Binding

What is BINDING    

The word “binding” has many meanings or definitions in the Bible. It can refer to such matters as spiritual authority or moral obligations. In Matthew 18:18, Jesus states, “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.” This verse has been taken out of context many times. The true meaning is that believers are to uphold God’s standards on earth. Binding, in this context, signifies establishing spiritual truths and moral boundaries that reflect God’s will on earth as it is in heaven. When you get the context of Matthew 18:18, (which many people misinterpret) Jesus was talking about church discipline. He was stating that the members of the church who sin and then repent are to be loosed (restored to fellowship) and those who do not repent are to be bound (barred from fellowship.) 

The terms bind and loose are Jewish idioms indicating that what is announced on earth has already been determined in heaven.  To bind means to forbid, refuse, or prohibit. To loose means to permit or allow. 

In the Old Testament, binding symbolizes a commitment to God’s laws and commandments. The Israelites were often called to bind God’s words upon their hearts and teach them diligently to their children (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). In ancient Israel, binding was often associated with contracts and covenants, which bound commitments between parties. The act of binding something together was serious; it represented trust, loyalty, and a promise to uphold one’s end of the agreement.

Current-day believers hold fast to the idea that they are bound to God through faith, love, and obedience. It gives them a sense of security and belonging. Binding together in prayer, support, and unity gives strength to believers.

Jesus gave the apostles the authority to bind and loose things on earth. That is, He gave them the authority to declare what God has already done in heaven. 

There is no scriptural command to bind Satan, and there are no biblical examples to do so. We (believers) can’t bind Satan and he remains at large as the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) until he is chained or bound (by an angel, not a human being) during the millennial reign of Christ (Revelation 20:1-3.) The disciples cast out demons, but they never bound demons or Satan.

Even the archangel Michael did not rebuke Satan on his own. Despite his status and power, he called on God to rebuke Satan. Like Michael, we (believers) can ask the Lord to rebuke Satan.

Most importantly, when we read the rest of the Bible, we find no evidence that Satan is bound. The Bible repeatedly states that Satan is currently alive and well on Earth—not in an abyss (Acts 5:3; 1 Cor. 5:5; 7:5; 1 Tim. 1:20; 2 Cor. 2:11; 4:3-4; 11:14; 12:7; Eph. 2:1-3; Heb. 2:8; 1 Thess. 2:18; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; 1 Pet. 5:8; 1 Jn. 3:8-10; 5:19-20).

For now, the binding of Satan simply means we are to have confidence that he is restricted, for he cannot stop the gospel from achieving what God desires. The official binding of Satan is a significant eschatological event and is described in the Book of Revelation, specifically in Revelation 20:1-3. 

So, what is my conclusion? Instead of focusing on binding Satan, we need to remember;

Christians do not have the power to bind Satan, and God has already bound Satan (with limitations).

Christians can’t ask Jesus to bind Satan.

Christians can control the amount of influence Satan has on them by putting on the full armor of God (Eph. 6:11).

To submit ourselves to God (James 4:7-8).

And remember Satan’s primary strategy is to blind people to God’s salvation (2 Corinthians 4:3–4).

Interesting facts from Google on binding: A Google inquiry for the phrase “binding Satan” returned over 564,000 hits.  A search with the prefatory “how to,” as in “how to bind Satan,” results in over 501,000 digital links.  Since the implementation of this maneuver requires prayer, searches for “binding Satan prayers” or “binding demon’s prayers” yield 420,000 hits for the former and 346,000 for the latter.

Thirty or so years ago, this notion of binding Satan, of rebuking Satan, would have been relegated to the charismatic churches, the word-faith churches, to what would become the New Apostolic Reformation – these more wild-eyed charismatics – but not so anymore.  It is mainstream.