What is the context of the “binding and loosing” statement in Matt 16 and 18? Is it about a prayer of agreement, or is it about excommunication? If the latter, is there still evidence for a prayer of agreement?
Some have taught that Jesus said that Christians are supposed to bind and lose things on earth and in heaven by agreeing with one another in prayer. This teaching is based on Matt 16:19 and Matt 18:18. What does this mean, and more importantly, what does it mean in context?
Matt 16:19 (KJV) 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Matt 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
The NLT says it this way:
“And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
In Matthew 16, Jesus tells his disciples not to follow the bad examples of the Pharisees and Sadducees, but instead to follow the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit demonstrates His revealing power to Peter when He reveals to Peter that Jesus is the Messiah. From that point, Jesus declares to Peter that he will be the rock or foundation of the church and that whatever he binds and looses on earth will be bound and loosed in heaven. All of Matthew 18 is about sin and how to deal with an unrepentant church member who has done harm to others. They must be put out if they refuse to repent. Of course, the church must still treat them right and forgive them.
Matthew 16:19 and 18:18 are about the authority to deal with sin in the body of Christ and the allowance for the excommunication of people who refuse to repent for harming others. We must note that excommunication is not permanent; it only lasts until the person repents and apologizes for their actions. This authority to bind and loose was initially given to Peter as the “little rock” (Matt 16:18), as the leader of the Apostles. Meanwhile, in Matt 18:18, Jesus uses this exact phrase to all his disciples regarding their authority to deal with problems in the early church.
In Matt 16:13-20, Jesus asks the disciples who the world thinks he is, and they respond that some say he is Elijah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, or another Prophet. When he asks who they think he is, Simon (Peter) says, “You are the Christ (Messiah), son of the living God.” Jesus confirms this and reveals that this information was revealed to Simon by the Holy Spirit, not his own knowledge. He then gives Simon a new name, Kefa, which means “little rock” in Aramaic and is translated as Πέτρος/Petros, from which we derive the name “Peter.” Jesus then declares that on this “large” rock (πέτρα/Petra), “I will build my church, and the gates of Sheol, or the grave, shall not overcome it.” The larger rock is a reference to the revelation given to Peter by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus says He will build the church on this revelation of who He is, not on Peter himself. He then says I will give you the keys to the Kingdom. This indicates he is making Peter the leader of the apostles on earth. He then says, “Whatever you bind (prohibit) on earth will be bound (prohibited) in heaven, and whatever you loose (permit) on earth will be loosed (permitted) in heaven.” This is a statement of authority to manage in Jesus’ absence. The next section of this chapter is when Jesus tells his disciples about his coming death and resurrection. Peter rejects it, and Jesus scolds him because these things must happen. The actual office of the leader is not applied to Peter until the new covenant begins in Acts 2:14-41. In Acts 2, Peter ministers to the Jews about the fulfillment of the prophecy from Joel 2:28-32, which foretells the coming of the Holy Spirit. He then confirms that the Samaritans (Acts 8:14-25) and the Gentiles (Acts 10:34-48) also gain access to God’s Spirit.
In the full scope, this “binding and loosing” points to Peter’s role in opening the door to the Gentiles, such as Cornelius (Acts ch. 10), without requiring conversion to Judaism and adherence to the ritual purity laws of the Old Covenant. This is because God’s presence (the Holy Spirit) could now inhabit Gentiles as well as the Jews, even though Gentiles were not relatives of Abraham or circumcised and did things that weren’t ritually pure, like eating unclean foods. Peter receives this revelation in Acts chapter 10 and explains it to his fellow apostles in Acts 11. In Acts ch. 15, Peter, Paul, and James told the church that Gentiles didn’t have to observe ritual purity laws like circumcision or eat kosher food restrictions, but did have to adhere to moral purity rules by abstaining from idolatry, sexual immorality, and blood drinking. While Gentiles didn’t know about these ritual purity laws, they did have their own laws against moral sins like adultery, stealing, lying, and murder, so these are not necessary to mention. So, we could say he “loosened” the restrictions on entering God’s covenant. In addition, he “bound” the Gentiles under the moral purity laws that they previously weren’t aware of because they didn’t know the Torah; this means they forsake idols, blood drinking, and abstain from sexual immorality. This is because they are now “married” to Christ, so they are “bound” to God in this New Covenant.
