Matthew 18:18 - what means 'bind' and loose?

This e-mail arrived with a question about binding and loosing in Matthew 18:18.  Here is the letter.


Hi,

I just read you information on cursing from the Internet – via Google.

Most of it I agree with and see the wisdom of not continuing a practice of prayer that I really thought was correct. So now, what about Matthew 18:18, which says “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven;”  what are we to “Bind” and what are we to “Loose?”  What does that in your opinion refer to?

Thank you for your input.

God lover

"Study to show thyself approved..." 2Tim 2:15

I explain this on the Listening-prayer web site in the section called Demonic, negative and unhealthy Spiritual Warfare under the title Spiritual Warfare: Binding and Loosing.


In the Jewish New Testament (David Stern, 1989), the translator explains the meaning of "bind" and "loose" to the Jew.  This would mean that the leadership had the  authority to set up a new religious community and establish the rules of this community.  The new community formed around Jesus was not to be bound by Jewish law.  They could, in effect, establish new rules for the new community.  God's authority would be behind them in this.  And so it was as we see in the Book of Acts.

In North America it has fed in to the power drive and wrongly interpreted as 'I can take authority in Jesus name over Satan and territorial spirits.  That, in fact, is very dangerous advice as it puts us in a position of rebellion against authority.  It encourages acting in pride and arrogance.

It accomplishes the opposite of what is intended.  One loses protection.  One's position in the battle is exposed.  The enemy penetrates and attacks supply lines.  This is experienced as money always disappearing, losing jobs, just about to get a job and it goes to someone else.

Read more of my articles on listening-prayer.com and this should all be explained.

George


My articles on the internet about cursing include the following:

1. Types of curses by George Hartwell on HealMyLife.com
2. deliverance from curses by George Hartwell Christian counsellor
3. Jesus in between prayer to break a curses, breaking and removing a curse, 
4. introduction to how to break a curses on Listening-Prayer.com
5. How to break a curse with Jesus in Between - a Christian perspective on breaking curses and spells
6. Breaking a Shame Curse by George Hartwell Christian counselor how to break a Shame curse
7. How to Deal with Oppression from Spells, Curses and Voodoo on Listening-prayer.com
8. What is a curse, a spell, Christian understanding of curses, spells, voodoo
9.