The teaching topic of this blog, “whatever you may bind on earth will be bound in heaven,” is found in Matthew 18:18-20 and Matthew 16:18-19. The Lord Jesus presents this teaching in the context of two different teaching topics:
- How to enter and relate to the kingdom of heavens (Matthew 18:18-20).
- The Lord Jesus is “the Christ the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:18-19).
Comments on Matthew 18:18-20
Matthew 18:18 Truly I say to you, whatever things you may bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever things you may loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 Again, truly, I say to you that if two of you may agree on the earth concerning any matter that they may ask, it will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens.
Many have used this verse in the wrong way. The verse does not refer to the things that you agree on for your benefit of luxury in this world; instead, it relates to faith and building up the faith of people around you. It relates only to faith, not the luxury on this earth.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.
The main point here is “in My name.” Do not use the name of the Lord Jesus in vain; this only refers to building up the church of the community, not personal things.
Comments on Matthew 16:18-19
Matthew 16:18 Moreover, I also say to you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
This verse refers to the believer’s faith.
“You are Peter, and upon this rock ...” indicates that Peter is the first one to whom the Father revealed who the Lord Jesus is, and on this rock of knowledge, the church will be built. After the Lord Jesus fulfilled the Father’s will, this knowledge will continue to build more people’s faith in the Son of God, the Holy One. At this time, Peter’s faith has been established; he can die for what he believes.
“Upon this rock” refers to the truth that Peter received. The rock is the truth about the Lord Jesus: He is “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
“I will build My church” means that the Lord Jesus will build His church on the truth that Peter received, which is the rock, the foundation of the church.
“And the gates of Hades will not prevail against it” means that the gates of hell have no power to stop the Lord Jesus from building His church. The Lord Jesus opened the gate of the heavens (See Comments Matthew 3:16) and put the seal of His blood on the gates of hell when He was there (at the gates) during the three days (See 1 Peter 3:18-20). The Lord put the seal on the gates, which is the blood of the Lord Jesus, and it is a forbidden seal; no evil can touch this seal or remove it (See Exodus 12:13). All His children have the salvation seal of the Lamb on them. The gates of Hades will never open for those who have the salvation seal of the Lamb on them. The salvation seal is put on a believer’s heart when the person believes and gives his heart to the Lord Jesus and then goes and baptizes in the water (complete baptism, heart, and water, meaning soul and body). The believer’s responsibility is to keep this seal by staying in faith, studying the Word of God, and keeping the Word in the heart until the end of life on this earth. If you have the Word in your heart, you have a shield of protection.
Regardless of what comes first, the baptism of the Holy Spirit or water baptism, all believers must be baptized in the water to complete the transformation of a person in the body and the spirit. The sign of the Holy Spirit’s baptism must show according to the Bible, and we know in our spirit about this act (See Comments Acts 2:2-4). The gift of speaking in tongues is the confirmation of the human spirit joining the salvation seal. Speaking out loud one word or a few words in a tongue is the sign of the Holy Spirit baptism (See Comments John 1:33). To speak more is a gift that comes after, and everyone can get this gift of speaking in tongues by praying and asking for the gift from the Lord. This gift of tongues is given to everyone; just listen to the very small voice inside your heart. Many are being baptized in the water but ignore the small voice of the Lord, not that the Holy Spirit doesn’t come to them. He comes to each heart with a small little voice, but many have refused to listen, which is why not many people speak in tongues. However, a true believer must believe in the water baptism and the Holy Spirit baptism (See Comments John 3:5 and Comments John 1:33).
Based on these comments, after a believer receives the Holy Spirit, the evil one cannot make the believer reject the Lord, but they can still trick the believer. They can make you believe that the Lord left you, and then you yourself reject the Lord or become angry with the Lord; then you can grieve the Holy Spirit (See Ephesians 4:30). But remember, the Bible is clear in telling us that the Lord will never leave us nor forsake us (See: Deuteronomy 31:6-8, Hebrews 13:5-6, Psalm 55:22). By the will of the Lord, the gates of hell will never open for a person that has the faith (salvation) seal. Therefore, keep in mind that the Lord always gives a way out for everybody, and He will judge by the heart of the person.
As a note, the criminal on the cross did not receive the seal of the baptism in water but received the seal of Jesus’ word on the spirit. The Lord baptized him by His word (See Comments Luke 23:43).
19 I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens; and whatever you might bind on the earth will be bound in the heavens; and whatever you might loose on the earth will be loosed in the heavens.
“I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens” shows that the Lord Jesus gives the keys to the church of God. The key is this: the Bible is the key to the kingdom of God.
