If there's any passage in the bible that has often been misconstrued, it's this one “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of
heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall
loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
(Matthew 16:19)
Jesus spoke about the authority of the church.
The Lord was addressing Peter as representative
of the Twelve, telling him that whatever you shall
bind , that is, FORBID, on earth shall be bound in
heaven and that whatever you shall loose, that is,
PERMIT, on earth shall be loosed in heaven . He
told Peter and the Twelve, and by extension all
other believers, that they had the astounding
authority to declare what is divinely forbidden or
permitted on earth!
Shortly after His resurrection Jesus told the
disciples, “IF FORGIVE THE SINS OF ANY, THEIR SINS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN THEM; IF YOU RETAIN THE SINS OF ANY, THEY HAVE BEEN RETAINED” (John 20:23). In
giving instruction for church discipline to all His
people, Jesus said that, if a sinning believer
refuses to turn from his sin after being counseled
privately and even after being rebuked by the
entire congregation, the church not only is
permitted but obligated to treat the unrepentant
member “as a Gentile and a tax-
gatherer” (Matt. 18:15–17). He then said to the
church as a whole what He earlier had said to
Peter and to the other apostles: “Truly I say to
you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven” (v. 18). In other
words, a duly constituted body of believers has
the right to tell an unrepentant brother that he is
out of line with God’s Word and has no right to
fellowship with God’s people.
Christians have such authority because they have
the truth of God’s authoritative Word by which to
judge. The source of the church’s authority is not
in itself, anymore than the source of the apostles’
authority was in themselves or even in their office,
exalted as it was. CHRISTIANS can AUTHORITATIVELY DECLARE WHAT is ACCEPTABLE to GOD or FORBIDDEN by HIM BECAUSE THEY HAVE HIS WORD. Christians do not determine what is right or wrong, forgiven or unforgiven. Rather, on the basis of God’s own Word, they recognize and proclaim what God has already determined to be right or wrong, forgiven
or unforgiven. When they judge on the basis of
God’s Word, they can be certain their judgment
corresponds with the judgment of heaven .
If a person declares himself to be an atheist, or
to be anything other than a believer in and lover
of the Lord Jesus Christ, Christians can say to
that person with absolute certainty, “You are
under God’s judgment and condemned to hell,”
because that is what Scripture teaches. If, on the
other hand, a person testifies that he has trusted
Christ as his saving Lord, Christians can say to
him with equal certainty, “If what you say is true,
then your sins are forgiven, you are a child of
God, and your eternal destiny is heaven” The
authority of the church lies in the fact that it has
heaven’s word on everything “pertaining to life
and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him
who called us by His own glory and
excellence” (2 Pet. 1:3). When believers are in
agreement with God’s Word, God is in agreement
with them. Believers can declare a person’s
spiritual state with divinely granted authority by
comparing that person to the Word of God.
So, are we binding and loosing Satan, Sin or Sinners?