What Has Been Bound and Loosed

In previous lessons, we have discussed several matters pertaining to hermeneutics and Bible authority. In this lesson, we are going to talk about what has been bound and loosed. This is about what is REQUIRED and what is merely PERMITTED. What is the difference? And what does this mean for churches and individual Christians?

Bound: What We Must Do

• “Whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven” (Matthew 16:19) – Peter and the apostles were delivering commands from heaven (Matthew 28:20; 2 Peter 3:2); they were teaching God’s people what was required of them
• The church MUST teach a certain doctrine – the gospel (Mark 16:15); [discussed this in lesson on generic and specific authority]
• The church MUST worship a certain way – sing, pray, preach, Lord’s Supper, giving; [discussed this in lesson on the New Testament pattern]
• The church MUST be engaged in certain works – evangelism (1 Timothy 3:15), edification (Ephesians 4:16), and limited benevolence (1 Corinthians 16:1)

Loosed: What We Are Permitted to Do

• “Whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19) – this does not include those things which have been bound (those are not optional); they are not things that can be bound (make them into a requirement that God did not make)
• Generic authority [discussed in lesson linked above] – there are options available to us to carry out God’s commands; in carrying out the command for evangelism, we may use tracts, radio, internet, gospel meetings, door-knocking, etc.
• Individual liberty – things that I am permitted to do, but are not required by God; brethren may have different opinions, but God has not legislated (Romans 14:1-6); we have to respect the consciences of others (1 Corinthians 8:4-9)

Causes of Confusion

• Loosing where God has bound – we permit something different from what God instructed; this goes against the principle of specific authority (cf. Hebrews 7:11-14)
  • Example: instrumental music in worship – man permitted this in the church, not God (Colossians 3:16-17)
• Binding where God has loosed – we make additional rules that God never made; we have no right to elevate our words to the same level as God’s (Matthew 15:8-9)
  • Example: one loaf and one cup for the Lord’s Supper – we must have some means to distribute it (cf. Acts 2:41-42)
• Role of the conscience – our conscience helps protect us from sin (Hebrews 5:14), unless it has been damaged (1 Timothy 4:2)
  • We must not violate our conscience (Romans 14:23) – do what we believe is wrong; same effect as the sin that sears our conscience
  • We must not cause others to violate their conscience (1 Corinthians 8:9-13) – this could ruin them
• Matters of conscience pertain to the individual, not to the church – individuals have diversity of opinions (Romans 14:2-3, 5); churches have uniformity of doctrine and practice (1 Corinthians 4:17; 1:10; cf. Romans 14:19-22)

Conclusion

• Properly interpretting the Bible means differentiating between what God REQUIRES and ALLOWS – that which has been bound, we MUST do (not optional); that which has been loosed, we MAY do (but must not make it a requirement)
• Ultimately, the Lord has all authority, so all we do must be in harmony with His will – we determine His will by going to the Scriptures and properly interpretting them