Most
certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven.
Matthew 18:18
Matthew 18 [12.] “What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray? If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Matthew 18 [15.] “If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother. But if he doesn’t listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector. Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven. Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them.”
Matthew 18 [21.] Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?”
Meaning:
Jesus has just given his disciples steps for dealing with a brother who sins: speak to him alone, then with one or two witnesses, then tell the assembly, and if he still refuses to listen, treat him as an outsider (Matthew 18:15-17). This verse explains why the assembly’s decision matters. When the church acts faithfully in such cases, its judgment on earth agrees with the judgment of heaven.
- “whatever things you bind … you release”
“Binding” and “loosing” (here “releasing”) were familiar terms among Jewish teachers. To bind was to forbid or to hold a person to an obligation; to loose was to permit or to set free. Rabbis used the words when they ruled on what the Law allowed, and when they placed someone under discipline or lifted it. In this setting the words refer to the church’s decisions about sin: holding an unrepentant brother accountable, or releasing a repentant one and receiving him back.
- “you” – the whole assembly
Earlier Jesus had said almost the same words to Peter alone, together with the promise of “the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 16:19). Here “you” is plural. The authority is given to the gathered community of disciples, not to one person acting alone. The next verses confirm this: when two agree in prayer, the Father answers, and “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them” (Matthew 18:19-20).
- “will have been bound in heaven”
The wording is careful. Jesus does not say that heaven must obey whatever the church decides. He says that what the church binds “will have been bound” in heaven. When the church acts in line with God’s word and in Jesus’ name, its decision reflects what God has already determined. The church does not invent forgiveness or judgment; it recognises and announces them. After his resurrection Jesus gave the disciples a similar charge: “If you forgive anyone’s sins, they have been forgiven them. If you retain anyone’s sins, they have been retained” (John 20:23).
The Significance of Matthew 18:18
- Church discipline is serious and loving
Jesus gives the church real responsibility for the moral life of its members. Discipline is never meant to crush, but to bring the sinner back. Paul urged the Corinthians to forgive a disciplined man once he had repented: “Therefore I beg you to confirm your love toward him” (2 Corinthians 2:8).
- Authority under God’s word
The church’s authority is not its own. It must be used humbly, prayerfully and according to Scripture. Right after this verse Peter asks how often he must forgive, and Jesus answers, “until seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). Those who bind must also be ready to release.
Cross-References:
Matthew 16:19: "whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven;" The same promise given to Peter.
John 20:23: "If you forgive anyone’s sins, they have been forgiven them." The risen Jesus commissions his disciples.
Matthew 18:17: "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly." The setting of the verse.
Galatians 6:1: "restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness;" The aim of correction.
Conclusion: Jesus gave his gathered church real authority to deal with sin among its members. When the church acts faithfully, in his name and according to his word, its decisions on earth agree with heaven’s. This authority is meant to restore, not to destroy, and it must always be joined with readiness to forgive.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible