In this episode, David Fry and Johnathan Arnold discuss several questions about concerns about a recent article on “The Church’s Authority and Responsibility to Forgive Sins.” Topics addressed include:
- The church’s authority to forgive sins (John 20:23, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld”)
- The office of the keys (Matthew 16; 18)
- Corporate salvation
- The sacraments and excommunication
- Protestant vs. Catholic understandings of the church and its leaders
- Sacerdotalism
- The abuse of church authority
- Abusus non tollit usum (“abuse does not take away use”)
- Spirit-filled exercise of authority
- Using authority for building up, not tearing down (2 Cor. 13:10)
- Eldership requirements
