as Christian's have the right to judge his actions. However, we don't have the authority to judge non-Christian's who promote abortion or homosexuality; that right is reserved for God and God alone. Our only authority over non-believers is to love them and preach the gospel.
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