BINDING AND LOOSING Simon Peter made the great confession that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, in Matt. 16:16. Jesus immediately responded by telling Simon that his name would be Peter and that Christ would build His church on this great confession. He went on, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven” (16:19 HCSB). Jesus gave a similar statement in Matt. 18:18, this time to all of the disciples.
Some have taken the statement to imply that the institutional church or the ecclesiastical head has the power to make authoritative statements that may supersede Scripture and that heaven is obligated to comply. Others have taken it to mean that Christians have the authority to “bind” and “loose” spiritual powers by use of the spoken word of faith. Neither of these views is a satisfactory interpretation.
A correct understanding of the two passages is tied to the grammar of the phrases “will have been bound in heaven” and “will have been loosed in heaven.” The grammatical constructions in both phrases and in both verses are periphrastic future perfect passives. A more accurate translation of Matt. 16:19 might be “and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” Similarly, Matt. 18:18 might well read “Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” In other words, that which would be declared and bound on the earth will have already been declared and bound in heaven first; that which would be declared and loosed on earth will have already been declared and loosed in heaven first.
In Matt. 16:19 the context involves the keys to the kingdom of heaven. This is a clear reference to the gospel, upon the truths of which Jesus would build His church. Simon and the other apostles are given authority to offer the gospel freely to loose those in bondage. This same gospel alienates some, so we find Peter shutting up the kingdom as well (Acts 4:11–12; 8:20–23). Those who are loosed by the church have already been loosed by heaven, and those bound by the gospel’s narrowness will have been bound by heaven, as long as the church confines itself to simple, direct gospel proclamation. Heaven and earth come together then as disciples proclaim the message of salvation, confirming some in their sin, loosing others to the freedom of forgiveness.
Matthew 18:18 addresses the matter of church discipline. Here Jesus uses virtually the same words as in 16:19 to speak of the importance of confrontation and restoration. The gathered body has an obligation to exercise church discipline toward erring or sinful members, knowing that as it does so, heaven has already ratified its action. Even more, when churches exercise godly and appropriate discipline, which is a vital mark of true churches, they can be sure of the presence of the Lord in their midst at the time, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them” (18:20 HCSB). The “two or three” here are the same two or three that established the truth of the need for correction in Matt. 18:16. This text is not, then, a general statement about the presence of the Lord among His people but an assurance of His providential guidance in matters of church discipline. The Lord is present even with individual Christians, but it is a great comfort to know that He stands in the midst of the church when it exercises the most difficult of all of its functions—discipline.
David G. Shackelford and Chad Brand
David G. Shackelford and Chad Brand, “Binding and Loosing,” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, ed. Archie England et al. with Draper Charles (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003), 217–218.
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