“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. 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.” (Matthew 18:15-18 KJV)
If someone hurts you, or does something wrong against you, go to him or her first in order to work things out. In doing so, you may become friends, as the person sincerely apologizes and forgiveness is wrought. If someone has hurt you, like by having an affair with your spouse, and refuses to apologize, you can bring additional witnesses. It is important to have witnesses to the crime in regard to church and legal matters. Ignoring the advice of elders or pastors can result in a person being excommunicated or disfellowshipped. They have chosen to be disrespectful towards God and His church. This leads to binding things on earth, where they are bound in heaven. They also loose things on earth as it is loosed in heaven. So the question is. What does bind and loose mean? Mormons believe that “to bind” is “to seal”. Therefore, they do marriage sealings in their temples that are also sealed in heaven. However, let’s see if these people are right when looking at Matthew 18:18, Amplified version.
“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth [a]shall have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth [b]shall have [already] been loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18 AMP)
According to the Amplified Version of the Bible, the disciples had the authority to forbid sinful and unlawful practices on earth. They also had the authority to declare things as improper and unlawful in heaven. The same goes for them loosing things on earth. They allowed various things, all the while proclaiming certain things as permissible. Heaven also declares this. This goes along with what we read above in Matthew, in regard to someone sinning against us and not repenting. These wicked practices are then forbidden in the church. And the right things to do, with regard to people sinning against us, is also declared for people to know about in the church. Does this have anything to do with marriage sealings? Absolutely not. Jesus already declared that “in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” (Matthew 22:30) Therefore, there is no marriage in heaven. Do you believe what Jesus said? I hope so. Otherwise, you are in wrong standing before God. Amen.
