What do non-Catholic Christians do with the power of binding and loosing? In Catholicism, we believe that the Bishops in Communion with the Pope (as Vicar of Christ) have authority over Church doctrine.  The authority comes straight from the mouth of our Savior. 


  Matthew 18:18 (NAB)
  18 Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 


So, for non-Catholics and for other Christians who stake their claim to apostolic succession yet hold that the Bible is the only authority, can anything really be bound or loosed by the apostles or their successors?  What does this passage mean outside of my interpretation?
Well, Lutherans hold this to be the basis of what is called &quot;The Office of the Keys&quot;.
Also referred to in John 20:22-23:

22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy
Spirit.
23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you
do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

From Luther's Small Catechism:

What do you believe according to these words?
I believe that when the called ministers of Christ deal with us by His divine command, in
particular when they exclude openly unrepentant sinners from the
Christian congregation and absolve those who repent of their sins and
want to do better, this is just as valid and certain, even in heaven,
as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us himself.