Binding and loosening. Is it a legality or spirituality?

[unobtrusive]

Brother Jesus is teach the disciples this so that one member could not pass judgement on another for something that was not done to one member by the other, like the Paul and Peter situation, Peter did not sin against Paul, nor Paul against Peter, but if they had there's a process to go through for a judgement to be made, not just a hot headed decision made in the heat of the moment. It is about corperate decisions being made, because that is what Jesus was teaching His disciples that no one was above the other and there is a plurality of elders that run the Church, not some superstar pastor that is the shot caller, no, but a group of elders to lead the Church. No alpha leader that has the final say in what the Church is going to do or where the Church is going, so no one pastor to kiss up to, to get ahead in the leadership role of the Church and if one of the elders get cocky, he can be sat down so he can get a better understanding of what a leader in the Church of God is like. I know of pastors that were the head pastor of a Church and had a drug problem, he brought it before the Church in what appeared to be repentance. He went to a rehab program, after that he came back to the Church and was to sit down under the other pastor's that he was over and after a year he wanted his position back to full restoration.

The reason being he did not treat those that were under him before very well, he had stipulation as to how one is a servant to the body of Christ and he did not like cleaning toilets. So those that were over him, so to speak. Told him he was not ready yet and that did not sit right with him, he did not like anyone telling him he was not ready yet and after years of teaching how if he had to submit to others he would do it, because we are all servenats of the Lord and how the greatest among you would be the servenat of all, he found out it is easier to teach than to do. And the flesh over took him and threatened to take it to court, he forgot how he used to teach that it was a shame when members of the Church had to go to a secular court to have a matter setlled, I Corinthians 6:1-8

“When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if To bind and loose is both legal and spiritual according to the will of God so we are not judged as being "lawless." Faith in His word is the motif of righteous judgement. See Matthew 23:23the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church?5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers,6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!”

There were plenty of member in that body that could made a Godly decision over the matter, but they would not have sided with the alpha pastor because just his action to take it back, showed that he was still running in the flesh not in the Spirit.

I have it told to me all the time, when I tell them about the plurality of eldership that leads the Church, the first thing they say is who is in charge of the Church and I say Jesus. He is the head pastor or head elder and men are the under Shepards of the flock of God, I Peter 5:1-5

“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Matthew 18:15-20 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed[f]in heaven.19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

This is about a Church member that has sinned against you, it instruces us to go to them and bring the sin that was against you and if they listen you have gained a fellow member, if they do not listen, then you go with one or two other members of the Church in hopes that they will listen. If they do not, then you bring it before the Church and if they refuse to listen to the body, then you treat that person like a sinner that does not know the Gospel. You would speak to them about the Lord in an attempt to bring them to an understanding of repentance. This is what would be bound or loosed in heaven, because it is a decision made by the body, it's not like Paul rebuking Peter for hypocrisy, that is one man making a decision on another man.

Here, it is the body coming to a corprate decision on a fellow member, not one member on another. It is the same principle as in Deuteronomy 19:15-21

“One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.16 If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,17 then both men in the controversy shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days18 And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother,19 then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you.20 And those who remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you.21 Your eye shall not pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”

In Moses' day the judgement would be carried out by those that were appointed as judges and priests, if there are false witnesses they would be placed under the same judgement as the wrongdoer. The binding and loosing would be if it is forgiven by the body or there is a judgement on the members.

Very well explained. Thank you brother, and I like your avatar also.

To bind and loose is both legal and spiritual, according to the will of God, so we are not judged as being "lawless." Faith in His word is the motive of righteous judgement.

"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17)

Evidently, Paul taught Peter some good stuff, he was more astute to the Mosaic law because he was schooled in it, and through Christ he obtained the spiritual aspects by faith and not by works alone. Paul lived his entire life, being ashamed of what he had done before his conversion, but that played no part in his life as an entity of discouragement.

 

[garee]

Peter made that decision on his own and others that followed suit did likewise on their own, right? The key is two or three witnesses, and any decision must be in "His name." Peter was not together with others in his personal decision as is the will of God. Paul was correct in his judgement as far as I am concerned. Peter was binding himself like the rest that did the same with him, but not together in the name of Christ. There was not an agreement in the presence of 2 or 3 witnesses gathered in the name of Christ. That is the difference from what I presented in the OP.

I would offer that is part of the problem with the faulty translation. It was not Peter’s (flesh and blood) decision.(My father in heaven revealed it,,,,the gospel ) It is the good new in so much that we can hear Him not seen.


It was loosed from heaven binding it on the heart of Peter. Just as any believer is given the faith to hear what the Spirts says to the church. And the two or three witnesses is of separate matter in Mathew .

The two or three although it could be applied as a safeguard of cheery pickers, I think it also has to do with the authority to bind in order to recognize the body of Christ. Two represents the church or a family that makes up the church. When two or three people agree with the word of God, Christ is already there.

A sect or a denomination requires two or three. This could be two or three thousand. It does not change the one authority by which we can hear God.

The authority of God’s Word is that which binds two ,as if they were one.(the image of God)

Ecc 4:12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.