The Authority of True Biblical Churches

One would assume that one of Christ’s churches will obey Him as the Head of the church. Those churches have the authority of Heaven. Here are some of the primary verses that support the authority of individual biblical churches on earth, which emphasize the church's role in maintaining purity, teaching doctrine, and acting on behalf of Christ. Matthew 16:19 along with 18:17-18 speak of the authority of binding and loosing, which is church discipline. The former outlines the church's final authority in matters of discipline, stating that decisions made by the church regarding binding and loosing on earth are recognized in heaven. The latter verses in Matthew mention the giving of the keys of the kingdom of heaven, symbolizing authority to bind and loose.

According to 1 Timothy 3:15, the church as the upholder of truth, as it is identified as the church of the living God, is “the pillar and ground of the truth.” The truth doesn’t function within the context of the church as a means of judgment. It has the authority to judge matters of truth, which are scriptural matters. The authority of the Great Commission of Jesus, He spoke in Matthew 28:18–20. These verses detail the authority given to Christ, which he passes to the church to teach and baptize in his name.

1 Corinthians 5:4-6 also describe the authority of the church to assemble and order affairs. They explain the assembly of the church acting with the power of the Lord Jesus Christ for matters of discipline. Ephesians 1:22–23 show the church as the body of Christ, who is the Head over all things. This Headship is all-encompassing, so this is the means by which God designed to work. The book of Revelation visualizes this with the Lord Jesus Christ walking in the midst of His churches and portrays Him as fully in charge and bringing His expectations for His flocks of His sheep.