At the beginning of the service, I mentioned that tonight, we were going to be looking at what is perhaps the least known or understood part of the Small Catechism, which is “The Office of the Keys.” When I said that, perhaps some of you were wondering “Did Pastor Martin misplace the keys to his office already?” We have before us in the Scripture lessons and the Catechism a part of the catechism that for whatever reason over the years is either a) not covered at all or b) not taught very well. I’ve decided to break this discussion down into two basic questions, questions that perhaps some of you have as you listen to this sermon tonight: “What is the Office of the Keys?” and “What does it have to do with my life as a Christian?”
The Catechism directly answers the first one when we read the following:
“What is the Office of the Keys?” The Office of the Keys is that special authority which Christ has given to His church on earth to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they do not repent.”
Okay, so basically, it says that the church has the authority to forgive and withhold forgiveness. But wait, that kind of sounds like we’re judging right? And doesn’t the Bible say not to do that? Especially when you consider we live in a world where there are few worse things to be labeled than judgmental.
To find the answer, look at our Gospel lesson for this evening again from John 20. It’s the evening of Easter. The disciples were in a locked room, afraid of what might happen to them. And it is there that the resurrected Jesus appears to them for the first time. They see for themselves that He has indeed risen from the dead! And what does He say to them? Listen again:
Jesus said to them again “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even si O am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (v. 21-23)
Jesus gives his Apostles, that first band of followers who will lead His church, the authority to forgive and withhold forgiveness. This lines up with His instructions given for confronting a fellow believer who is wrapped up in sin in Matthew 18 when at the end of giving His instructions for reconciling with an erring brother or sister in Christ the following: “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 18:18)
This idea of binding and loosing is where we get the phrase “Office of the Keys” in that there are two keys when it comes to forgiving and retaining sins, what we call the “binding key” and the “loosing key”. Look at these keys I have here. Each one of them locks or unlocks a door or some other locked item here at the church. The same idea holds true for the binding key and the loosing key.
Basically, what the church is called to do with the Office of the Keys is to declare to people the truth of God’s Word of Law and Gospel.
When we speak God’s Word of Law, (not ours keep in mind), we are not setting ourselves up as judge and jury over others. We are merely declaring the truth about sin, and what God has to say about it. We’re not judging, we are merely the messenger telling that person what God, not us, have to say about a particular sin. In particular, if someone is caught up in it, in warning them of their sin, we simply share with them what God’s Word has to say about it. For example, if we are talking with someone about stealing their neighbor’s tools, we might say “according to the 7th commandment, we are told “you shall not steal.” Yet, you walked into your neighbor’s garage and walked out with tools that do not belong to you. If the person says “I don’t care, I wanted them, so I took them”, we would exercise the binding key, in this case, telling them “because you do not want God’s forgiveness of this sin, you do not have it.” Again, its not because we don’t want to forgive that person or we think we are somehow better than they are, or that we don’t commit the kinds of sin that they do, instead we are simply telling them what God’s Word says to those who do not want to repent of their sin. Since they reject God’s forgiveness, they don’t have it because He is not going to shove it down someone’s throat. However, because they reject God’s forgiveness, they still live in God’s judgment, not ours, for their sin in the end if they do not repent of it.
The other key, the “loosing key” is the key that speaks God’s Word of Gospel to those who are confronted with the reality of their sin, and repent of it. In the case we just used, the person who stole their neighbor’s tools says “You know what, you’re right. I coveted something that didn’t belong to me and just took it. That was wrong. That was sinful. I am sorry.” And in this case, we proclaim the Gospel to them in that we tell them “because of what Jesus Christ has done for you through His life, death, and resurrection, you are forgiven of all of your sins, especially this one you have just confessed.” In this case, we are using a loosing key to free that person with Christ’s forgiveness from the penalty that they justly deserved from God. It’s not a matter of us making that judgment, it’s speaking to them from God’s Word exactly what He says about this in light of Christ.
There are two ways that we specifically see the Office of the Keys, this work of forgiving and retaining sins, played out in the life of the Church. Most of you are accustomed to see this played out on Sunday morning when we begin our worship service. We come together, confess our sins, and then hear the Pastor speak “in the stead and by the command of Jesus Christ” that our sins are forgiven. In that case, when the Pastor uses an absolution that says “In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all of your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”, it is not me as the Pastor who is forgiving you, I am simply speaking to you what God’s Word already says. I am speaking to you “in the stead and by the command of Christ.”
But there is also what we call “private confession and absolution.” When you hear that, perhaps you don’t realize that Lutherans still retain this practice, as most of us usually put Confession into the realm of something that Roman Catholics do. In this case, if there is a particular sin that troubles you that you wish to confess, you come to your Pastor. The Catechism tells us as far as what sins to confess “Before God we should plead guilty to all sins, even those we are not aware of, as we do in the Lord’s Prayer; but before the Pastor we should confess only those sins which we know and feel in our hearts.” In other words, you don’t come to confession because you have to, you do it because you want and need assurance of forgiveness. And again, in this case, one on one, you hear the Pastor say after your confession that you are forgiven for that and for all of your sins. Jut as with public confession we practice in worship, it is not the Pastor’s forgiveness, because that doesn’t mean anything in the end, it’s Christ’s forgiveness the Pastor speaks to you as His called and ordained servant of the Word. The other thing you can be assured of when you come to your Pastor for private confession is that in their ordination vows, Pastors are charged and promise before God and the Church never to disclose the sins that are confessed to them. You are assured that what you confess stays there.
However, this idea of private confession doesn’t just apply to pastors. The fact is, individual Christians do this in their daily life. Someone does something wrong and sins against you, they come to you and ask for your forgiveness, and you do what as a Christian? You forgive them. Why? Because Christ has first forgiven you all of your sins and set you free from the punishment they deserve. So you, too, share that good news of the Gospel with others.
The whole point of the Office of the Keys is this: it is daily proclaiming in love the truth of God’s Word of Law, and God’s Word of Gospel, and specifically applying it to the daily life of the Christian. Because in the end, it is a comfort. For the times where you are wondering “have I done enough good to make up for the bad stuff I have done?”, you hear your Savior say to you “You salvation is not about what you’ve done for me. It’s all about what I have done for you. Look at my cross. Look at the empty tomb. Listen to my voice. Because of each stop I have made in my earthly life, and most especially that stop at Calvary’s cross and the empty tomb, you are assured that you are indeed forgiven of all of your sins. You are assured that I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And I love to tell you time and time again that you are forgiven!”
Dear friends, don’t lose heart of this special gift. Exercise these keys often. Remember the responsibility that goes with it. And rejoice in the fact that again this night, it is my joy and privilege as God’s called and ordained servant that He has sent here to Emmons Lutheran Church to tell you all, whatever sins you bring with you tonight that keep you awake at night, wondering if God is angry with you, whatever you’ve done that would make others think less of you, whatever sins bring you to your knees before the throne of God this night in sorrow and contrition, that they are as far as the east is from the west. That Jesus Christ has lived for you, died for you, and risen again for you. And because of that, in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I can say most certainly that you are forgiven of all of your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
