Jesus told His disciples, “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth]shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” Matthew 18:18 NASB
What do you think Jesus is teaching His disciples in this passage? Many people believe He is teaching how to engage in spiritual warfare.
But if you study this verse in context, it will become clear that Jesus is not talking about spiritual warfare or special powers. Jesus is talking about conflict resolution in this passage. Read the verses that precede v. 18 to examine the context:
Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that on the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be confirmed. And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, he is to be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” Matthew 18:15-18 NASB Read full chapter
In the Jewish tradition, a rabbi would “bind” (meaning forbid) a certain thing. Or they might “loose” (meaning permit) an activity which might be questionable.
Verse 18 means that what is permitted or not permitted is determined in heaven, not on earth.
As you study the context, it will become clear that Jesus was not teaching on spiritual warfare. He was not teaching His disciples that they could speak to spiritual forces of darkness and “bind” them, meaning to tie them up, taking away their power.
I believed this at one time, but as I studied His Word, God corrected me. As we listen to Bible teachers, we must always consider the context. If we don’t, false teaching can deceive us. (False teaching is often dependent on taking verses out of context.) Never underestimate the power of deception. It is no small, inconsequential enemy.
Never underestimate Satan’s power, and never underestimate his ability to deceive us … “
Billy Graham
The Apostle Paul admonishes Timothy, his son in the faith:
“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 2 Timothy 4:2-4 NIV Read full chapter
Jesus said, “Consider carefully what you hear,” Mark 4:24 NIV
This passage emphasizes the importance of discerning truth from falsehood, rather than passively absorbing information.
The key to spreading deception is to convince the audience that the information being taught comes from Revelation Knowledge, something other churches don’t understand because they have a religious spirit. This is pride.
I know this because I experienced it. But the Lord opened my eyes.
If you want to know more about my experience with false teaching, see my post, Rescued From Word of Faith HERE and What Does the Word of God Say About the “Prosperity Gospel”? HERE.
My prayer is that the Church will be wise and discerning by loving the truth, and examining God’s Word daily. I hope that this study on binding and loosing will be helpful as you study God’s Word, the Bible.
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6
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