Matthew 16:19: Bind and Loose! Can we?

‘Bind’ and ‘loose’ (Matthew 16:19)

To bind (‘deo’) is to tie, be in bondage, or be ‘forbidden’ and, on the other hand, to loose (‘luo’) is to set free, break up, put off, let go, or allow. We (Christians) tend to use that verse to imply that, through prayers, we can make things happen or not happen according to God’s power entrusted to us. But that is a misinterpretation.

Now, without involving a lot of terminologies and theological concepts, that verse can easily be understood literally. Jesus said to Peter and friends, ‘I will give you keys and what you bind (close) or loose (open) here on earth shall be bound and loosed in heaven’. In other word, Peter isn’t binding or letting free whatever he wants but that which the Key he was given can really work on. And, surely, the key here cannot be our prayer but God’s authority or His word.

‘I have given you authority to trample on snakes’ (Luke 10:19). ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek’ (Romans 1:16)

In Acts Chapter 15, Peter and James practice ‘bind’ and ‘loose’. Apparently, many gentiles (not circumcised) had accepted Christ, but there was a problem; they were being demanded to get circumcised first. And Peter and James, based on God’s word and the proclamations of Jesus Christ, explain very well how it was not necessary for gentiles to get circumcised before getting saved. In this case, binding was to demand for circumcision and, to set free or loose, was to demand no circumcision.

Importantly, Peter and James do not let gentiles off the hook simply because they are apostles and thus have power to bind and loose, but because gentiles are already set free by God’s word or His will; Peter and James are setting free on earth what is already set free in Heaven.

In prayer, a Christian cannot direct God or permit Him on what to do but simply receive what He has already done or purposed to do. A prayer moves us into His will and not Him into our will. That is all about binding and loosening or loosing!

God Bless You

NB: ‘Bind’ and ‘loose’ were common terminologies in Jewish legal system and would be employed to vote on forbidding or allowing certain practices or concepts. So when Jesus used the terms, He was plainly speaking of His permissions on various issues to do with Christian living. And, in our daily lives, the Bible is the true definition of His will on everything and everyone!