Heart Above Brethren

Catholicism is a system of Priests and Judges that claimed to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that they could make decisions for the whole of the Church. In reality it violates the Spirit of the Bible by elevating the Judges over God's word.

Jas 4:11  Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

Jas 4:12  There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

The Old Testament very clearly made the book of the Law the governing force over all kings and judges. Judges settled facts in cases but always according to the written law. Christ chastised the judges of his day for being dishonest and teaching commandments of men.

Deu 17:15  Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.

Deu 17:16  But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

Deu 17:17  Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

Deu 17:18  And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:

Deu 17:19  And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:

Deu 17:20  That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

The reason a written book was necessary was to keep kings from becoming puffed up and changing God's word at a personal whim. This is similar to Paul's admonition not to think beyond what was written.

1Co 4:6  And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

A written record standardizes God's commandments so that even kings fall under God's will. The error of Catholicism is they saw themselves with the right to change God's law. They saw binding and loosing as making changes.

God used binding and loosing with the Apostles making original decisions that will be eternally bound in heaven. Later generations could not change what the Apostles bound and loosed.