The Holy Spirit guides this power of binding and loosing, and it is not something Peter gets to use exclusively, as it is mentioned again in Matthew 18:18 to a broader audience. In Matt 16:19, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit when he answered Jesus’ question about the messiah’s identity. This explains why every believer has access to this power in Matthew 18:18, because everyone who is filled with the Holy Spirit can do the will of heaven in a specific situation by following the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has all the knowledge of God and helps us do the perfect will of God. So that the Lord’s prayer, “let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:8-10), is accomplished.
In Matthew 18, Jesus talks about having the humility of a child and says that condemnation will come upon those who lead children astray into sin (Matt 18:1-11). Children are humble, ignorant of the knowledge of sin, and often quick to forgive, so we are to be humble, free from thoughts of sinful schemes, and quick to forgive others like children. Jesus says that when we are like children, we can be counted as the greatest in the kingdom. Then Jesus gives the Parable of the Lost Sheep, about a shepherd who leaves behind 99 sheep to find the one that wanders away (Matt 18:12-14). This is similar to the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), about a man who runs away and squanders his inheritance to live in sin, but then returns to his father in repentance. Jesus clarifies that God wants to bring back people who are led astray.
In Matt 18:15-20, Jesus then explains a scenario about a person in the body of Christ (the church) who refuses to repent for their sin. The victim must confront the perpetrator privately about this issue. If they refuse to repent, they must bring two or three witnesses; if they still refuse to repent, the church leaders will reason with them. If they refuse, they will be excommunicated before the whole congregation. Then, in verse 18 of Matthew 18, Jesus repeats Matthew 16:19, which says, “Whatever you bind (prohibit) on earth will be bound (prohibited) in heaven, and whatever you loose (permit) on earth will be loosed (permitted) in heaven.” Then he says in verses 19-20, “If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” In Matt 18:21-35, Peter asks how often the church community should forgive someone; should it be seven times? Jesus replies, No and says, “70×7”. This was not meant to be a statement that suggested counting up to 490 times, but rather a means to continuously forgive. In Hebraic cultural numerology, the number seven represents completion, so 70 x 7 is a way of saying “be complete” an infinite number of times, thereby continuously forgiving. Jesus then gives a parable about a king who forgave a servant’s debt, but the king reneges on that forgiveness when he finds out the servant refused to forgive another person for their debt. This suggests that forgiveness is distinct from excommunication and that we must be merciful if we want God to be merciful to us; this concept is also taught in Matthew 5:7 and Matthew 6:14-15.
In 1 Timothy 5:19-20, Paul instructs Timothy on the issue of sin in the church, instructing him to reprimand people if they are proven guilty. Paul reminds Timothy that guilty verdicts require two or three witnesses, according to Deuteronomy 17:6 and Deuteronomy 19:15. The process Jesus describes in Matthew 18 follows the same Old Testament process of executing someone. A person must be caught in the act of a crime punishable by death by two or three witnesses. They are then taken to the elders to confirm what happened, and subsequently taken outside the city and put to death (Lev 24:10-16, Numbers 15:32-36).
The difference, of course, is that in the New Covenant, Christ’s death atones for that person, so they don’t need to die. There are examples of this being put into action in 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 when Paul talks about the removal of sexual immorality among the church body. A man sleeping with his stepmother, who refused to repent, was to be removed until he came to his senses and repented. This shows that the excommunication rules don’t just apply to people who directly sin against others but also to people who are sinning with other members, like gossiping or sexual promiscuity. In this particular case, there was an incestuous relationship going on because this woman was his father’s wife or ex-wife, and that is forbidden intercourse (Deut 22:30). In 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, Paul references “a man” who hurt the Corinthian church, which implies it was someone who was removed. This could be the same person mentioned in 1 Corinthians or a different person, as it seems to me that he is referring to a false teacher. Either way, Paul made it clear that when dealing with people who have been removed, we are to always be open to forgiving them and welcoming them back. These lines up with everything Jesus taught in Matt 18.
2 Cor 2:5 [NLT] I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. 6 Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. 7 Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise, he may be overcome by discouragement. 8 So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him. 9 I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. 10 When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, 11 so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.
This phrase about “binding and loosing” has nothing to do with getting rich, praying for political victories, or exorcising demons; it is all about excommunication. Spiritual warfare exists, but this verse isn’t about that, and other places in scripture talk about faith to move mountains (Mark 11:12-24), spiritual warfare (Ep 6:10-18, 1 John 4:1-6, Col 2:6-10), etc, so we can use the authority that God gives us (Matt 7: 7-11, 1 John 5:14-15, John 16:23-27). However, the words binding and loosing are never used in reference to authority over spiritual darkness in any other scripture. In the broader context, Matthew 18:15-20 instructs the church on how to address believers who sin against the Body of Christ. They are no longer to be stoned to death (because Christ died for them) but excommunicated until they repent.
