The Myth that is “Binding Satan”

For the past three weeks, I have been analyzing three errors that Christians make in prayer (scroll down the blog page to view my archived blogs). This week I shall discuss the customary Charismatic habit of “rebuking” or “binding” Satan.

Occasionally, believers will utter the phrase “I bind you, Satan, in the name of Jesus!” in their prayers. Binding Satan is a common practice among Charismatic Christians whose aim is to maintain spiritual purity and protect individuals from evil forces. In spite of this, although it has been advocated by some in the faith community, the practice has no basis in Scripture. It is actually a departure from sound Scriptural teaching. The truth of the matter is that there is no biblical example of binding Satan, nor is there a biblical directive to do so. The Bible teaches that Satan roams free as the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). He will eventually be bound by an angel, not a human, during the millennial reign of Christ (Revelation 20:1–3).

The seventy two disciples

One text in Scripture that Charismatics use to legitimize this heresy is found in Luke 10:18–19. The context of these two verses is the occasion on which Jesus sent 72 of His disciples on an evangelistic mission. The first verse in the chapter says: “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.” These seventy two disciples returned “with great joy” from a successful mission thick with miracles of all varieties. Christ’s reaction is found in Luke 10:18–19.

“He [Jesus] replied, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.’”

These seventy-two disciples were sent to proclaim the Gospel. In verse 9, Jesus instructs them: “Heal the sick in it and say to them, the kingdom of God has come near to you.” They weren’t going around “binding Satan.” They were simply proclaiming Christ’s message. As a result of that proclaimed message, Jesus observed the dethroning of Satan in the spiritual realm. The context is self-explanatory. The authority that Jesus says we have to “trample snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy” is simply the Gospel. It is the Gospel that has the power to overcome Satan. Consider the following examples from the Bible:

1. The message of the Gospel has the power to soften hardened hearts. “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?‘” – Acts 2:37 (ESV).
   2. The message of the Gospel has the power to grow the church. “But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand” – Acts 4:4 (ESV).
   3. The Gospel message has the power to destroy works of witchcraft. “And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily” – Acts 19:19-20 (ESV).

No wonder the Apostle Paul wrote: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” – Romans 1:16 (NIV). Through obedience to the Gospel, we are able to trample over snakes and scorpions and overcome all the power of the enemy. Although the disciples were empowered to cast out demons, they never bound Satan. Along with their many miraculous feats, the disciples seemed to understand that only God had the power to bind Satan and his demons. Nowhere in the Bible does it say we can bind Satan. Likewise, there aren’t any places in Scripture where we are told to converse with Satan and his demons. Through our obedience to God’s Word, we have the ability to defeat Satan’s work in our lives.

Archangel Michael’s example

Second, Jude 9 conveys a caution against speaking to celestial entities.

“But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’” – Jude 1:9 (NIV).

In this verse, the archangel Michael is used as an illustration of how humble and circumspect we ought to be when engaging with celestial beings, both holy and unclean. What this argument was really all about is unknown. We similarly aren’t sure if it was a verbal argument and/or a physical struggle for the possession of Moses’ corpse. What we do know is what Jude warned his audience NOT to do when interacting with celestial beings: appear arrogant and bossy. Michael, despite being a powerful celestial being himself, is here seen looking up to God for aid in his confrontation with Satan. This pure archangel, who stood in the presence of God Himself, displayed a humility that thoroughly contrasts with the arrogance of Charismatic Christians. Let’s remember this lesson on humility and submission and refrain from acting outside our capacity by attempting to rebuke and bind Satan.

Interestingly, if we were to read this verse in its context, we would discover that Jude is discussing the pertinent topic of false teachers. In Jude 1:3–4, he writes:

“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (NIV).

In verse 8, he lists this “rebuking and binding Satan” performance as a pronounced trait of these false teachers:

“Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones” (ESV).

Charismatic chaos

True to Jude’s warning, this heretical practice has birthed a ghoulish focus on Satan and his demons in contemporary Christian churches. One of Satan’s favourite’s schemes is to draw attention away from Christ and toward the demonic realm. The amount of attention given by charismatic Christians to the supernatural activities of angels—both good and bad—is far out of proportion compared to how it appears in God’s Word. Some churches place an inordinate amount of emphasis on satanic activity. This frequently results from an emphasis on experience rather than on the work of Christ on the cross. Less emphasis is placed on the atoning act of Jesus Christ in favour of topical sermons on angels, devils, and miraculous events. Expository biblical teaching is nearly nonexistent. Mystical, subjective experiences are preferred over solid theological guidance from God’s Word. Theology is now done via our emotions rather than our brains. In the midst of all this chaos, the operation of rebuking and binding Satan features prominently.

