Bound in Heaven

In giving directions how to deal with one who has committed a trespass (Matthew 18:10-18), the Saviour said, “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Does this mean that God pledges Himself to be bound by any decision that any company of men calling themselves His church may make?—Certainly not. Nothing that is done on earth can change God’s will. The history of the church, as we have it for nearly eighteen hundred years, is a record of mistakes and errors, of self-aggrandizement, and of putting self in the place of God. Who can read the history of the councils of the church, and say that God was in any of them, or that He either prompted or sanctioned any of their decrees?GTI 237.2

What, then, did Christ mean?—Just what He said. His instruction shows that He meant that the church should be spiritual,—filled with the spirit of meekness,—and that every one who spoke should “speak as the oracles of God.” Only the Word of Christ should be in the heart and mouth of all who deal with a trespasser. When this is the case, it follows, since God’s Word is settled forever in heaven, that whatever is bound on earth must necessarily be bound in heaven. But this will not be the case unless the Scriptures are strictly followed in letter and in spirit.GTI 237.3