Binding And Loosening

John 20:21-23 Therefore Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you; just as the Father sent Me, I also send you.” And having said this, He blew on (them) and said to them, “Receive Holy Spirit (or Wind). If you have released the sins of any (plural), they are released from them; if you have held fast (the sins) of any (plural), they have been held fast.”

Matthew 16:18,19 And I say to you are “Petros” (a rock), and upon this “Petra” (a large foundational stone) I will build My church, and the gates of “Hades” (the abode of departed spirits before Jesus’ atonement for our sins and His resurrection) will not prevail over her. And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and that which you may bind on the earth will have been bound in the heavens, and that which you may loosen upon the earth will have been loosened in the heavens.

Matthew 18:15-18 If your brother sins, go tell him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take with you one or two more so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every spoken word may be confirmed. If he refuses (to listen) to them, tell the church. And if he refuses (to listen) to the church, let him be to you just like a Gentile (an unbeliever) and a tax collector (an exploiter). Amen, I say to you that which you may bind on the earth will have been bound in heaven and that which you may release (or loosen) on earth will have been released (or loosened) in heaven.

Binding and the opposite, loosening or releasing in the Scriptures are used in many contexts. Binding is used in the context of binding a strong man, or a demon, or the tares for burning. Nebuchadnezzar had the three Hebrews who refused to worship his demon idol bound and thrown into the fiery furnace, though God saved them from the effects of the intense heat and they were not in the least harmed. When Daniel was thrown into the den of hungry lions, God sent an angel to bind shut the mouths of the lions so that Daniel was not hurt. The man at the wedding without wedding garments was bound and thrown out into the outer darkness. Binding is also spoken of in the context of binding or loosening a person’s sins against a believer. Loosening is used in the context of Moses and later on of Joshua loosening their sandals from off their feet because they were standing on holy ground. It is also spoken of in the context of loosening the bonds of a slave if he or she has served the time they owed their owner. Resurrection is spoken of as a person’s being loosened from the pains of death, or from a sickness. And of course if a person is forgiven his sins, he is loosened from his indebtedness to the one he sinned against. Jesus was found worthy to loosen the seven seals from the sealed scroll, thereby opening the way for end time events to take place, events that lead up to the coming of the King.

After his resurrection, Jesus blew on at least several of His disciples and told them to receive Holy Wind or Spirit. The New Testament Greek word “pneuma” which is often translated “spirit”, literally means “blast” or “wind”. It can also mean breath, as a breath of air or the act of breathing or a divine inspiration. In can even mean “flatulence” or the passing of gas.

In consequence of Jesus’ blowing on them, He told them they now had authority to release a person from their sins or they could cause their sins to be held fast to them. Obviously having such authority would also mean they had a much greater responsibility. I don’t think anyone in his right mind wants to appear before God with his sins unforgiven. I remember a diamond miner I knew in Brazil in the 1950’s. His work during the dry season was to haul sand and gravel up from a stream bed, having made arrangements to do so from the land’s owner and he would dump each wheel barrow full of sand and gravel under a shed well above the stream. When the rains arrived, he would “pan” for diamonds that he might find in the sand and gravel he had hauled up from the stream bed. He was single at that time and on Saturday night he would sometimes visit a house of prostitution in a nearby town. One of those nights he was seen by a member of the local congregation going into the house of prostitution. The matter was reported to me and as no one in the nearby town knew exactly where he was working, I sent him a letter to be given the next time he came into town. He could not read and write, but he got some body to read him my letter. I told him his going into a house of ill repute was fornication and forbidden to Christians and that unless he repented of fornication I would have to suspend him from the communion of the church. He repented; he promised to never ever enter a house of prostitution again. He kept his word too. He told me he had no other church and that he had to have the church.

To tell someone that his sins are unforgiven (or that they are held fast to him or to her) is serious business. A pastor or shepherd will at times hear about “what so and so did to me.” What good does it do to preach a sermon about the need everyone has to forgive what someone or some people did to them if the person who needs to hear it does not show up, or if he or she does show up, but angrily stalks out of the church in the middle of the sermon? (Yes, I have had that happen to me). Being a pastor can be difficult at times, but it is never boring.

Jesus says any binding or loosening we may do on earth will already have been done in heaven. What does that means? I believe it means that God is always a step ahead of any of us on earth. If He puts it in our hearts or minds to do the binding or loosening. That means He has already decreed it in heaven. Does He not see ahead of time situations and human attitudes and responses before they take place on earth? But He wants us to be co-laborers with Him. This binding or loosening can be awesome, at times involving people’s eternal destinies. We are not, on our own, sufficient for these things, but He is.

Jesus told Peter, whose given name was “Simon”, “you are Petros”. This word in the Greek New Testament language means a rock like anyone can pick up and throw. And Jesus added, “and upon this ‘petra’ I will build my church.” A “petra” then meant a large foundation stone. An example of a foundation stone can still be seen in Jerusalem at what is called today the “wailing wall.” These huge stones were the stones that Solomon put in place almost 3000 years ago to build the temple. Another example of “petra” is Stonehedge in England. Jesus contrasts the building of a house on sand versus building it on a large stone or stones. (Matthew 7:24-27) The person who hears Jesus’ teaching and puts those words into practice in his or her life is on rock He will continue to stand no matter what storms of life come against him for his life is built on the genuine “Petra”, Jesus Christ.

It is people who take to heart what Jesus taught and put it into practice in their lives who are on the only true foundation. “For no man can lay a foundation other than the One that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 3:11) Could any human builder lay a foundation equal to Stone Mountain in Georgia, or Forty Acre Rock near Kershaw, SC? Those who believe the truth God has revealed to them, as did Simon Peter and put into practice what Jesus taught, these have the keys to the Kingdom.

However, the difficult part is putting into practice what Jesus taught in Matthew 18:15-18, which is about “If your brother sins.” (The oldest manuscripts of the gospel of Matthew do not contain the phrase “against you”) Without this phrase, the Christian person’s responsibility for the body of Christ, the church, greatly increases. It is obvious that if we do not know about a fellow believer’s sin, we have no obligation. But if we do know, are we or are we not our brother’s keeper? Cain had no person to “blow the whistle” on him after he had murdered his brother, but God confronted him. Did Cain repent? I do not think so. It was only after another, Seth, grew up that men began to call on the name of the Lord. Usually if some brother has done wrong and another brother tells him about it, the one who sinned does not repent, but gets angry at the person who confronts him, which is why so few people are willing to tell him or her. But when a believer does repent when confronted, then “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19,20) Do we love one another like Jesus has loved us? See John 15:12 and Matthew 18:18. If so, we will confront when we need to. The humble will listen.