It is important to note that, as mentioned in Paul’s letters, this is not permanent, nor is it to be a spiteful rejection. If we are to treat this person as an unbeliever, then the question is, how are we supposed to treat unbelievers? Jesus said that those who are not with him (unbelievers) are against him (Matt 12:30, Luke 11:23, Luke 12:51-52), making them enemies of God (John 5:23). Since Jesus told us to love, give to, and pray for our enemies (Matt 5:43-48) we are to continue doing that for this person, the ex-communication is simply a means of preventing them from harming others in the church community. This protects church members from continuous perpetrators of heinous crimes like sexual assault or theft and prevents the church from being associated with scandal. It also removes people from the church body who gossip, spread anti-Christ ideas, or simply try to usurp authority or incite rebellion. Excommunication is permitted biblically in the New Covenant, provided that the person is dealt with privately first before being publicly called out, and forgiveness must be a part of the process, whether or not they return.
On the topic of two or three, gathered together. Do we need a specific number of people to get our prayers answered?
Matt 18:19 “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 20 For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
In the broader context of the chapter, this refers to Jesus being present with the “two or three witnesses” when addressing someone causing trouble in the community. It is not about prayer and the power of friendship. Let’s take a look at James 5:16-18; it states that the prayers of the righteous are very effective and provides the example of Elijah from 1 Kings 17:1, who prayed for no rain because God was angry with the sins of the Israelites, resulting in a three-year drought. Elijah didn’t need two or three other people to answer his prayer. We don’t need multiple people to get prayers answered; we just need faith and live holy by following God’s ways instead of living in sin. The earnest prayer of the righteous avails much, and the believer’s faith qualifies them as righteous and gets their prayers answered because the just shall live by faith (Hab 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38). None of the other scriptures about asking God for something and getting a response involve multiple people (Matt 7: 7-11, 1 John 5:14-15, John 16:23-27).
James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.
Matthew 7: 7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.
1 John 5:14 And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. 15 And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.
John 16:23 At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. 24 You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy. 25 “I have spoken of these matters in figures of speech, but soon I will stop speaking figuratively and will tell you plainly all about the Father. 26 Then you will ask in my name. I’m not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf, 27 for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God.
Having a multitude of believers is still beneficial. Faith means to trust God and have confidence in him and his word. Hebrews 11:6 says without faith, it is impossible to please God, and James 5:16 says that it’s the prayers of the righteous that are the most effective, and Hab 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38 all say the just (righteous) shall live by faith. Sometimes, we all struggle in our faith and are worn down by trials and tribulations; however, having other believers pray for us can be the solution, as God can respond to their faith where we may lack. Prov 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Believers need each other to lean on because we don’t have perfect faith. So, while the prayers of one righteous person are more than enough (Abraham, Moses, Elijah, etc.), having other believers agree with us in cases where we may be wavering in faith is beneficial. The faith of the four men led them to break through the roof to reach their paralyzed friend, and he was healed (Mark 2:1-5). In Acts 4:23-31, the church prayed together for boldness after the Sanhedrin Council threatened John and Peter with death for preaching the gospel. In Acts 12:6-19, after Herod Antipas had James executed, the church prayed for Peter when he was about to be executed, and an angel rescued him from prison. These are better scriptural examples of corporate prayer with believers. According to James 1:5-8, faithless prayers are ineffective, which suggests that we can ask God for wisdom, but we must not waver in our faith. So, having friends stand in the gap and intercede for us is beneficial, and God will respond to their faith when we lack it. This is the benefit of community prayers for one another.
James 1:5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
In conclusion, Matt 18:19-20 is not about authority over spirits or power in numbers for prayer but about witnesses calling out wickedness. Instead of stoning people, they are just excommunicated. The power in numbers comes from the idea that we can lift each other when we are weak in faith; it is not a requirement for a 2 to 3-person minimum for God to hear and answer our prayers, as evidenced in every other scripture about asking God in faith (Matt 7: 7-11, 1 John 5:14-15, John 16:23-27) and the example given about Elijah in James 5:16. I don’t see Matt 18:19 as a magic formula for prayer when looking at the chapter’s broader context of the teaching and other scriptures on the subject. Still, numerous other examples in scripture, such as Mark 2:1-5 and Acts 12:6-19, demonstrate the concept of praying together with other believers and achieving results. We are all human and need to pray for each other and with others.