Keys to the kingdom of heaven

[JaredR]

I know that the keys of heaven were entrusted to St. Peter, and I know that the keys are just a symbol. I was wondering, though, if the “keys” are still with St. Peter or if the pope inherits them/this authority every time he assumes his pontificate.

 

[Abu]

Jesus of Nazareth gave the Keys of the Kingdom of heaven to St Peter and his successors:

All four promises to Peter alone:

“You are Peter and on this rock I will build My Church.” (Mt 16:18)

“The gates of hell will not prevail against it.”(Mt 16:18)

I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven." ( Mt 16:19)

“Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven.” (Mt 16:19)

Sole authority to Peter:
“Strengthen your brethren.” (Lk 22:32)
“Feed My sheep.”(Jn 21:17).

From the N.T. we know that Christ promised that His Church would last until the end of time, which would mean the constitutional permanence of the office of head of His Church which He had bestowed on Peter alone. (Mt 16:18). Early Church history, e.g. St Irenaeus, taught by St Polycarp who had been a disciple of St John the Apostle, wrote in his great work Adversus Haereses in Bk 3, Sect 2 “The blessed Apostles, after founding and building up the Church (in Rome), handed over to Linus the office of Bishop.”

 

[Reuben_J]

I know that the keys of heaven were entrusted to St. Peter, and I know that the keys are just a symbol. I was wondering, though, if the “keys” are still with St. Peter or if the pope inherits them/this authority every time he assumes his pontificate.

Hi.

First of all it is not a symbol but more of an authority and it is quite an awesome authority. It is like an owner of a company giving an authority to his CEO or a king giving an authority to his Prime Minister. There are laws and policies already made and the CEO have the authority to run the company according to them when the owner is away. In certain things, he alone has the power to make decision in the company and acts as representative of the owner based on the foundation of the rules and policies already made.

Secondly, yes, in the sense that the position of the CEO can be succeeded by someone else when he dies or incapacitates. So another person would succeed Peter when he died and that person held the position of the Pope, as in CEO or Prime Minister too.

God bless.

 

[MACHIU]

Jesus certainly did not invent the “key of the kingdom” terminology. All devout Jews in Jesus time all knew the prophet Isaiah and his prophetic book. When someone mentioned “the key of the kingdom” straight away all knew that he was talking about Isa 22:20-25.

Nowadays, tt is like saying Apple Inc, and people straight away are thinking of iPod, iTouch, iPad, iPhone, Mac, MacBook and so on.

In Isa 20, the key is meant to be passed down from generation to generation and so is the key handed down to Peter. At that moment, Jesus create the office of the Peter’s Chair which what now we called Papacy (i.e. Fatherhood or Spiritual Fatherhood).

So it is like an office of the prime minister of a kingdom. In the middle ages, the monarch ran the kingdom himself. But nowadays, the king appoints a an office of government that is led by a prime minister to run the country.

Hope this help.

God Bless.

 

[ronzstc312]

This context has been misinterpret by the catholic. By having this “keys” they have the power to forgive sins, in which the pope (successor of st peter) will receive such gift.
vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a10.htm#981

Remember:
Only God forgive sins (Mark 2:6,7; Luke 5:21)
The Lord Jesus Christ forgave sins while He was on the earth, and is still the only One Who can forgive sins today. Every preacher and priest is a sinner themselves, and needs forgiveness. Notice God’s indictment on mankind in Romans 3:23…

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

The only One Who can forgive sin is the One Who is sinless. 2nd Corinthians declares that Christ was without sin…

“For he hath made him (Christ) to be sin (i.e. the payment for sin) for us, WHO KNEW NO SIN; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2nd Corinthians 5:21)

Would any minister or priest dare to claim they are sinless? Remember, only the One Who is without sin can forgive those who are sinners, and that is Christ Jesus. By making the claim they can forgive sins, they are actually placing themselves on equality with Christ and being sinless themselves. I personally, have talked to many and all deny they are sinners, but become a little offended that one should question their self-appointed authority. Even though they deny this, their solicitation for sinners to come to them for forgiveness is an indictment against themselves by their own WORD AND PRACTICE.

1st John 1:8-10,

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (vs. 8)

“If we confess our sins, he (Christ) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (vs. 9)

“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his (Christ’s) word is not in us.” (vs. 10)

 

[Nita]

This context has been misinterpret by the catholic. By having this “keys” they have the power to forgive sins, in which the pope (successor of st peter) will receive such gift.
vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a10.htm#981

Context is very important.
I believe the OP is referring to the Scripture passage where Jesus, speaks to Peter alone (“you” is singular in Mt.16:18) and specifically uses the words* “keys to the kingdom of heaven”*. Mt. 16:18 is the only time in all of Scripture where this phrase occurs.

