Binding Demons

Q: I hear much from some Christian authors and broadcasters about “binding demons.” Are there Scriptures that give us the power through Jesus Christ to do this? I tried to find references to “binding” and like-meaning words using the Bible, but only Matthew 16:18-19 seemed to get close to the issue.

A: There are some mentions of the demons being placed under the authority of the disciples, such as when Jesus sends out the seventy, but we don’t know the duration of that promise — it may have been just for that time. Individual pastors may be called upon by their own flocks for help in specific cases where, perhaps, an exorcism must take place. We do know that Satan himself is “bound” by the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ — although he is still a dangerous foe.

Matthew 16, however, does not talk about the binding of demons. Here, instead, we have part of the Office of the Ministry, which Christ was at that time forming and instituting among the Twelve. The binding and loosing is that of sins, according to whether or not they are confessed and forgiven.

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Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book What Do Lutherans Believe.