Being Bound in the Spirit

In Acts 20: 22 it is reported that Paul said: “And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there….” I want to focus on the phrase “bound in the spirit.” What was Paul telling us? The word “bound” is a participle perfect passive nominative masculine singular verb. The meaning is that of being bound up or tied together. Paul is telling us that he was so connected to the Holy Spirit that he considered himself tied together with Him. What an incredible place to be. It is interesting to note that the verb is in the perfect passive; this means that that there was a past action that was affecting the present which action was received by Paul. Paul did not do the tying himself; the tying was done by someone other than Paul and he merely received the action. The Holy Spirit was the one that did the tying. This eliminates any consideration that Paul accomplished this state through his own works.

Although the work was done by the Holy Spirit, it was done on a willing heart that had surrendered his all to God. Paul had traveled to a place of consecration that he desired to be bound. Is this your testimony? Do you desire to be bound? Or would you prefer “Christianity Lite?” The “lite” version wants a Gospel without sacrifice; a walk of convenience and lots of blessings, i.e. money and prosperity. The true Gospel requires one to be ready to suffer for its sake. This is being bound; this is the walk that we are to have.

How do we get bound? Romans 12:1-2 tells us to present ourselves: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” The Brethren NT Commentary says of this verse: “Under the law sacrifices were made by offering the dead bodies of beasts as temporary atonements, until Christ, the Lamb of God, should come and be slain as the Great Sacrifice, to whom all the sacrifices of the law pointed. But now, in contrast with the sacrifices made under the law of Moses, God's people must offer their own bodies instead of the bodies of beasts. Their bodies must be living physically, and alive to God spiritually, and wholly dead to the world and Satan.” What I want you to notice is that there is no separation in Paul’s thought between our inner person and external actions. Too many today blame their moral failures on their flesh as if it was somehow an acceptable excuse. There is an attempt to separate what one is from what one does. This is partly Gnostic thought which is prevalent in the American church today. I remember years ago a television show “The Flip Wilson Show.” He would say, “The devil made me do it.” The truth is that people do what they want to at the time the act is performed. One will follow their strongest motivation at the given moment. I want to lose weight; I want an extra piece of cake. What happens next depends on which motivation rules at the moment. Do I desire to lose weight more than I desire the cake?

Paul is letting us know that if we keep our bodies on the altar as a living sacrifice, He will bind us to the Holy Spirit. This is to be our heart felt cry: “God, bind us to You.” Are you ready to be bound?