The *context *of the CCC passages you linked to are related to the power granted to the apostles to forgive sins – Article 10 “I Believe in the Forgiveness of Sins”. (Part I, Section II, Chapter III, Article 10) and the specific Scripture passages referenced in the footnotes are Luke 24:47; 2 Cor 5:18; and Mt 18:21-22. ** Mt. 16:18 is not mentioned. Rather. it is the following CCC section that references and interprets Mt. 16:18-19.**881 The Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the “rock” of his Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the whole flock.400 "The office of binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of apostles united to its head."401 This pastoral office of Peter and the other apostles belongs to the Church’s very foundation and is continued by the bishops under the primacy of the Pope.

882 The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter’s successor, "is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful."402 "For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered."403

883 “The college or body of bishops has no authority unless united with the Roman Pontiff, Peter’s successor, as its head.” As such, this college has "supreme and full authority over the universal Church; but this power cannot be exercised without the agreement of the Roman Pontiff."404

884 "The college of bishops exercises power over the universal Church in a solemn manner in an ecumenical council."405 But "there never is an ecumenical council which is not confirmed or at least recognized as such by Peter’s successor."406

885 "This college, in so far as it is composed of many members, is the expression of the variety and universality of the People of God; and of the unity of the flock of Christ, in so far as it is assembled under one head."407

400 Cf. ⇒ Mt 16:18-19; ⇒ Jn 21:15-17.
401 LG 22 # 2.
402 LG 23…
vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P2A.HTM

 

[Abu]

ronzstc312 #5
Remember:
Only God forgive sins (Mark 2:6,7; Luke 5:21)

Those passages are only questions from the Pharisees and God forgives sins through His priests.
As Christ gave us seven sacraments through His Church, no more and no less, He meant us to partake of them as they apply to our lives, and He does that because He gave His Apostles and their successors His personal assurance and command made explicitly clear in Her Bible when He breathed on them the Holy Spirit: “Whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven; whose sins you shall retain they are retained” (Jn 20:21-23) in the Sacrament of Forgiveness (Penance, Reconciliation).

 

[ronzstc312]

Thank you for your reply.

But again the only One who can forgive sins is the One Who paid for our sins and that is Jesus Christ. The only true and absolute peace a person can posses concerning eternal life comes from Jesus Christ and His payment for sin. Paul makes this perfectly clear in Romans 5:1

The Roman Catholic Church bases their practice of confession to a priest primarily on Catholic tradition. Catholic do point to John 20:23, “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." From this verse, Catholics claim that God gave the apostles the authority to forgive sins, and that authority was passed on to the successors of the apostles, i.e., the bishops and priests of the Roman Catholic Church. There are several problems with this interpretation. (1) John 20:23 nowhere mentions confession of sin. (2) John 20:23 nowhere promises, or even hints, that the authority to forgive sins would be passed on to the successors of the apostles. Jesus’ promise was specifically directed to the apostles. (3) The New Testament nowhere states that the apostles would even have successors to their apostolic authority. Similarly, Catholics point to Matthew 16:19 and 18:18 (binding and loosing) as evidence for the Catholic Church’s authority to forgive sins. The same three above points apply equally to these Scriptures.

Remember–nowhere in the New Testament can you find one case where any of the Apostles ever forgave anyone’s sin. They always pointed their listeners to Jesus Christ. If not one of the Apostles ever made that claim, then those today claiming that power have placed themselves above the Apostles, and equal with Jesus Christ Himself.

The Lord Jesus Christ forgave sins while He was on the earth, and is still the only One Who can forgive sins today. Every preacher and priest is a sinner themselves, and needs forgiveness. Notice God’s indictment on mankind in Romans 3:23…

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

My Bible says “ALL have sinned”; and I cannot find where it says, “ALL, but preachers and priests.” “Coming short of the glory of God” literally means falling short of being as righteous as God, Himself. Therefore, Romans 3:24,25 tell us how and why we have remission of sins…

“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his (Christ’s) blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.”

For the ministers and priests who assume the power to forgive your sins by claiming Matthew 9:8…why do they not claim and practice the power God gave the Apostles in Matthew 10:8?
“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, RAISE THE DEAD, cast out devils (demons): freely ye have received, freely give.”

As Christ stated in Matthew 9:5…

“For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?”

Catholic clergy claim the power to forgive your sins; yet, are unable to exercise the power to heal the sick, raise the dead, etc. If they posses the power the Apostles had, let us take them to the nearest hospital and let us witness the healing of every person in that hospital. If they fail, you have exposed a false teacher who pretends to be humble, pious, loving God and etc. This would all be so convincing until compared with the Word of God. Again, may I submit, IT IS MUCH EASIER TO SAY TO SOMEONE, “I forgive your sins” than to say “Arise and walk.” Put them to the test and you will find their claims and teaching to be fraudulent.

