Bind And Loose

Read: Matthew 16:13-20

Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:19, NIV

IN WORD

In a Hebrew context, “binding and loosing” implies authority to dictate what is permissible and what isn’t. Peter did it in Acts 15, when he insisted that Gentiles were genuinely filled with the Spirit apart from the law. Paul did it when he declared all things lawful but not necessarily beneficial (1 Corinthians 6:12). Jesus Himself reiterated this binding-and-loosing authority when He gave His followers the authority to forgive sins (John 20:23). Though Christians interpret and apply this verse in a variety of ways, it’s clear that we have some level of authority, at least as a body, to declare the divine will on this planet.

That doesn’t mean we can dictate to non-Christians what they should or shouldn’t do. They aren’t yet in the Kingdom. Nor does it mean that every declaration will perfectly line up with God’s will. But it does mean that God wants our thoughts, our words, and our policies to reflect those of heaven and to bring heaven’s environment to earth. This isn’t a matter of making demands nearly so much as it is paving a highway for heaven’s gifts and blessings to flow into our world. We bind hell’s agenda and loose God’s through our words and activity in this realm. That’s an enormous privilege.

Few Christians take advantage of this privilege or even understand it. And it’s true that we may spend a lifetime exploring all it means. But rather than giving up on the opportunity because we don’t understand, we have every incentive to ask God for wisdom, experiment with this authority, and wield it in our prayers and confrontations with religious legalism or the dark realm.

IN DEED

Refuse to see yourself as “just an ordinary believer,” unless you understand that “ordinary” comes with extravagant gifts and opportunities to walk in Kingdom authority. Bless this world with the presence of the King in you. Bind evil. Set people free from false constraints. And know that heaven is with you.

ADDITIONAL READING: Matthew 18:15-20

You are not a citizen of this world trying to get to heaven; you are a citizen of heaven making your way through this world.

VANCE HAVNER