Binding and Loosing – September 8, 2026

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[Jesus said] “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.”
Matthew 18:18

Binding and Loosing

In Matthew, chapter eighteen, Jesus explains that, if a Christian sees a fellow Christian caught in a sin, they have a responsibility to point it out to them.

He goes on to say that if the person refuses to listen to repeated warnings and persists in unrepentant sin, there comes a point when they are to be regarded as an unbeliever. But if they listen, acknowledge their sin, and turn from it, then, Jesus says, “You have won them over.” They are restored, and all is well again between them and God!

Jesus explains why this is true: “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” (Matthew 18:18).

Jesus is not saying that Christians make statements on earth that somehow become true in heaven. It’s actually the opposite. What we declare on earth simply reflects what is already true before God in heaven.

When a Christian continues to live in sin despite repeated warning from other Christians, that sin is bound to them. It is like a heavy chain they cannot break. As long as they persist in it, they remain guilty before God. Since that is already true in heaven, wouldn’t you want them to know it here on earth? By warning them, you give them the opportunity to turn from their sin and live.

Because when a sinner acknowledges their sin, turns from it, and trusts in Jesus for forgiveness, that burden is loosed. The chains are removed. They are forgiven. Jesus has already paid for