The Authority to Bind and Loose

Matthew 16:19 (CEB)

I’ll give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Anything you fasten on earth will be fastened in heaven. Anything you loosen on earth will be loosened in heaven.

In this passage, Jesus gives an astonishing gift: the authority to bind and loose. While God’s sovereignty is unshakable, this gift entrusts us with an active role in interpreting and applying His will. It’s not a call to rigidly follow instructions handed down by others but an invitation into partnership with the Holy Spirit to discern and act according to God’s purposes.

This authority reflects a balance between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. When Jesus speaks of binding and loosing, He invites us to wrestle with spiritual questions, seek God’s guidance, and make decisions that align with His heart. It’s a dynamic process that challenges us to move beyond passive faith into a living, breathing relationship with God.

Of course, this isn’t a license for subjectivity, but rather for joining in connection and responsibility. Binding and loosing are grounded in God’s truth, revealed through Scripture and confirmed in prayerful discernment. Our decisions must reflect God’s character, marked by love, justice, and mercy.

I grew up in a tradition that, in retrospect, called for blind obedience that did not tolerate much questioning. “The clear meaning of Scripture” dictated beliefs and practices, something that sounds good on the surface until you realize that someone else got to decide “the clear meaning of Scripture.” With this Scripture and others such as Matthew 18:18 and Romans 14 and 1 Peter 3:15, we see that God through Jesus’s instruction and the guidance of the Holy Spirit wants each of us to study and pray and wrestle with difficult questions.

As we embrace this calling, we discover that binding and loosing isn’t just about authority—it’s about stewardship. God trusts us to engage deeply with His Word, to ask questions, and to act in ways that bring His kingdom to earth.

What decisions or questions in your life are calling for God’s wisdom? How can you lean into the Holy Spirit’s guidance to bind and loose in ways that reflect His love and truth?

Let’s pray.

Father, in a lot of ways it would be easier if you gave us a checklist religion. In fact, many have tried to turn your Word into that. In a way, that is what the old law was, and the attempt to reduce it to a checklist demonstrated our need for something more—a relationship with you made possible by Jesus. Help us to take your direction seriously, seeking to loosen the chains of sin and bind ourselves more closely to Jesus. In the name of Christ we pray, Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Donn King.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

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First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.