What Does “Binding and Loosing” Mean?

In Matthew 16:19, Jesus told the apostle Peter, “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” He repeated these instructions about “binding and loosing” in Matthew 18:18. What do these verses mean? Are Christians supposed to be binding and loosing something, and, if so, what? Dr. David K. Bernard examines these passages in their biblical conte...