Fellowship The Biblical basis of Binding and loosing ( Please read rule set before posting)

[hislegacy]

Let me start with the fact I am Sola Scriptura - which means I view Scripture and only Scripture as my source of truth,

I believe beyond a doubt that Christians have the authority to cast out demons - I believe Scripture when it speaks of the acts of casting out demons.

What I have NEVER found proof of is binding demons - not in Scriptural edict nor example.

The most misused scripture is:

Some use Matt 18:18 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.​

Their error is not reading the verses before and after it and not seeing in context of what was said.

Read it in context:

Matt 18: 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.​

19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”​

21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”​

There is zero reference to demons, therefore can not be contextually supported for binding demons.

 

[hislegacy]

Another verse very often misused is:

Matt 12:29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

Once again, a simple reading of the preceding and following verses clarifies

Matt 12:22 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. 23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.​

This is NOT an instruction or command on how to bind demons - it is an explanation of the authority Jesus had because of the Holy Spirit. To accompany this explanation there is NOT ONE instance in the whole of the New Testament of anyone being instructed or actually binding the devil or demons.

There is only one reference to the devil being bound:

Rev 20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. .

 

[hislegacy]

The next step is to look at all the instance where binding in the New Testaments is mentioned and read them in context.

 

[hislegacy]

Luke 13:10 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. 12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” 13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.​

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14 But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”​

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15 The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? 16 So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” 17 And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.​

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Here we have a Biblical account concerning binding and loosing. But please note - Jesus loosed the woman from the spirit of infirmity, never addressing the spirit directly - In other words - Jesus did NOT bind a demon.

 

[hislegacy]

There are 78 references to demons in the New Testament:

BibleGateway - Keyword Search: demon​

www.biblegateway.com

Not one was bound.

There are 12 references to binding in the New Testament:

BibleGateway - Keyword Search: bind​

www.biblegateway.com

Not one has to do with demons (when read in context)

There are 11 reference to fight in the New Testament:

BibleGateway - Keyword Search: fight​

www.biblegateway.com

not one references demons

 

[hislegacy]

Let's look at another interaction with demons and Jesus.

Luke 8:26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” 29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.​

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30 Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.​

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32 Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. 33 Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.​

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NOTICE: Jesus did NOT bind the demons - He cast them out. Here would have been the perfect opportunity for Jesus to bind them and cast them into the abyss. But He didn't.

 

[hislegacy]

Here is another interesting passage, written to Christians - just like you and I.

James 4:4 Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?​

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6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:​

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“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”​

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.​

1. James does not say resist the devil and you will bind him, but states plainly - Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Flee - to run from - to escape terror. The everyday Christian, when they turn to God makes satan run away in terror.

Not bind them.

 

[hislegacy]

We also have Jesus' own words:

Mark 16:17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons;​

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Notice: ANY believer - in His Name will CAST out demons - not fight, not wrestle, not bind - cast out. That is EXACTLY what Jesus and the Apostles did through out the New Testament.

 

[hislegacy]

Gal 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.​

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19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:​

• adultery,
• fornication,
• uncleanness,
• lewdness,
• idolatry,
• sorcery,
• hatred,
• contentions,
• jealousies,
• outbursts of wrath,
• selfish ambitions,
• dissensions,
• heresies,
• envy,
• murders,
• drunkenness,
• revelries,

and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.​

My friends, it does not get any plainer than that. The above are works of the flesh - not demons, not demonic attacks.

Remember what James told us:

James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.​

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I have heard people associate demons with every one of those, they pray against them and bind them with their prayers. It doesn't work - why? It's not scriptural - you cannot bind nor cast off your flesh.

 

[hislegacy]

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, (Notation: John is speaking of spirits both from God and ones that are not), whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. (Notation: John is stating it very plainly saying), And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

We have overcome - not might be able to - not will, but have - past tense.

 

[hislegacy]

Let's take a look at a number of scriptures that show God's point of view towards us.

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.​

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Notice the tenses in these sentences;

• Who HAS blessed us
• He Chose us in Him before the foundation of the world
• having predestined us to adoption
• He made us accepted in the beloved.

And it was all according to His good pleasure.

to be continued....

 

[hislegacy]

Dan 10:12 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.​

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These verses are often times used in, (what I consider a false teaching), territorial spirits. If you read the verses before Daniel was praying for a revelation and the angel came to him and told him the above.

Things to note:

• Daniel was completely unaware of the interactions in the spirit realm.
• Daniel had no role in prayer or warfare between the angels
• It was Michael the Archangel who came to the aid of this angel.

It is an account of an event happening outside of human knowledge or intervention. There is no instruction or direction to do warfare in the heavenlies.

 

[hislegacy]

1 Cor 12:7. And lest I should be exalted above measure by theabundance of the revelations, a thorn in the fleshwas given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me,

If battling demons was scriptural-why didn’t Paul bind the messenger of Satan?

 

[jiminpa]

Binding and loosing is an easy stumbling block, because it can mean something like closing or opening a wound, imprisoning or setting free, or joining or separating things.

 

[jiminpa]

1 Cor 12:7. And lest I should be exalted above measure by theabundance of the revelations, a thorn in the fleshwas given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me,

If battling demons was scriptural-why didn’t Paul bind the messenger of Satan?

That is indicated in the context. He and God discussed it, and came to an agreement. I think that this instance is an outlier, myself.

 

[hislegacy]

That is indicated in the context. He and God discussed it, and came to an agreement. I think that this instance is an outlier, myself.

Where did Paul ever bind the demon?

There is no indication of binding in the context, only that God's Grace was sufficient. No binding

 

[jiminpa]

Where did Paul ever bind the demon?

There is no indication of binding in the context, only that God's Grace was sufficient. No binding

I'm not saying that he bound them. I am saying that him not casting them away was by an agreement that he had with the Holy Spirit. That's me being used to having to argue with cessationists who think they win the internet by pointing out Paul's thorn in the flesh.

 

[hislegacy]

I'm not saying that he bound them. I am saying that him not casting them away was by an agreement that he had with the Holy Spirit. That's me being used to having to argue with cessationists who think they win the internet by pointing out Paul's thorn in the flesh.

different topic - this one is about binding demons

 

[shadowhunter]

Just a thought. If Satan flees when you merely resist him. And if the demons are less than Satan. Just resist them too. Cheers.

 

[ByTheSpirit]

Just a thought. If Satan flees when you merely resist him. And if the demons are less than Satan. Just resist them too. Cheers.

I'm not entirely sure that's what the OP is talking about