Background on Peter’s Receipt of the Keys
One thing that is undeniably special about Peter was that Jesus gave him the keys to the kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 16:19: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Even though the biblical Peter did not possess any form of indelible character or authoritative preeminence over other disciples, Peter was clearly singled out by Jesus for exhortation. This is quite deserved, as Peter had been incredibly close to Jesus throughout His ministry. In the last chapter I talked about Peter’s weakness, so let’s now talk about his strength.
While Never Infallible, Peter Loved Jesus and Thrived Under His Ministry
Peter was the first person not in the loop on Jesus’ divine lordship to accept him as Lord in the Gospels. After hours of fruitless fishing, Jesus told Peter to cast his net back into the sea because he claimed it would be fruitful. Why should Peter have listened to Jesus? Peter was the professional fisherman, as far as he knew Jesus was but a Hebrew teacher, and Peter had caught nothing all day. But Peter did listen, he cast his net back into the water and pulled out what was almost certainly the greatest haul of his life. How did he respond?
Luke 5:8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.” 9 For he and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were his partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to Simon, “from now on you will catch men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats ashore, they left everything and followed Him.
Just like God and Abraham, when Jesus beckoned, Peter literally dropped everything and followed Him. I believe the parallel’s between Abraham’s faith and Peter’s faith are important. There was no questions, he just got up and followed, knowing that the matters of God are the highest priority.
Later, at the sermon of Capernaum, Jesus preached what may have very well been the most decisive and controversial allegory of His ministry when He described the saving power of His sacrifice and the Gospel in the terms of a Mosaic sacrifice, the payment being His flesh and blood.
John 6:59: Jesus said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. 60 On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?”
Being hard of heart, these disciples missed Jesus’ metaphor at first, much in the same way Nicodemus did, by taking it literally. Now, Jesus had already connected His words to the Spirit multiple times. Jesus had described the Spirit as water, bread, fire, and birth, and even He even stated that the mechanism of being saved was believing in Him just moments before, literally in the same sermon:
39 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
61Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this teaching, Jesus asked them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what will happen if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before?
63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64 However, there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him.) 65 Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him.”
This is a heavy concept to drop on the layman pre-Holy Spirit. Why? Well, first Jesus claims to be the Son of God, who descended from heaven (35). Second, He states that no one can come to God except through Him. Third, He states that no one will have eternal life unless they believe in Him as the Son of God (40). Fourth, He states that all of the Elect will be taught by God (45). And fifth, using a metaphor that utilizes imagery of defying one of God’s most stringent rules, the consumption of blood, Jesus claims that it is by His words that men will be saved.
This all quite difficult to believe for traditionalist Jews, who spent their entire lives chasing righteousness by studying and following Mosaic Law. But Peter doesn’t even skip a beat, he knows he belongs with Jesus.
John 6:67: So Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to leave too?”
68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.
It is of no wonder that Peter would go on to become the first to confess Jesus as the Christ. And even though I used Peter’s denial of Jesus during His trial to show weakness of faith, Peter was the only disciple to potentially risk his own life by defending Jesus from the armed soldiers sent to arrest Him.
So, even though Peter was not a paragon of character, a strong leader, nor did he possess the most ironclad faith, he truly loved Jesus and submitted himself to His lordship in a way that clearly separated him from other men. Now, one of these feats of Peter would be the driving force behind Jesus’ pronouncement of handing Peter the keys to heaven; the confession of Jesus as the Christ. But, exactly what are the keys of heaven? Did Jesus actually give Peter the definitive and singular authority to allow and disallow people into heaven? Well, no. That’s a little ignorant to assume considering the scriptures both before and after this passage.
Adding Contextualization to the Keys
Jesus, being of God, is still very obviously the only true authority over man’s salvation. As tempting as it would be to regurgitate the dozen or so verses I’ve used to argue Sola Christus, I’m going let Peter do the talking instead:
Acts 8:18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.
If Peter had the literal keys of Heaven and supreme care of people’s souls (CCC, 937), he would’ve pronounced Simon forgiven or denied right then and there. But instead, he told Simon to repent and pray to the Lord so that, if possible, he may be forgiven. Peter doesn’t know if Simon can make straight his heart or not, so Peter doesn’t know if Simon will be forgiven. Peter acts as if it is entirely dependent on God, because it is. Let’s not forget Peter being surprised by the receipt of the Holy Spirit in Cornelius prior to baptism. The Holy Spirit is conditional to salvation. Thus, God is still the true authority.
Just as Acts 8 demonstrates the God is pre-eminent in allowing men into Heaven, Acts 10 demonstrates that God is still pre-eminent in dispensing the very Spirit that consecrates men for Heaven as well. The authority of salvation rest solely with God, just how it always has. Why? Because only God can see men’s hearts, and only God is the definitive judge.
Jeremiah 11:20 But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously, Who tries the feelings and the heart, Let me see Your vengeance on them, For to You have I committed my cause.
James 4:12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
Acts 17:30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
Even James, who received the same authority of binding and loosing Peter did (Matthew 18:18), pronounced that only God is the judge and that only God can save. So, if Peter, James, and Paul all believed God to be the sole and final source of authority on salvation, then, the authority Jesus gave to bind and loose in heaven is clearly more complex than the literalist interpretation.
If the Keys to Heaven Weren’t Singular and Weren’t Indicative of the Ultimate Authority Over Souls, What Were They?
The Keys of Heaven being allegorical is not an unreasonable claim, as Jesus spoke predominantly in parables. His proclivity for parables was predicted in Psalms 78:2 and 49:4 and confirmed in Matthew 13:35. Thus, if the keys Jesus handed to Peter were not definitive or literal, then there is something else missing in this picture. Time to put down the cherry and return to the bush for more context.
