Wrong subject.
Obviously, there's authority structure within one's own household. The man holds authority over his wife, the mother over her children, and even the children can kick the cat off the couch.
But we're not talking about that structure here.
We're talking about authority over others in the Body of Christ.
And Paul tells us that if a man can't handle that family responsibility, where he is ruling over the household, then He won't be good at handling the BOC responsibilities. What responsibilities are those, if not "ruling" in some way over others. Surely Paul didn't invent the term translated "bishop". Here's what Thayers says"
ἐπίσκοπος, -ου, ὁ, (ἐπισκέπτομαι), an overseer, a
man charged with the duty of seeing that things to be done by others are done rightly, any curator, guardian, or superintendent; Sept. for פָּקִיד, Judges 9:28; Nehemiah 11:9, 14, 22; 2 Kings 11:15, etc.; 1 Macc. 1:51.
The word has the same comprehensive sense in Greek writings from Homer
If anything, I would say there is at least an authority structure, but it's all below the authority of the scriptures, which is below Christ. THIS is what Nick is talking about.
Absolutely! And the authority of those scriptures derives from authority Jesus gave the apostles (including Paul). The problem comes when we (the church or any part of it) try to elevate someone to
Apostleship today, without the clear ordination of Christ on that person (something we don't see today, but might happen at some point, if Christ so chooses).
I agree with
@Nick M that the binding and loosing passage doesn't allow the church to do or not do whatever it wants, but we must be submitting ourselves to Christ's leadership at all times--some of which is expressed in the leadership of overseers in local congregations.
).
