Where did Paul get the authority to deliver two church members into the hands of Satan?
Q. Where did Apostle Paul get the authority to deliver two believers, church members, into the hands of Satan? A. This matter of “church authority” is a subject of great controversy today among believers. Some church groups claim some kind of authority that the Scriptures don’t support. Some, to the other extreme, contend that there is no such a thing as “church authority.” Today, nobody can claim to have received instruction directly from Jesus, as the apostles did. There are some “wakos” who make that claim, but they can’t be taken seriously. With all the divisions and fragmentation of God’s people, today, who can really and legitimately claim to have God’s authority? Besides the “wakos”, there are religious groups who exercise great authority on church members. I have been in them and a number of believing Christians are still caught up in that trap. Jesus instructed the apostles to play down authority, to say the least: Luke 22:25-26, ” And He said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentil
