Column - Why Was the Key to the Kingdom of Heaven Given?
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.” (Matthew 16:19-20).
1. If you go to heaven after dying while believing in Jesus, why did the Lord give the keys to heaven?
Why did he give those keys only to Peter, and not to everyone?
Is that why Peter is revered as the first Pope of the Catholic Church?
If Peter were on earth, and were given the title of Pope, given his nature, he would cut off their mouth just as he cut off Malchus's ear.
Peter came to know that Jesus is Lord and Christ through the Holy Spirit sent after Jesus died, rose again, ascended, and received glory, and he realized the secret of how David, ten centuries earlier, called Christ, who sat at the right hand of the throne, Lord (Acts 2:34-35).
It was David who saw Christ, the High Priest in the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110).
Therefore, Peter calls David a prophet (Acts 2:30).
Thus, a prophet must know through revelation that Jesus suffered and became the Christ after receiving glory (1 Peter 1:10-12).
If you do not know this secret, you will be nothing but empty-headed regarding the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Peter also stands behind David.
Therefore, he holds the keys to the kingdom of heaven and will bind and loose it.
2. Humans say they are Homo sapiens, but that is not a human being; it is flesh, that is, the physical body (Genesis 6:3). In a sense, they are merely biological machines. They are tin cans who act arrogantly, claiming they can keep the law on the surface simply because it has been given to them.
They cannot choose God on their own through free will.
There are no righteous people, they do not understand, and they do not seek God.
They do nothing but maintain their dignity; their throats are open graves, their tongues are deceitful, and their lips are venomous like vipers.
Their mouths are full of curses and malice, and their feet are specialized in shedding the blood of others.
They cannot find the path of peace through free will, and they do not have even 1% of fear of God (Romans 3:10-18).
Who dares to spout the nonsense that humans can fear God and believe in and accept Jesus as Lord and Christ through their own free will?
3. Jesus gave his body on the cross for our transgressions and rose again to justify us.
Hearing the Gospel, we know that the "I" who was in Adam has died with Christ and risen again with Christ; although the body died because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness (Romans 8:10).
The Spirit of God dwells within me, and Christ dwells within me, so I have become a Christian who has received Christ (Romans 8:9).
I had been completely absorbed in eating and drinking with that arrogant free will, but one day, I felt a tension sweeping over my heart. Unbeknownst to me, I listened to the Word, discovered that amazing grace, and wept loudly.
I was never a living spiritual machine.
I was a biological machine, thoroughly adhering to the law of the jungle, specialized in the techniques of sinners, the conduct of the wicked, and meeting the standards of the world.
Therefore, the Bible says that human righteousness is like rags (Isaiah 64:6), deceitful and more corrupt than anything else (Jeremiah 17:9).
If you deny it, then there is nothing that can be done.
Because even the Jews did the same to Jesus.
Talking about free will is like digging a shovel in front of a bulldozer.
If humans could pursue good and fear God through free will, why did the Lord have to die on the cross, and why did He say not to even think about receiving salvation except through the Holy Spirit?
There is no way in the world to become one bread, one body, and one spirit with Christ without the Holy Spirit.
If there is no union with Christ, the sin and death separated from Eden cannot be dealt with.
If eating what was forbidden became sin, then eating the Lord Jesus Christ, who commanded it to be eaten, is righteousness.
Do you think that is possible with that so-called free will? If so, you are a philosopher.
4. Why do heretics claim to be Christ or the Counselor?
It is likely because of the formula in Christianity that one goes to Heaven simply by believing in Jesus.
However, if the Spirit of truth is sent and his anointing dwells within us, we abide in the Son and the Father, thereby obtaining eternal life (1 John 2:24-25).
This is the Kingdom of God.
The Lord commanded us to repent regarding the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 4:17).
He tells us to repent not to go to heaven, but to receive heaven that has come near.
The clearest passage regarding the explanation of the Kingdom of God is John 15. We, the branches, are united with Christ, the vine.
This is not something we acquired through my own free will, but a fact that has already been established, which we believe upon hearing the Word.
That is 100% God's grace.
If the branch remains attached to the vine, to align with its structure and composition, denies itself takes up its cross, and follows the Lord, the Kingdom of God comes.
In other words, if we keep the commandment to become one with the Lord and dwell in His love, we, having received that love, become love ourselves; thus, we come to love God, who is love.
This is the fulfillment of the law and the culmination of evolution.
That is why Augustine said that when union and meet are achieved within the Triune God, the Triune God is present in us.
In Jesus' time, He warned against speaking of Christ, but now we must warn those who speak only of Jesus without knowing Christ.
Because the Kingdom of God has come, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit; by believing in Jesus as Lord and Christ, and approaching God the Father within Him, we gain the Kingdom of God within us through faith that invades the Kingdom of Heaven (John 14:23).
That is why I strongly recommend reading John chapters 14–16 a hundred times.
I believe there is no better instruction manual for using the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.
*** As I always tell our members, while the Korean church sends out many missionaries overseas, the fact is that the Korean church itself is a recipient of missions.
This is because the reality is that we are receiving missions even in theology, biblical exposition, and spiritual methods.
Even when I was wandering overseas, I maintained the view that the Korean church is a recipient of missions regarding the word of truth.
It is still the same now.
Therefore, if you agree with the ministry of Come & See World Mission, which is carrying out both domestic and overseas missions, I hope you will pray for this mission work and join us.
The AI explained our cafe very well. I am going all the way.
Someday, when the Lord calls, I will raise my hands and entrust souls to Him, but since there is still much work left to do, I earnestly call upon the name of the Lord.
Written by Pastor. Yohan Kim
Translated by Missionary Sookyung Chung
COME AND SEE WORLD MISSION
TO GOD BE THE GLORY