KEYS TO THE KINGDOM-BINDING AND LOOSING
PART 2 OF A 2 PART SERIES
MATTHEW 16: 18-19
FOCAL POINT: THE INTENT OF THIS STUDY IS TO ADDRESS BINDING AND LOOSING.
EXPOSITION:
MATTHEW 16: 19
YOU MUST UNDERSTAND SCRIPTURE IN CONTEXT YOU MUST ASK WHO, WHAT, WHEN AND WHY. SCRIPTURE TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT CAN LEAD TO ERROR.
CERTAINLY, CHRIST SAW GREAT POTENTIAL IN PETER EVEN THOUGH PETER DENIED CHRIST (REF: MATTHEW 26:34).
TRULY, CHRIST GAVE THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM TO THE APOSTLE PETER. CHRIST USED A METAPHOR THE NEW WEBSTER’S DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEFINES THE MEANING OF A METAPHOR AS “A FIGURE OF SPEECH IN WHICH A TERM OR PHRASE IS APPLIED TO SOMETHING TO WHICH IS NOT LITERALLY APPLICABLE IN ORDER TO SEE A RESEMBLANCE”. AN EXAMPLE MIGHT BE “SHE IS THE FLOWER OF MY LIFE”.
NOTE THAT CHRIST WAS THE ONE WHO POSSESSED AND HAD THE AUTHORITY TO PASS THE KEYS ON TO PETER. THESE WERE NOT LITERAL KEYS.
THE KEYS, TRANSFERRED TO PETER, GAVE HIM THE POWER AND AUTHORITY TO OPEN THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST NOT ONLY TO THE JEWS BUT ALSO TO THE GENTILES. TO THE JEWS THIS TRANSPIRED ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST, ACTS CHAPTER 2. THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST WAS OPENED TO A GENTILE (NON-JEW) IN THE HOUSEHOLD OF CORNELIUS; A ROMAN, RECORDED IN ACTS 10: 34-48
UNDERSTANDING THE TERM “BIND AND LOOSE, (MENTIONED IN MATTHEW 16:19 AND MATTHEW 18:18), MUST NOW BE READ AND UNDERSTOOD IN CONTEXT TO THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM. THIS IS PERHAPS ONE OF THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD SCRIPTURES IN THE WORD. THE TWO TERMS RELATE TO A JEWISH, LEGAL CONCEPT. IT SPOKE PRIMARILY OF WHAT IS PERMITTED OR NOT PERMITTED. A JEWISH AUDIENCE WOULD RELATE TO THE TERMS MORE THAN A GENTILE AUDIENCE.
IT MUST BE UNDERSTOOD THAT PETER DID NOT HAVE THE APOSTOLIC POWER TO DETERMINE THE ETERNAL DESTINY OF ANYONE. THAT AUTHORITY LIES IN THE HAND OF JESUS (REF: REVELATION: 1:18). JESUS HAS THE KEYS! MATTHEW 28: 19:20 (GREAT COMMISSION) APPLIES TO ALL DISCIPLES OF CHRIST. WHEN THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST IS PREACHED AND A PERSON ACCEPTS THAT GOSPEL HE IS “LOOSED” FROM HIS SINFUL NATURE. WHEN A PERSON HEARS AND REJECTS THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST HE IS “BOUND” UP IN HIS SINFUL NATURE AND IS IN DANGER OF HELL!
APPLICATION: BELIEVER, YOU MUST TAKE MATTHEW 28: 19-20 SERIOUSLY. PEOPLE CAN BE “LOOSED” FROM THEIR SIN BY YOUR WITNESS.
REF: BIBLICAL THEOLOGY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT BY ROY ZUCK, STRONG’S LEXICON, DR. CONSTABLE’S NOTES ON MATTHEW, HOLMAN BIBLE DICTIONARY, INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BIBLE ENCYCLOPEDIA, BIBLE ANSWERS TO ALMOST ALL YOUR QUESTIONS BY ELMER TOWNS, BLUELETTERBIBLE.ORG,