Godbless

 

[ronzstc312]

The Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the “rock” of his Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the whole flock.400 "The office of binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of apostles united to its head."401 This pastoral office of Peter and the other apostles belongs to the Church’s very foundation and is continued by the bishops under the primacy of the Pope.​

In these verses, Christ stated, “And I say unto you, that you are Peter, and upon this Rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
In order to understand the meaning here, we must start reading from Matt. 16:13. Christ asked the disciples, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?”
Peter answered, “ You [Jesus] are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (vs. 16). Then Christ responded, “You are Peter [petros, which means little rock], and upon this rock [petra, means very great rock, referring to Christ Himself] I [pointing to Himself] will build My church” (vs. 18). Most people assume here that Christ is building His Church on Peter. But this is not the case. Christ is the great “Rock” upon whom the Church is built (Deut. 32:3-4, 15, 18; I Cor. 10:4; Eph. 2:20; I Pet. 2:6), not Peter (Eph. 1:22; 5:23; Col. 1:18).

 

[FatherOfTwelve]

Thank you for your reply.

But again the only One who can forgive sins is the One Who paid for our sins and that is Jesus Christ. The only true and absolute peace a person can posses concerning eternal life comes from Jesus Christ and His payment for sin. Paul makes this perfectly clear in Romans 5:1

Jesus makes it perfectly clear when he said. "Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread; * 12 And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; 13* And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. * 14* For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

And Again: "when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing * their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, 'Rise and walk? 6 But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–he then said to the paralytic–“Rise, take up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Yes, even though we are all sinners, God has given men the power to forgive sins. He said it himself.

So your premise is wrong.
BTW you state your religion as “Catholic”, just might want to rethink that.

But “I forgive you for misrepresenting yourself as such”
God Bless,
FoT (now 13)

 

[franc1sc0]

The Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the “rock” of his Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the whole flock.400 "The office of binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of apostles united to its head."401 This pastoral office of Peter and the other apostles belongs to the Church’s very foundation and is continued by the bishops under the primacy of the Pope.​

In these verses, Christ stated, “And I say unto you, that you are Peter, and upon this Rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
In order to understand the meaning here, we must start reading from Matt. 16:13. Christ asked the disciples, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?”
Peter answered, “ You [Jesus] are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (vs. 16). Then Christ responded, “You are Peter [petros, which means little rock], and upon this rock [petra, means very great rock, referring to Christ Himself] I [pointing to Himself] will build My church” (vs. 18). Most people assume here that Christ is building His Church on Peter. But this is not the case. Christ is the great “Rock” upon whom the Church is built (Deut. 32:3-4, 15, 18; I Cor. 10:4; Eph. 2:20; I Pet. 2:6), not Peter (Eph. 1:22; 5:23; Col. 1:18).

They spoke aramaic, which was translated into Greek. Your attempt does not work.

catholic.com/tracts/peter-and-the-papacy

 

[franc1sc0]

I got this from Sripture Catholic.

"James 5:16 must be read in the context of its two preceding verses (14 and 15), because James begins verse 16 with “therefore,” which the KJV eliminated from its translation (but it is in the original Greek language; it can also be found in the earlier Douay-Rheims version). In James 5:14-15, in addressing sick people, James says “let him call for the priests (in Greek, presbuterous) of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” Then James says “therefore confess your sins to one another…”

ronzstc312 please change your religion from Catholic to whatever it is you believe. It is very mis leading… Thanks!

 

[FatherOfTwelve]

The Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the “rock” of his Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the whole flock.400 "The office of binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of apostles united to its head."401 This pastoral office of Peter and the other apostles belongs to the Church’s very foundation and is continued by the bishops under the primacy of the Pope.​

In these verses, Christ stated, “And I say unto you, that you are Peter, and upon this Rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
In order to understand the meaning here, we must start reading from Matt. 16:13. Christ asked the disciples, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?”
Peter answered, “ You [Jesus] are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (vs. 16). Then Christ responded, “You are Peter [petros, which means little rock], and upon this rock [petra, means very great rock, referring to Christ Himself] I [pointing to Himself] will build My church” (vs. 18). Most people assume here that Christ is building His Church on Peter. But this is not the case. Christ is the great “Rock” upon whom the Church is built (Deut. 32:3-4, 15, 18; I Cor. 10:4; Eph. 2:20; I Pet. 2:6), not Peter (Eph. 1:22; 5:23; Col. 1:18).

BTW,
You might just want to go here: catholic.com/tracts

In the tracts section you will find many “Catholic” answers to your “theology”.
Instead of debating again and again the same old stuff, Catholic Answers has prepared these tracts to help you understand the (our) faith.
Hope this helps.

 

[FatherOfTwelve]

Ok, one more,
." 21* Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

 

[ronzstc312]

ronzstc312;10438234:

Thank you for your reply.

