Matthew 18:18  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. 

Matthew 18:18 ERV  “I can assure you that when you speak judgment here on earth, it will be God’s judgment. And when you promise forgiveness here on earth, it will be God’s forgiveness. 

Matthew 18:18 TPT  “Receive this truth: Whatever you forbid on earth will be considered to be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be considered to be released in heaven. 

Matthew 18:18 Weymouth  I solemnly tell you that whatever you as a Church bind on earth will in Heaven be held as bound, and whatever you loose on earth will in Heaven be held to be loosed. 

Matthew 18:18 MSG “Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this.

The Strong’s Concordance defines the words “bind” and “loose” as the following: 

Bind: G1210; bind, be in bonds, knit, tie, wind

Loose: G3089; break up, destroy, dissolve, unloose, melt, put off

As we look at these different translations of this foundational Scripture we can get a fuller understanding of what Jesus means here. Jesus gave us authority here on the earth to use His name in fulfilling the assignments and callings in our lives.  We are called by Jesus to go-preach-heal-deliver people everywhere (Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15-18)  As a part of that commandment to all disciples He released unto us by the power of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual ability to fulfill those commands.  We don’t do it in our own flesh ability, rather in His ability.  The Book of John chapters 14 thru 16 a lot about the coming assignments, the way we are to do them, and a lot about the Holy Spirit in our lives. 

The questions to answer are:

Who or what is being bound?

Who are what is being loosened?

This passage in Matthew 18 is concerning sin and unforgiveness between two Christians.  The one who is sinned against was to go privately to the one who caused the problem.  If that person refused to repent or be reconciled, the next step was to bring 2 or 3 witnesses to back up or prove there was an issue unresolved.  If the person still refused to repent and be reconciled, they were to take him or her before the whole church body.  If he or she refused to repent still then you treated him as if he were not a Christian and walked away from him.

Now as we look at that verse again, it says what we bind or loose is our choice.  We have been given the authority to make a judgement against another brother only in the case of unforgiveness of the one who sinned. You also have the authority to forgive or loose one caught up in sin.

What are you loosing him from? The power of sin over his or her life.  The power of the devil which is controlling their thoughts.  ‘

What are you binding in this situation?  The demonic forces being manifested in his or her life.  The demonic spirits of anger, bitterness, evil thoughts, unforgiveness, and the list could go on and on…that is what we are binding.  Not people, not circumstances, but the forces of evil trying to insert themselves in our lives.

The story of the woman with the issue of blood shows Jesus loosing her from the plague that kept her in bondage for years.  He used the authority given Him by God in the power of the Holy Spirit to set the woman free.

Mark 5:34  And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace and be whole of thy plague.