From the desk of Pastor Ben

The Authority for Discipline – Part 2

“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. . . . For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”
(Matthew 18:18, 20)

The Jewish phrases “bound in heaven” and “loosed in heaven” indicate that something is forbidden or permitted by God’s revealed and inspired Scriptures. Jesus’ listeners would have understood that people — and believers in particular — could not bend heaven’s (God’s) will to their own, but that the Father had a specific principle with which the church must conform.

The expressions “shall have been bound” and “shall have been loosed” are interpreted with the idea that God is not compelled to adhere to the church’s verdict on discipline, but that when it follows Jesus’ directives it conforms its decisions to what God has already done and receives His approval and authority (see also John 20:23).

When a person genuinely trusts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we in the church can confidently pronounce his sins forgiven because he has met the divine criteria for forgiveness, namely saving trust in Christ. However, is one refuses to acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior, we can declare with equal confidence that his sins are not forgiven because he has rejected the basic criteria for forgiveness.

Church discipline is serious business — something not to be approached with eagerness. Believers must ask, “Who are we to do this and by what authority do we, as fellow sinners, do it?” Only when we discipline according to Jesus’ standards can we have perfect confidence that we are acting according to His power and authority.

Ask Yourself:
The ability to see and declare things with spiritual confidence implies a living understanding of the Word of God. What are 1 or 2 matters of biblical principle you’ve learned as God by His Spirit has illumines the pages of Scripture to direct your thinking?