- The keys of Heaven were stated to bind and loose souls in heaven and Jesus did not immediately hand them to Peter at confession:
Matthew 16: 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
- The exact same authority is actually dispersed to Peter and all of the disciples after Jesus resurrects:
John 20:21: Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending 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 them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
3. The disciple’s charge of binding and loosing was conditional on their receipt of the Holy Spirit:
“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.”
Despite this conferred ability, the disciples still profess God to be the final authority on forgiveness and judgement, just as how Peter dealt with Simon.
So, what are we missing?
John 15: 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
Jesus told His disciples, conditional on them being His friends, that He would give them what they asked should they continue to abide in Him. Thus, when Simon’s…attempt at simony… presents Peter an excellent chance to proclaim his soul bound or loosed, Peter directs him to pray to God so that he might be forgiven. Notice, how this isn’t dependent on Peter’s will, but on God’s will? Does Peter not have the Holy Spirit?
Wasn’t Peter, like the other disciples, imparted with miraculous power for the purpose of founding God’s church? What else is missing here, that Peter, someone who loved Jesus so much that he was ready to defend him from armed soldiers, did not possess the definitive ability to forgive Simon or impart the Holy Spirit upon him?
1 John 5: 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
John just gave a lot of context here. God’s fulfillment of Christian’s wishes is certainly dependent on the Christian’s abiding within Jesus, just like Jesus said. But, there is an additional condition contingent on whether or not it is His will. All of a sudden, it makes a lot more sense that in spite of possessing “keys to Heaven”, precisely none of the disciples are walking around forgiving people of their sins or pronouncing them saved.
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. 18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
Here is another fascinating bit of context from John. John, addressing the early church, makes it clear the common priesthood can appeal to God for the forgiveness of sins. It’s not locked away behind a specific church office.
So, God is the final authority on forgiveness of sins and admission into Heaven, and common Christians can pray that God will strengthen their brethren so that will give them life. Why the ceremony and metaphor of Peter possessing the “keys to heaven”?
Matthew 16: 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Jesus was Celebrating Peter’s Understanding of the Gospel, the True Source and Condition for Salvation
Peter professed the essential Gospel, for the first time, among all of Jesus’ disciples. Peter once professed Jesus to have the words of spirit and life, and Jesus had spoken in great lengths about being the Son of God with the power to forgive sin in His ministry. But, this is the first time that one of His disciples explicitly stated that He was the Son of God and the Messiah (Christ).
Now, both in the Old and New Testament, it is Jesus’ sacrifice that is professed to atone for men’s sins. It is also by God imbuing men with the Holy Spirit that they would become regenerated and pleasing to God. Both of these are contingent on men having an active belief in Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah:
1 John 5:10-13: Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.
So, the true keys to heaven are the Gospel, which is what Peter had just confessed. Peter was at the time incapable of coming to this confession by himself, Jesus tells Peter that revealed that truth to him. Why was Peter not capable of coming to that revelation himself, and why were the disciples not yet imbued with this power of binding and loosing then and there? They did not yet have the Holy Spirit.
John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything that I have told you.
Now let’s go back to Jesus’ actual distribution of the ability to bind and loose that of heaven, which, as previously established, was equated to Peter’s keys:
John 20: 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 them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.
Thus, just like that, the mystery of the keys has been actually solved with scriptural context and logic. The Holy Spirit, which is part of God in the same way Jesus is, guides the Apostles on the matters of God. So, God is still the ultimate authority on salvation and damnation, and that is the Apostles, being the proverbial keyholders, don’t profess or project any sovereign (or independent) authority themselves in saving or damning people. In fact, Origen comes upon a very similar conclusion himself:
“But if you suppose that upon that one Peter only the whole church is built by God, what would you say about John the son of thunder or each one of the Apostles? Shall we otherwise dare to say, that against Peter in particular the gates of Hades shall not prevail, but that they shall prevail against the other Apostles and the perfect? Does not the saying previously made, “The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it,” hold in regard to all and in the case of each of them? And also the saying, “Upon this rock I will build My church”?
Are the keys of the kingdom of heaven given by the Lord to Peter only, and will no other of the blessed receive them? But if this promise, “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven,” be common to the others, how shall not all the things previously spoken of, and the things which are subjoined as having been addressed to Peter, be common to them?
For in this place these words seem to be addressed as to Peter only, “Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,” etc.; but in the Gospel of John the Saviour having given the Holy Spirit unto the disciples by breathing upon them said, “Receive ye the Holy Spirit.”
Source: https://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/ecf/009/0090408.htm
In summary
In that regard, Peter has no sovereign spiritual authority to pass on to his successors, neither to do the other disciples. All of the authority has always belonged to God alone. In that regard, the Catholic assertions about the Pope are nothing short of literal blasphemy:
The Pope enjoys, by divine institution, “supreme, full, immediate, and universal power in the care of souls” (CD 2) (CCC 937)
“We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff” (Unam Sanctam, 1302).
Christ alone is the way, the truth, and life. This is why when Jesus later has John write letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor in Revelation, He makes no mention of any Vicar, High Bishop, apostle, or Roman church. He tells the people of Laodicea that to those who hear him and repent (ie, an active belief) He will reside with them and they will sit with Him on His throne.
Revelation 3:19 Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore, be earnest and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
Also, on behalf of the Early Church, Origen also refutes the claim of Peter possessing a special set of keys, in the prior linked sacred text, literally titled: The Promise Given to Peter Not Restricted to Him, But Applicable to All Disciples Like Him.
Source: https://biblehub.com/library/origen/origens_commentary_on_the_gospel_of_matthew/11_the_promise_given_to.htm