I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ
Matthew 16:19-20
So what are the 'keys to the kingdom of heaven' and what does it mean to 'loose' and to 'bind'?
Martin Luther gives great insight to this passage when he states:
"The ministry of the word belongs to all. To bind and to loose clearly is nothing else than to proclaim and to apply the Gospel.
For what is it to loose, if not to announce the forgiveness of sins before God?
What is it to bind, except to withdraw the Gospel and to declare the retention of sins?
Whether they [roman catholic church] want to or not, they must concede that the keys are the exercise of the ministry of the word and belong to all Christians."
Summary
The 'Keys' to heaven are simply to be found in the Gospel.
To 'Loose' means to proclaim the Gospel, which opens heaven so that people on earth may enter.
To 'Bind' is to withhold the Gospel. Without which no one will enter heaven and therefore it is bound.
Question
The question for us is 'whether the pattern of our life binds or loosens heaven for those around us as we hold the Gospel keys?'
Further Thought
What i find startling is that after saying this, Jesus then tells the disciples to tell no one that He is the Christ. Instructing them to, at that time, bind up heaven. For Jesus to choose moments to withhold the Gospel or make it unclear (as was His purpose in using parables) is one thing. But do you think there are times when we should hold back, and if so why?
