The passages about binding and loosing in the Word have to do with the bondage of sin, not demons. https://www.pexels.com/el-gr/photo/4253960/
[After Bible college I had heard some teaching on spiritual warfare and tried practicing it. It included weird teachings such as prayer walks, and binding demonic powers over a city. As I practiced this teaching, in my prayer time I found myself talking more to unseen demonic powers than to God. Some of the teaching was based on these two passages in Matthew, which have a context that is for a very different purpose than binding Satan and his Demons. The real focus of these passages is to help others to turn from their sin by loosing the consequences of those sins upon them with the hope of restoring them to fellowship with the Church body.]
[Mat 16:19 NKJV] 19 "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
[Having “the keys” mean we have the power to unlock and lock Heaven on Earth. In this passage Peter had just confessed Jesus as the promised one that would take away the sins of the world, the Son of God. And Jesus answered that upon the Rock of this confession He will build His church and give Peter the keys to the kingdom of Heaven! Two chapters later, Matthew records Jesus saying the same thing to all the disciples but in the context of church discipline.]
[Mat 18:15-18 NKJV] 15 "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 "But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' 17 "And if he refuses to hear them, tell [it] to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. 18 "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
[This passage is similar to this passage from John, after Jesus’ resurrection.]
[Jhn 20:21-23 NKJV] 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on [them], and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the [sins] of any, they are retained."
[As Christians, we are promised blessings as the spiritual children of Abraham in this present world without curses—Gal. 3:13-14, see tip 23) Wrong Traditions: Old Testament Promises don’t Apply to Us Today. This passage in John is likely dealing with bringing believers to repentance and restoration by turning from their sins. Removal of the protection and blessings of Abraham allows the curses that come with sin to push the un-repentant to repent and turn back to living in obedience with Jesus. In John 20:23 it is not the sin that is to be retained. Only God can remit and retain sins. No, it’s the consequences of that sin that is being remitted or retained, so the person will see the error of their ways and repent, and be restored to fellowship with the church. This is why Jesus commands that the individual in sin is to be confronted 1 on 1, then if they don’t respond 2 or 3 are to go and confront them. It is only after these efforts that the whole congregation is to pray to let them experience and retain the consequences of their sin in hopes they will repent and be restored to fellowship. Galatians 6:7-8 below is the law of sowing that which you reap, and is already in place.]
[Gal 6:7-8 NKJV] 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
[Under the grace of Jesus’ sacrifice, we are no longer subject to the curses of the law. However, there comes a time when this spiritual law of sowing what you reap can be used to help an individual to turn from their ways. Paul gives an example of how this principle of letting a man sow what he reaps, is demonstrated to the church at Corinth.]
[1Co 5:1-2, 4-5 NKJV] 1 It is actually reported [that there is] sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles--that a man has his father's wife! 2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. ... 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
[So what Paul and the Church at Corinth did was to loose the curse of sin upon he who did the evil deed so that he would turn away from that sin. The passage doesn’t say, but assuming he repented, Paul then in a second letter to Corinth, instructed them to forgive the evil deed doer and restore him back to fellowship in the church.]
[2Co 2:4-8 NKJV] 4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you. 5 But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent--not to be too severe. 6 This punishment which [was inflicted] by the majority [is] sufficient for such a man, 7 so that, on the contrary, you [ought] rather to forgive and comfort [him], lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm [your] love to him.
[Although other passages talk about Satan and his demons being bound, Paul and the early church didn’t pray, “I bind Satan in the name of Jesus.” They knew the battle was already won, and that he now had the authority of Jesus in his words through the power of the Holy Spirit. He would just command that the evil spirit be quiet and to come out, and they would have to obey. He did not pray to God and ask Him to bind Satan. It is probably not wrong to do so, because it is odd to bind something Scriptures says is already bound. At may show a little unbelief because your words are not consistent with the Word. There is a potential that you could end up attributing more power to Satan and his demons than they actually have, causing you to react in fear rather than faith. For more on this authority we have over Satan see tip 49) Spiritual Warfare: We’ve Already Won!]
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