The Binding & Loosing Conundrum: Examining The Matthew 16:19 Text

The binding and loosing text in Matthew 16:19 which reads that "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" is one whose context over the years may have been misinterpreted and misapplied especially amongst many pentecostals and charismatics so to speak. In order for one to properly examine and make ample meaning of the text in line with its intended purpose, we must try to interrogate the text in a rather more reverse sense.

From the onset, it may seem to appear to the reader that Jesus is saying that one’s actions on earth pertaining to faith has the propensity to alter the course of heaven's already established decisions and resolutions.This often gives many genuine Christians the impression that they possess such a uniquely fashioned power and authority to usurp an existing statute or to establish an order in heaven that was hitherto not there.The intended meaning of the text is rather contrary to this popular interpretation.

To set the tone of the text, we will begin with how Jesus starts off in that particular verse by making mention to His audience about the key of the kingdom of heaven which He was going to freely give to not just Peter but to anyone and everyone who would come into the knowledge of His sonship. Keys traditionally signify an entry or undeniable access into a place, jurisdiction, some reality or space. When one has the keys to a room or building for instance, they have an added privilege of knowing whatever is contained in that room or building.It’s this unfettered ticket that gives one the opportunity to know what is present or otherwise absent from that room.

And so what exactly was Jesus attempting to explain by making the correlation between keys and the kingdom of heaven? The answer is quite obvious, He was teaching His audience that, whenever you obtain the key to the kingdom of heaven,you have the privilege of knowing what is present in the kingdom of heaven as-well as the nature of the standing orders present.

To further explain what the concept of heaven then is in light of the text one must appreciate that the heavens as we understand first and foremost is an eternal realm far beyond the conceptions of human understanding of time.Throughout the scriptures its often depicted as God’s holy realm and special abode populated with quite an enormous number of angels (1Kings 22:19). We again see throughout scripture how the earth is supposed to mirror what already exists in heaven. This means that much of the articles and institutions of worship as practiced on earth is merely a micro miniature of what already exists in heaven. It’s this archetypal idea of heaven that lays much credence and meaning to the Mathew 6:10 text where Jesus expresses that the crux of prayer should be our desire to see the will of God in heaven being made manifest on earth.

And so in reality it’s not the earth so to speak independently manifesting what it wants but rather manifesting what already prevails in the heavens. To explain the above correspondence that I’m laying forth in light of the Mathew 16:19 text, it becomes crystal clear that Jesus’s attempt was to help His audience see what it meant to be given the keys of the kingdom of heaven and what one could really accomplish with such a ticket. An access to the heavenly kingdom meant that one had a doorway into the knowledge of what prevails and exists in heaven as touching the affairs on earth.

It’s this foreknowledge that gives us the impetus to pray on earth what heaven has already sanctioned. The binding and loosing that Jesus makes mention of is not in anyway a validation of the authority of the believer in making decisions that can affect or alter the course and the standing prevailing order of heaven but rather an exposition on how we through the knowledge and acceptance of His sonship and status as Christ the savior of the world can establish the order of heaven on earth through the gift of salvation.

I can imagine the devastating blow this insight inflicts on the theology of many Pentecostals and charismatics who use this text to further their actions of establishing any kind of desire especially in the place of prayer and intercession as though they had the authority and power to change God's will. Even worse is the traditional use of the text especially within the African religious context to deal with demonic forces and agents. To attempt to bind what heaven has determined loosed or to try to loose what heaven has preordained bound is a futile attempt that yields no result. Our call as believers is to be in sync with the will of God in heaven and to subsequently exercise our authority in response to God's will. The authority of the Christian can only be seen vividly through the knowledge and obedience to God's will. That’s how we bind and loose.