Anchor My Faith

When Two or Three Are Gathered Together

Scripture: Matthew 18:18-20

In the previous lesson we saw the importance of two or three witnesses needed to establish a matter. In this lesson, that importance is taken a step further.

^{Mt 18:18} “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

As we unpack these three verses, we need to be very careful and keep our interpretation within the overall context of this section of scripture. Most of the time, due to devotional studies, one finds these verses, especially verses 19 and 20, being applied to an entirely different context. Note that the phrase “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” was used in Matthew 16:19 and relates to Jesus giving authority to Peter to admit entrance into the kingdom through preaching the gospel. It was noted when that verse was covered that the authority given to Peter then would be granted to all who preach the gospel. However, there are many pastors and teachers who, like the scribes and Pharisees, who shut the kingdom in peoples faces because they do not proclaim the true gospel.

Here in verse 18, authority is being extended to the entire community of disciples, giving them the authority, through the word of God, to declare the terms under which God forgives or refuses to forgive the sin of wayward disciples. Repeating the statement of Matthew 16:19 here indicates that Jesus did not intend to give Peter any supremacy or any exclusive right to regulate the affairs of the church, but that all the disciples had that authority.

There is some concern on the part of some that this authority does not extend beyond the original disciples, but the general consensus today is that it extends to all who are considered disciples of Jesus. This is seen in the idea of two or three coming together, with Jesus, in the context of needed discipline and agreeing about anything that should be done and it will be done. It is tempting to take verse 19 and 20 out of context and let “anything” be whatever comes to mind, but that will result in prayer not being answered and possible doubt created in the validity of God’s promises to us. There is so much false context being propagated today through the misuse of verses in devotionals that many believers have come to embrace a distorted gospel; one that more prone to tickle the ears that to challenge the heart.

Conclusion

In the context of our verses, it appears that the “anything” that two or three agree on, that God promises will then happen, pertains to settling sin issues within church membership, and not necessarily something else that comes to mind as two or three are praying together.