Matthew 18:18 Devotional

Matthew 18:18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

The Lord Jesus instructed Peter about binding and loosing in Matthew 16:19.  Peter was promised the keys of the kingdom of heaven.  He was promised that whatever he bound on earth will have been bound in heaven and that whatever he loosed on earth will have been loosed in heaven.  This refers to the forgiveness of sins and the resources of heaven.  The resources of heaven are locked up if sin is not let go of in a person's life (Psalm 66:18; 1 Peter 3:7; James 4:3).  The "unforgiven by God" are not experiencing the resources the Lord has given us to overcome sin.

The church is promised that whatever they bind on earth will have been bound in heaven and that whatever they loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.  This is taught us in the context of dealing with the brother who sins against us.  If the brother is unrepentant even after hearing from the entire local community of believers, the church is to treat the brother as an unrepentant tax-collector and Gentile.  The unrepentant does not participate in the resources of heaven while in his sin.  The church has bound the brother in his sin. The brother is in an unforgiven state, not in fellowship with God and not able to use the resources God has given believers to live free from slavery to sin (2 Peter 1:3-4) and its corrupting desires.  The brother is in a fleshly, carnal state and needs to be taught the milk of the word all over again (1 Corinthians 3:1-3; Hebrew 5:11-6:2).  People bound in their sin need to learn again to repent from acts that lead to death (sin) and exercise faith in God.

What does this look like in the local church today?  The church, doing what the Father has already done from His throne in heaven, declares the unrepentant believer is bound in a state of  unforgiveness, not in fellowship with God, and not able to use all the resources of heaven.  The unrepentant believer would be instructed again in the milk of the word in order  for him to come to repentance, receive forgiveness and once again have access to God's resources that allow him to live free from the corrupting desires of sin, and to live an abundant life in a sin filled world.