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Dr. Mantey points out that at the beginning, when the church fathers were thoroughly
familiar with koine Greek, there was no question about this verse, but later, when Latin
influence was brought to bear, the translation as contained in the A.V. was allowed to
creep in, that God's actions in heaven are contingent upon what Peter and his successors
do on earth in deciding whether men shall be saved or lost, bound or set free. The
opposite is true; the Lord's representatives on earth bring about those situations which
have already been determined in the heavens. God's decrees antedate man's decisions.
This is surely made clear in Rom. 8: 28-30 and I Pet. 1: 2. The purpose expressed is
God's; the knowledge is God's; the predestination is an act of God; the pattern is
God's; justification and glorification are acts of God. All is of God in the final sense.
Though man has a function of proclamation, it is God Who is the origin and the final
authority.
At the same time we realize that God uses human means in the execution of His will,
and men are not treated as machines, otherwise they would have no responsibility. In
reverse we see the human side in Rom. 10: 13-15 and this complements the revelation
given in Matt. 16: 18, 19.
Young's Literal Version reads:
"whatsoever thou mayest bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens,
and whatsoever thou mayest loose upon the earth shall be having been loosed in the
heavens."
The Amplified New Testament reads:
". . . . . whatever you bind--that is, declare to be improper and unlawful--on earth must
be already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth--declare lawful--must be
what is already loosed in heaven."
See also Dr. R. H. Gundry's Commentary on Matthew, page 331:
". . . . . and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever
you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven."
100: B. William's translation reads:
"Whatever you forbid on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and
whatever you permit on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven."
The New American Standard Version reads:
"whatever you shall bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you
shall loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven."
It is greatly to be regretted that here our Authorized Version and others give a
translation that supports priestcraft.