In Matt 16:13-19, we see a pivotal moment of understanding for Peter and the disciples (another PPI, as Mark calls them.) Jesus asks ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ before moving on to ask them directly ‘Who do you say I am?’ Peter’s reply is an acknowledgment of the identity of Christ: ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.‘ (Matt 16:16)
It is in the context of acknowledging the identity of Jesus that He goes on to say to Peter ‘I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 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.‘ (Matt 16:17-19; note that some translations say of the verb tense ‘will have been bound’/ ‘will have been loosed’ indicating an authority that is already there.)
Receiving the keys to a city or kingdom indicates a spiritual freedom and authority given by a greater power. On the day of Pentecost, Peter opened the door for 3,000 people to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 2:41). He opened the door for the Gentile centurion, Cornelius, and thereby to the whole Gentile world (Acts 10). We too have been given these keys (see also Matt 18:18) and can therefore pray for salvation with confidence and authority.
Nicky Gumbel reminds us ‘You can have the amazing privilege of seeing people set free through the preaching of the good news of the kingdom. You can have the joy of seeing people set free from drug addiction, alcoholism, crime and every other bondage. You can approach challenges with confidence, fearing no evil, knowing that you share in a remarkable spiritual authority.’ (‘Bible In One Year’)
So often, we pray for salvation timidly and half-heartedly, somehow believing that atheism, scepticism, science and apathy are able to withstand the power of God. The truth is that, with the spiritual keys God entrusts to the church, we can ‘storm the gates of hell and set the prisoners free.’ (ibid.) The church in the book of Acts turned the world upside down – in the face of considerable scepticism and opposition – because they recognised the omnipotence and sovereign authority of God. Only when we are equally convinced of these two things and understand the authority He has given us (see Matt 28:18-20) will we take the Great Commission seriously and pray with boldness and authority, preach with boldness and authority and witness with boldness and authority.
