Results 1 - 2 of 2
|
|
|||||
Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Binding and Loosing power over darkness? | Matt 18:18 | kalos | 10204 | ||
No, it does not. The notion that people can order Satan about when they can't even get their kids to do what they tell them is truly astonishing. "Nowhere does Scripture state that believers have authority over Satan himself." STATEMENT DA082 The Bondage Maker: Examining the Message and Method of Neil T. Anderson (Part Two: Spiritual Warfare And The “Truth Encounter”) by Elliot Miller "OVERSTATING THE BELIEVER’S AUTHORITY Anderson’s entire approach to spiritual warfare is based on the authority of the believer over the devil. This is manifest particularly in his emphasis on “binding and loosing”: "[Anderson writes:] God has granted us the authority to “bind what shall be bound in heaven” (Matthew 16:19; 18:18). In other words, we have the spiritual capacity to discern God’s will and then, confident in the finished work of Christ, proclaim it in the spiritual realm. We have authority over demons as long as we remain strong in the Lord and operate in His strength (see Ephesians 6:l0)....The effectiveness of binding the strongman (see Matthew 12:20 [sic]) is dependent upon the leading of the Holy Spirit and subject to the scope and limits of the written Word of God.’ "In his instruction on how to help others find freedom in Christ, Anderson writes that the goal: "is to avoid all demonic activity which would short-circuit their ability to participate in the process. With this in mind, I usually begin the steps to freedom with a prayer similar to this: Dear heavenly Father....I take my position with Christ, seated with Him in the heavenlies. Because all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. I now claim that authority over all enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ in and around this room and especially (name). You have told us that where two or three are gathered in Your name You are in our midst, and that whatever is bound on earth is bound in heaven. We agree that every evil spirit that is in or around (name) be bound to silence. They cannot inflict any pain, speak to (names)’s mind, or prevent (names) from hearing, seeing, or speaking. Now in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I command you, Satan, and all your hosts to release (names) and remain bound and gagged so that (names) will be able to obey God. "[Elliot Miller (CRI) writes:] The biblical evidence suggesting that believers have been given direct authority over the demonic realm is scantier than is usually supposed. Anderson applies Matthew 12:29 (“first binds the strong man”) to believers, when it is obvious from the preceding seven verses that Jesus was referring to Himself alone. Matthew 18:18 (“bind” and “loose”) refers to church discipline, not spiritual warfare, as the larger context makes entirely clear, Anderson uses Ephesians 1:18-21 (Christ is seated above all authorities and powers) combined with Ephesians 2:5-6 (believers are seated with Him) as proof of the believer’s authority over the devil. But rather than dealing with spiritual warfare, these passages speak of Christ’s exaltation by the Father and the believer’s acceptance and exaltation before the Father in Christ.” One should therefore be careful not to infer too much from them. "Nowhere does Scripture state that believers have authority over Satan himself. Those biblical passages that do speak of believers’ authority over the demonic realm apply strictly to driving demons out of lost human beings (Matt. 10:1; Mark 6:7; Luke 10:19; Acts 8:7). They are never applied to pastoral counseling or the believer’s personal battle with the devil. "This does not mean Christians must accept defeat in spiritual warfare. Scripture clearly teaches that Jesus has won the victory over the devil and all authority has been given to Him (Matt. 28:18; Eph. 1:20-22; Col. 2:15; 1 Pet. 3:22; etc.). While believers do not have the prerogative to say, “I command you, Satan (to do this or not do that),” Jesus does. Believers are indeed positionally seated with Him in heavenly places and are thus made partakers in His victory. They therefore can be confident that if they resist the devil, he will flee from them (James 4:7)" (http://www.equip.org/search/). This article first appeared in the Summer 1998 issue of the Christian Research Journal. |
||||||
2 | Binding and Loosing power over darkness? | Matt 18:18 | Makarios | 10214 | ||
Dear JVH0212, EdB, Appleseed and Steve... When I stated that I 'agreed that we have authority over satan', I was flat out wrong. The well written posts by Steve and JVH0212 are correct here.. I will explain more upon my return to the Forum tomorrow. As for the rest of tonight, I'm taking a good rest, since I was so 'fatigued' as to write this kind of 'over-zealous' response.. :) Signing off for now, Nolan |
||||||