Binding and Loosing: Prohibiting and Permitting

"If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that 'By the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you prohibit on earth shall have been prohibited in heaven; and whatever you permit on earth shall have been permitted in heaven. Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." Matthew 18:15-20

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you prohibit on earth shall have been prohibited in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth shall have been permitted in heaven." Matthew 16:19

Apparently, the first-century Jewish application of these concepts was that their leaders were understood as having authority from God to decide what practices should be followed by the community. In other words, to determine "Jewish law." In Matthew 18:18-20, Jesus transfers this power from the rabbis to His own disciples. Verse 20 is then understood to mean that two or three Messianic Community leaders suffice to determine proper practice (Messianic law).

When the council met in Jerusalem, certain Pharisees demanded that the Gentiles be circumcised and observe the Law of Moses. It seemed good to the Apostles not to lay a greater burden upon them than these essentials: abstain from things sacrificed to idols; abstain from blood; abstain from things strangled; and abstain from fornication. It seems the Apostles were already prohibiting and permitting certain things.