If we subscribe to this fallacy of binding Satan, we will believe that he has been rendered powerless, and will be totally unprepared for his assaults. If we think that our prayers can bind Satan, we will increasingly favour combating him instead of confessing our sins to God whenever we suffer the consequences of our sin. No wonder there are church-attending Christians who live out sinful lifestyles while fervently binding Satan!

The cross

Colossians 2:14–15 teaches us that Christ’s ministry, particularly what He achieved on the cross, rendered Satan powerless.

“Having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (NIV).

Satanic elements were fundamentally conquered at the cross of Christ where Jesus expiated all of our sins. Satan no longer has the power to harass someone whose faith is in Jesus. The deeds of Jesus on the cross legally bound Satan!

The Scriptures further teach that there will come a time when Satan will literally be bound.

“And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years” – Revelation 20:1-2 (NIV).

Satan will be literally bound by an angel for 1,000 years before being set free for a little while prior to being cast into the lake of fire for all eternity. This will happen at a future date. Prior to that, Satan remains free. Indeed, the Scriptures testify to Satan’s liberty: “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” – 1 John 5:19, (ESV). No amount of our binding him will change this fact.

A formidable foe

Make no mistake: Satan is a formidable foe. Martin Luther, in 1529, wrote the hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” in which he sang:

For still our ancient foe

Does seek to work us woe;

His craft and power are great,

And armed with cruel hate,

On earth is not his equal.

Luther then makes mention of man’s relatively puny power and points to Jesus as the only One Who can defeat Satan:

Did we in our own strength confide,

Our striving would be losing,

Were not the right Man on our side,

The Man of God’s own choosing.

You ask who that may be?

Christ Jesus, it is he;

Lord Sabaoth his name,

From age to age the same;

And he must win the battle.

Many theologians believe that the “Levithian” mentioned in Job 41:1–10 is actually Satan himself. Listen to God’s words to Job when describing Satan:

Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook or tie down its tongue with a rope? Can you put a cord through its nose or pierce its jaw with a hook? Will it keep begging you for mercy? Will it speak to you with gentle words?

Will it make an agreement with you for you to take it as your slave for life? Can you make a pet of it like a bird or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?

Will traders barter for it? Will they divide it up among the merchants? Can you fill its hide with harpoons or its head with fishing spears? If you lay a hand on it, you will remember the struggle and never do it again! Any hope of subduing it is false; the mere sight of it is overpowering. No one is fierce enough to rouse it. Who then is able to stand against me? – Job 41:1-10.

The Devil, who is a powerful and wicked force of evil, is so strong and malevolent that only the almighty power of Jehovah God can effectively contain him. And the Bible does make mention of God binding fallen angels in Jude 1:6 and II Peter 2:4 both mention it. God has chained these entities and is keeping them in confinement until the Day of Judgment. 

“And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day” – Jude 1:6 (NIV).

“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment” – 2 Peter 2:4 (NIV).

Common sense

Let’s apply a little common sense to this matter. Why would we need God’s armor described in Ephesians 6:10–20 if we can just command Satan to be bound? We are instructed to put on this armour so that we “may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” Ephesians 6:11, (ESV). James says, “Submit therefore to God: resist the Devil, and he will flee from you” – James 4:7, (NIV). Notice that Satan is not restrained; hence, he’s able to run away.

Again, let’s think sensibly. If we did possess the ability to bind Satan, he would be permanently restrained and would not be heard from or seen again. The truth is that Satan and his demons are constantly bound in every Christian gathering on the planet. As Evangelist Justin Peters puts it, wouldn’t it make better sense to find out who sets loose Satan every time he’s bound and bind him first before binding Satan?

Conclusion

Binding or rebuking Satan is an unbiblical act that emanates from the flesh’s desire to appear devoted and strong. We are instructed as Christians to “resist the devil,” but never to bind him. The late Pastor Ray Stedman once wrote: “After pastoring for forty years I can state unequivocally that the most common cause of spiritual weakness in a Christian (or a church) is a failure to recognize the flesh in its disguise of religious zeal. Like Peter flashing a sword in Gethsemane the fleshly Christian thinks he is doing God’s will and fighting God’s battles for him.”

Satan cannot be bound by humankind. We have not been granted such power. In our encounters with satanic forces, we are called to persevere, hold tight to our faith, and completely depend on God. In our prayers, we all have a tendency to repeat concepts and behaviors that we have observed or heard used by other Christians. We need to be careful about participating in any church-related institution or activity that is not explicitly affirmed in God’s Word. Any religious practice that is not Biblically upheld should be carefully examined and questioned before engaging in it as it could potentially lead to a violation of our commitment to God.