But again the only One who can forgive sins is the One Who paid for our sins and that is Jesus Christ. The only true and absolute peace a person can posses concerning eternal life comes from Jesus Christ and His payment for sin. Paul makes this perfectly clear in Romans 5:1

Jesus makes it perfectly clear when he said. "Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread; * 12 And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; 13* And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. * 14* For if you forgive men their trespasses,

your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

And Again: "when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing * their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, 'Rise and walk? 6 But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–he then said to the paralytic–“Rise, take up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Yes, even though we are all sinners, God has given men the power to forgive sins. He said it himself.

So your premise is wrong.
BTW you state your religion as “Catholic”, just might want to rethink that.

But “I forgive you for misrepresenting yourself as such”
God Bless,
FoT (now 13)

Hi brother,

“Our father who art our sin” Is just an example of how we should pray. As we forgive those who trespass against us means that God expects us not to hate anyone or hold grudges. We are to forgive everyone, no matter what, if we expect Him to forgive us.

If you want to use this words, then you’re saying that we can forgive and save one soul incontradict to what this link says:
vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P2A.HTM
why should they point to priest or catholic clergy where in all people can forgive sins?
it should be not a gift only to them but to all of us…

Yes i’m a catholic doing a research. any prob with that?

 

[FatherOfTwelve]

John 20: 21* Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” 22* And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23* If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Jesus here is giving the apostle’s explicit orders and a commission, God sent Him (Jesus), Jesus is sending the Apostle’s. He says, if “you” forgive , “they” are forgiven (By God).

Seems clear to me that Jesus says what he means.

OH!, I like that “retain” part too! If the apostle for some reason decided to “Retain” forgiveness (maybe he could tell the person wasn’t really sorry), Jesus said that "They are “RETAINED” meaning unforgiven. WOW! he really gave them some authority!

 

[ronzstc312]

ronzstc312;10438234:

Thank you for your reply.

But again the only One who can forgive sins is the One Who paid for our sins and that is Jesus Christ. The only true and absolute peace a person can posses concerning eternal life comes from Jesus Christ and His payment for sin. Paul makes this perfectly clear in Romans 5:1

Jesus makes it perfectly clear when he said. "Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread; * 12 And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; 13* And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. * 14* For if you forgive men their trespasses,

your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

And Again: "when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing * their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, 'Rise and walk? 6 But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–he then said to the paralytic–“Rise, take up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Yes, even though we are all sinners, God has given men the power to forgive sins. He said it himself.

So your premise is wrong.
BTW you state your religion as “Catholic”, just might want to rethink that.

But “I forgive you for misrepresenting yourself as such”
God Bless,
FoT (now 13)

“our father…” Yes we can forgive like when someone did wrong to us. That’s normal, the point here brother is Forgiving one’s sin and save his/her soul which only Jesus can. For us can go to heaven.

 

[ronzstc312]

John 20: 21* Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” 22* And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23* If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Jesus here is giving the apostle’s explicit orders and a commission, God sent Him (Jesus), Jesus is sending the Apostle’s. He says, if “you” forgive , “they” are forgiven (By God).

Seems clear to me that Jesus says what he means.

OH!, I like that “retain” part too! If the apostle for some reason decided to “Retain” forgiveness (maybe he could tell the person wasn’t really sorry), Jesus said that "They are “RETAINED” meaning unforgiven. WOW! he really gave them some authority!

As i said before:
John 20:23 nowhere promises, or even hints, that the authority to forgive sins would be passed on to the successors of the apostles. Jesus’ promise was specifically directed to the apostles. (3) The New Testament nowhere states that the apostles would even have successors to their apostolic authority

I would appreciate if you could provide 1 to clear my mind. Thanks a lot:thumbsup:

 

[FatherOfTwelve]

FatherOfTwelve;10438318:

“our father…” Yes we can forgive like when someone did wrong to us. That’s normal, the point here brother is Forgiving one’s sin and save his/her soul which only Jesus can. For us can go to heaven.

I’ll re-post"John 20: 21* Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” 22* And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23* If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Jesus here is giving the apostle’s explicit orders and a commission, God sent Him (Jesus), Jesus is sending the Apostle’s. He says, if “you” forgive , “they” are forgiven (By God).

Seems clear to me that Jesus says what he means.

OH!, I like that “retain” part too! If the apostle for some reason decided to “Retain” forgiveness (maybe he could tell the person wasn’t really sorry), Jesus said that “They are “RETAINED” meaning unforgiven. WOW! he really gave them some authority!”

On minute you quote scripture verbatim, then I did, then you don’t take those verses to mean what they say. Tell me this is not so?

 

[FatherOfTwelve]

Ok, I’m getting ahead of your responses.
I will wait …