What is the context?
The shepherd's search for a stray is followed by instructions about a brother who sins. Jesus begins with a private conversation, aiming to win the brother over. If he will not listen, one or two others come along; if he still refuses, the matter goes before the church. Continued refusal changes how the community relates to him.
The witnesses come from Deuteronomy 19:15, where a charge must be established by more than one person's testimony. The surrounding law also requires careful investigation of false accusations. Jesus' instructions give a path for addressing sin with the aim of gaining a brother.
Church here is ἐκκλησία, ekklēsia (ek-klay-SEE-ah), an assembly or gathered community. Thayer's entry includes this verse among its uses for a local company of Christ's followers. The matter is brought to people who share life together.
Jesus connects the decisions described as binding and loosing with heaven, then speaks about agreement in asking and His presence among two or three gathered in His name. These sayings follow the steps involving witnesses and the community. Peter's question about forgiveness in verse 21 continues the concern with restoring relationships.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Christians commonly understand the process as correction that seeks restoration, with exclusion from fellowship as the final step when someone refuses to listen. Traditions differ over how the church exercises the authority Jesus describes.
The Catholic Church connects binding and loosing with the apostles' authority to reconcile sinners with both God and the Church, expressed in the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (Catechism, 1440–1449). The Reformed Westminster Confession, chapter 30, assigns church officers responsibility for correction, suspension, and exclusion, with bringing the person back among its purposes. The 1689 Baptist Confession, 26.7–8, places authority for worship and discipline in each gathered church, with its officers and members.
There is also a difference over the reach of verses 19–20. Some readers keep them closely within the work of correction and restoration. Wesley on 18:18–20 extends them to united prayer and worship more generally, and the US Catholic bishops' notes on 18:19–20 likewise favor a broader prayer setting. These are readings of the passage, rather than a single interpretation shared by every Christian.
Where does this fit in God's plan?
The work of restoration continues in the life of the church. Galatians 6:1–2 directs believers to restore someone caught in sin gently, watching themselves and carrying one another's burdens. Helping a brother return requires humility from those doing the helping.
2 Corinthians 2:5–11 shows the other side of correction: Paul urges the community to forgive, comfort, and reaffirm love when punishment has been sufficient, so the person is not overwhelmed by sorrow. Together these passages show how care for the flock includes both taking sin seriously and making room for restoration.
What is our position?
Prayer and Faith reads these verses within Jesus' instructions about church discipline and restoration. The two-or-three language belongs to the witnesses and the gathered community seeking to act faithfully in His name. His presence supports that work.
The study therefore understands verses 19–20 as assurance within that setting. Agreement between people does not turn their wishes into God's will or provide a formula for guaranteed prayer results. The fuller reasoning appears in Prayer and Faith.