Matthew 18:18 Meaning of Whatever You Bind on Earth

Matthew 18:18
“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Explanation and Commentary of Matthew 18:18

This is now the second time in Matthew’s account that Jesus has taught his disciples this point. If the case is made that the first time it was spoken primarily to Peter (Mt 16:19), this time it is clear to all his disciples that he speaks. The context is in a discussion on confrontation, forgiveness, and church discipline. The meaning is that when the church acts as the church in matters of discipline and judgment between individuals, it is doing the work of loosing and binding, having been given the authority of Jesus to do so.

He follows the statement referring to confrontation and church discipline by a statement about two or more gathering and agreeing before God. Jesus claims that he will be present in those gatherings and that God will move to guide those conversations and prayers, and then he will answer those prayers of the gathered church. Once again, as in Matthew 16:19, this should be understood to mean that what has been ordained bound or loosed in heaven by God will come to pass through the binding and loosing of things on earth by Jesus’ church.

Christ was complete and perfect in his representation of the Father. Any one Christian will be incomplete and imperfect in and of himself. Even the church, made up of humans, will sometimes get things wrong, but hopefully, the church across time can correct those errors. Nevertheless, the gathered church is more likely to be able to hear God than just one biased person. Jesus calls us to a body, each with a part to play, each a different body part (1 Cor 12:12) in need of all the others. In this way, the church can continue Jesus’ ministry of “binding” and “loosing.”

Breaking Down the Key Parts of Matthew 18:18

#1 “Truly I tell you,”
Precedes some of what Jesus considers his most important points.

#2 “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,”
Jesus gives authority to the church to pronounce forgiveness of sins or to withhold in the case of unrepentance. To bind on earth is to make official to people the judgments of heaven as discerned by the gathered church.

#3 “and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
The freedom of forgiveness is eternal and declared in both realms. The church is endowed with authority as a means of grace for the believer. To fail to submit to the church leadership’s judgment is a grave step.

Bible Study on Matthew 18:18

Expert Overview of Matthew Ch. 14-28

Biblical Translations of Matthew 18:18

NIV
“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

NLT
“I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

ESV
“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

KJV
“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.”

NKJV
“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”