1) Why did Peter receive the power to bind and loose by himself, separate from the other apostles?
In the context, the other 11 Apostles are present. Did they not hear what the Lord said? Eight days later, our Lord repeats what He said, in Matthew 18. Jesus was particularly addressing Peter�s confession of our Lord�s Deity and Lordship; but we must not forget, all the 12 were present. All were given the power to bind and loose, as I have already stated elsewhere.
2) If all the other apostles have the keys of the kingdom of heaven, then why did only Peter receive them from Jesus?
Peter was not the only one who received them from Jesus. I have already pointed out in Matthew 18 where all the Apostles receive the same power.
3) Why did Jesus pray that Peter�s faith would not fail and that he would strengthen the other apostles (Luke 22:31-32)? Jesus knew that Peter would betray Him and that John would be the only apostle to stand at the cross, so wouldn�t he have been a better choice?
Luke 22:31-32
31 "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; 32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."Job 1:8-12
8 The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil." 9 Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 " Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 " But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face." 12 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.
Like Job, Satan wanted to see if the faith Peter possessed was real saving faith, or that faith Satan had thought Peter possessed, namely, "But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face." Satan demanded permission to sift Peter like wheat. However Jesus prayed for Peter, that his faith would not fail, but prove to be what it was in the face of the strongest opposition, true saving faith. Once Peter had been through this most tempting trial of his faith, he would then use this to strengthen his brothers in Christ. This is no wise indicates that he had the primacy.
4) In both my opening statement and my first rebuttal, I showed how Peter acted as the first pope at the Council of Jerusalem and how the council�s proceedings all point to Peter�s primacy. Can you give an alternate interpretation of this event, taking into account all of the relevant material that I included in my explanation?
Acts 15:5-31
6 The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. 7 After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 "And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; 9 and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. 10 "Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 "But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are." 12 All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, "Brethren, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. 15 "With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, 17 SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,' 18 SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO. 19 "Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, 20 but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. 21 "For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath." 22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas--Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, 23 and they sent this letter by them, "The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings. 24 "Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, 25 it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 "Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth. 28 "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: 29 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell." 30 So when they were sent away, they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.
Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. With these words, the letter is sent, almost verbatim from the lips of James. It was James�s judgment that we do not trouble the Gentiles who are turning to God. It was the leadership of James that caused the letter to be sent. It was James�s citation of Amos 9 that confirmed the statements made by Peter, Paul and Barnabas. Therefore, it is exegetically and logically sound to conclude that if anyone held a prominent role in this Council, it would have been James.
5) In Galatians 2:13, Paul tells us that when Peter stopped eating with the Gentiles, even Barnabas, Paul�s companion and fellow opponent of the Pharisees at the Council of Jerusalem, was led astray by his example. If even Barnabas was lead astray, then Peter must have been incredibly influential (clearly much more so than anyone else in the early Church). How do you explain his tremendous influence without saying that he was the leader of the Church?
Galatians 2:10-21
10 They only asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I also was eager to do. 11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. 13 The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews? 15 "We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; 16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. 17 "But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! 18 "For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 "For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. 20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21 "I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."
Certain men from James came to Antioch. Peter became afraid, because he was living like the Gentiles, and not like the Jews. Since Peter became afraid, so did the rest of the Jews and even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. All of them feared the party of the circumcision. Ask yourself this one simple question; who had more �influence�? The one they feared, or the ones they followed into committing hypocrisy? Peter, the rest of the Jews, and Barnabas (who was a Gentile) were all living like the Gentiles. Enter the party from James (the party of the circumcision), and all of them (Peter, the rest of the Jews, and Barnabas) become afraid. Let me make this plain. Who holds more influence over you? The ones you commit your sins with, or the one, who upon entering the room, you withdraw yourself from the prior company, and begin acting like you should? It takes no power or influence to join in with someone in hypocrisy, because of indwelling sin. But if someone you fear comes to where you are as you are committing your sin, you will fear him. The one you fear has more influence over you.
Peter, the rest of the Jews, and Barnabas feared the party from James (the party of the circumcision). Peter was as fearful as the rest of the Jews and Barnabas. It takes no influence from Peter for the rest of them to fall into the ditch of hypocrisy. It took the fear of the party from James before they withdrew themselves, and thus committing hypocrisy.
Therefore it was James and his party, not Peter who had the major influence in this situation.