“Whatever you might bind on the earth will be bound in the heavens.” The church of this earth makes rules (agreements) for themselves, but there is a Holy Church in the heavens (elect angels) that is gathering in the Holy Temple by the will of the Father. Those who are gathering in the Holy Temple receive orders straight from the Father. Those will be binding some work that “has been” done on earth, and it will be bound in heaven as well. It “has been” because it is not finished work yet; it is still going on. The work up in the Holy Temple will never end until the Lord returns. However, only the Bible can bind things on earth and be bound in heaven. The rules of the Bible bind people on earth and heaven. We have One Lord and God and worship only One God; the church on earth and the church in the heavens have the same God and abide by the Word that is written in the Bible. The Bible contains all the rules for our lives, and it is the rule for the life on earth and the life in the heavens; this is the Holy Word.
“Bind” refers to agreements or rules. When making an agreement in the name of the Lord, it will be bound on earth and heaven as well; however, that agreement must always go with the Bible. If it is against the Bible, that agreement is not from the Lord. Every rule set up to control the people in the church must be based on the Bible’s rules and orders. But people come in the name of the Lord, but not with the Lord. Watch out: many churches create rules by using the name of the Lord but not with the Lord. Examples of binding would be things we have seen, such as the prayer chain. The prayer chain keeps people praying one after another and enforces unity in the church; the Bible has unity. Also, the fast for offering praise to the Lord gathers people together to make a fast for one purpose; unity is also the key here. When there are such agreements in a church on earth, then the angels in the Holy Church will follow and bring these offerings directly to the Father. Each promise (agreement) has its own smell and look, which the Father enjoys, and the Father will bind it in the heavens. The Father will not just look over it but feel it, and the Father will bind it in the heavens for that action; it comes up to the Father as an offering.
“Loosed” in this context means it is loosed from human rules. For example, in some places, women cannot wear certain colors. The Lord never set such rules about colors. The clothes cover a person’s body; therefore, the color has no meaning. Choosing the color of the clothes is a freedom the Lord gives people. Loosen any rule related to the colors of clothes on earth, and it will also be loosed in heaven.
How Christians Should Bind Things on Earth So They Are Bound in Heaven
Therefore, as a church of the Lord Jesus or as a group of believers in the Lord Jesus, we can make certain rules and regulations on earth about how Christians should behave and what they should do and pray to be bound in heaven as well; however, we should not use our own rules to judge others as Romans 14:4 teaches us: “Who are you that judge the servant of another? To his own lord, he stands or falls. Yes, he shall be made to stand; for the Lord has power to make him stand.” But we must come to church with open hearts, keep the love of Christ in our hearts, and come to worship the Lord, not to judge others. Therefore, it is important to remember the blessings the Lord taught us in Matthew 5:3-8; specifically, blessed are the poor in spirit, and blessed are the pure in heart. We must meditate on their meaning for us.
Moreover, as true followers of the Lord Jesus, we should check if our church has Biblical rules. We, as individual believers, are responsible for following the teachings of the Lord Jesus and behaving according to the Bible regardless of whether the church has supporting rules or not. For example, head covering for women when worshiping is a Biblical rule, and some churches bind this rule on earth. However, suppose the church does not bind the women to cover for worship. In that case, a woman’s head covering should be a personal rule between each woman and the Lord, regardless of the church’s custom. Each woman is responsible for their conduct to the Lord, and we should not judge any behavior, cover or not. The Beloved Son of God has fulfilled all the rules and the laws; we must follow the beloved Son of God, the Lord Jesus, and use His rules found in His word. When the women pray, the beloved Son of God will speak to their hearts about the head covering; if they do not feel confident, they must cover their heads.
Furthermore, if a church makes un-Biblical rules, we, as individual believers, are not required to follow them. For example, should a church make a rule for keeping the Sabbath as the Old Law Sabbath (not working on Saturdays)? Is this a Biblical rule, as it is part of the Old Testament law? The answer is found in the fact that the Lord Jesus fulfilled (completed) the Law and the Prophets within Himself, so we only need to worship the Lord Jesus to obey the Law and the Prophets; we do not need to keep the Sabbath anymore as the children of the Lord did in the Old Testament times (Matthew 5:17). Therefore, do not feel guilty and you as a true believer in the Lord Jesus can depart from such a church and find another church which does not have such rule.
But we must come to church with open hearts, keep the love of Christ in our hearts, and come to worship the Lord, not to judge others. Therefore, it is important to remember the blessings the Lord taught us in Matthew 5:3-8; specifically, blessed are the poor in spirit, and blessed are the pure in heart. We must meditate on their meaning for us.
Meditation Tasks:
- Meditate on the blessings the Lord Jesus taught us in Matthew 5:3-8.
- Review your church rules regarding Christian behavior, etc., and meditate on those rules, whether Biblical or not.