Part 1 - Should We Today Pray To ‘Bind Evil Spirits’?

This Article is part of a multi-part Study Series called Should Believers Today Pray to ‘Bind Spirits’ and ‘Cast out Devils?.

This practice of praying to ‘Bind Evil Spirits’ is associated with Charismatic and Pentecostal groups. “Pentecostal” refers to the denomination, whereas “Charismatic” applies to other denominations or groups that adopt some Pentecostal ideas and behaviors.

Despite what such individuals tell us, there are several reasons why ‘praying to bind evil spirits’ is;

  • not Christian at all and,
  • totally unnecessary for us today during the dispensational age of “the grace of God.”

Chiefly, while plentiful and varied, these prayers for binding evil spirits are often repetitious mantras in and of themselves. For example, the phrase “in the name of Jesus Christ” may be uttered over and over in a single prayer. Other words may be attached to this, and they are, in turn, repeated over and over as well. Read the following lines excerpted from actual such prayers: “In the name of Jesus Christ and by the merits of His precious blood, …” and “In the name of Jesus Christ I forbid and bind all evil spirits from manifesting.” These expressions can appear numerous times in one prayer.

Praying to bind evil spirits is basically reading a chant or reciting a mantra. This mindless practice, like praying the Roman Catholic rosary, is rooted in Oriental or Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. Such “vain repetitions” are found among people under Satan’s control. According to the Lord Himself, it is a “heathen” practice that has nothing to do with the God of the Bible. Jesus said;

“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking [many repeated words]. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him” (Matthew 6:7-8).

Prayers to bind evil spirits are nothing but an occult practice!

Someone might immediately respond to this saying; “But, what about Jesus speaking of ‘binding’ and ‘loosing?’ Did He not talk about ‘binding the strong man?!’” They site two primary Bible passages are therefore offered—Matt. 16:19 (parallel Matt. 18:18) and Matt. 12:29 (parallel Mark 3:27).

Let’s examine these ‘proof texts’ now and shed light on them in the context of dispensational truth for today.

Binding and Loosing (Matt. 16:19; Matt. 18:18):

Matthew 16:19 is directed to the Apostle Peter only:

“And I will give unto thee [singular, Peter] 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.”

Matthew 18:18 is directed to all 12 Apostles:

“Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye [plural, the Twelve Apostles] shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

This matter of “binding and loosing” is the Lord Jesus Christ imparting His authority to His 12 Apostles so they can act in His absence. Since He is leaving and returning to His (their) Heavenly Father, He grants them the ability to make decisions in His stead. He said the Holy Spirit would come “upon” them as occurred in in Acts 2, enabling them to carry on the work of the ministry by preaching “the gospel of the kingdom” until Christ returns for them. They were to continue what Christ started in His coming only “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” preaching “the gospel of the Kingdom” only to Israel.

“But he [Jesus] answered and said, I am not sent but [except] unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Matthew 15:24 (KJV)

Thus, Jesus commanded; These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Matthew 10:5-6 (KJV)

Now it is important to note and realize what the 12 Apostles did use their apostolic authority in the Acts 15 Jerusalem Council meeting with Paul. In that meeting Peter and John, along with James (not John’s brother, for that James was executed in Acts 12:2, whereas this James is an elder in the Jerusalem church), loosed themselves from the Lord’s so-called “Great Commission” for Israel’s 12 Apostles to go into all the world and “teach all  nations [races]” as seen of Matt. 28:19. With that, they divided their Jew and Gentile ministries that they had been given now giving the Gentile world’s ministry over to the Apostles Paul and Barnabas.

Matthew 28 famously records Jesus original commission for the Twelve Apostles, but later this was negated in the Acts 15 Jerusalem council meeting.

“[19] Go ye [the Twelve Apostles] therefore, and teach all nations [Gk. ethnos, the Gentiles], baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

This above was Jesus’ original instructions for Peter and the 11 other Apostles, to be carried out as the latter part of the Luke 24:47 and Acts 1:8 component of the so-called “Great Commission.” Interestingly, we should know from Jesus words that He also told The Twelve they would not get beyond the cities of Israel in their ministry of the Great Commission before He returns... and the twelve never yet did, but they will in the Tribulation period. In a moment it will become clearer as to why they did not go beyond Israel.

“But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye [the 12 Apostles] shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come [returns].” Matthew 10:23 (KJV)

But God’s plan called for a change in the “Great Commission” as seen in Luke’s record of the Jerusalem Council Conference meeting in Acts 15, where Paul had explained his new grace gospel to the Jerusalem Messianic church leaders, which he had been preaching to the Gentiles. Here below is Paul’s account of that meeting as seen in Galatians 2:6-9.

“[6] But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me: [7] But contrariwise [as opposites], when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision [Gentiles] was committed unto me [Paul, as the gospel of the circumcision [Israel] was unto Peter; [8] (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision [Israel], the same was mighty in me [Paul] toward the Gentiles: )

The outcome decision of the Jerusalem council meeting of Acts 15 is seen here in verse 9:

And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we [Paul and Barnabas] should go unto the heathen [Gk. ethnos, Gentiles], and they [the Twelve] unto the circumcision [Israel only].”

Verse 9 of Galatians 2 could not be clearer. Peter, James, and John used their apostolic authority to ‘bind and loose,’ which that Jesus Christ personally gave them (cf. Matt. 18:19-20) and, … they endorsed the ministry of the Apostles Paul and Barnabas to go to all lost men as Gentiles. All five men agreed to the following conditions: Peter, James, and John would restrict their ministry to and remain with redeemed Israel (the “circumcision,” the “Little Flock” of Luke 12:32, that is the Messianic Church of Matt. 16:16-18, whereas Paul and Barnabas would minister Paul’s “gospel of the grace of God” to the rest of the world, that is to lost [unbelieving] Jews and lost Gentiles.”

So, Paul’s ministry included all lost Jews and all lost Gentiles.

  • Thus, if we thus desire to learn God’s words to us Gentiles (non-Jews), we do not—as Christendom today so often does—consult the Books of Matthew through John, or the Apostle Peter’s sermons in Acts, or John in his Gospel Record or little epistles.
  • Instead, we must read Paul’s writings, Romans through Philemon in order to get our information concerning “the church, the body of Christ” today. In Paul’s 13 epistles, we find not one reference to “binding and loosing” anything during this age of “the Dispensation of the Grace of God” (Eph. 3:1-2).

While we as grace believers are Christ’s “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Cor. 5:20) while ye on earth, never once are we granted such apostolic authority as the Twelve had. The ‘binding and loosing’ of Matthew 16:19 and 18:18 concerns only the 12 Apostles of Israel exercising their apostolic authority on Earth during that early Acts period. The instructions they received from Jesus of Nazareth and the authority He vested in them at that time is completely unrelated to us today.

We must “study… rightly dividing… the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), ever mindful of the dispensational boundaries and ministry boundaries of Acts 15 as seen in the Holy Bible!