THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19
What I am writing is a simple, step-by-step explanation of our participation in God’s kingdom now. Then we will be ready to take our place and function in the role God has prepared for us in our life to come in His eternal kingdom.
Jesus promised His disciples that He would give them the keys of the kingdom and that He would send the Holy Spirit to them to give them understanding of the meaning of His life, death, and resurrection as the Old Testament foretold.
The Holy Spirit left man when Adam disobeyed God. He only appeared and worked sporadically in people in the Old Testament era. However, Jesus died to atone for all sin, giving God the freedom to send the Holy Spirit to earth on the day of Pentecost. He is present on the earth permanently and in the hearts of believers and will never again be removed.
Jesus came to earth as a human to deal with sin and to usher in God’s kingdom. Those who believe in Him are no longer under Satan’s control and influence but under God’s power and loving rule.
“For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son… ”
Colossians 1:13 NLT
Since keys open doors, the keys of the kingdom relate to what we do to access what God has done for us through Jesus and given us to make this life in the kingdom of God possible here and now,
For anyone to enter the spiritual realm of God’s kingdom, there are certain doors to go through for us to benefit fully from that rule now which prepares us for our place in His eternal kingdom then.
1. FAITH – THE KEY TO TRUTH
Faith in the gospel message.
Faith in what God has said is a necessary first key into God’s kingdom. Faith is kindled in our hearts when we hear or read the message about Jesus. Without faith, the Holy Spirit cannot work in us to bring about what the next key does in us.
“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
Romans 1:17 NLT
“For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them (the Israelites). But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God. For only we who believe can enter his rest….”
Hebrews 4:2-3 NLT
2. NEW BIRTH – THE KEY TO ENTER THE KINGDOM
New birth into the kingdom through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said to Nicodemus that no one can see or enter the kingdom apart from the Holy Spirit.
“Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” … Jesus replied, “I assure you; no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.”
John 3:3, 5-6 NLT
New birth happens through saving faith in Jesus. By this I mean that faith in Jesus implies absolute commitment to Him as our supreme authority, based on our acceptance of the truth that God raised Him from the dead.
“And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved…. So, faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.’
Romans 10:8-10, 17 NLT
To be continued…