Matthew 16:19
From Wikichristian.org
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19 I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven." edit
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| Matthew 16:19 | ||
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Commentary
In Matthew 16:19 Jesus gives Peter the "keys of the Kingdom of Heaven". This verse occurs in the context of Peter's Confession of the Christ. It is controversial verse because there are a great variety of views about the meaning of this verse.
The Roman Catholic view is that by giving Peter the keys, Jesus is giving Peter special, and unique authority over the church, and to dispense forgivenss. Tradition holds that Peter travelled to Rome and was the first bishop of Rome, and so today's Pope holds those same keys to the Kingdom of Heaven accordin to Catholic doctrine.
Another view, common in Protestantism, is that when Jesus gave Peter the keys, it meant that it would be Peter who would, in a sense, unlock the door of the Kingdom of Heaven (or the spread of the gosple) to non-Jews (Gentiles). This view holds that the words of Jesus were fulfilled in Peter in the book of Acts. In Acts 1:8 Jesus reveals that his disciples will be his witnesses to Judea (that is, the Jews), Samaria (that is, the Samaritans) and to the ends of the earth (that is, Gentiles, or non-Jews). In Acts, we see Peter being present when the Holy Spirit comes to the Jews at Pentecost (in Acts 2), to the Samaritans (in Acts 8) and to Cornelius and the Gentiles (in Acts 10).
Translations of Matthew 16:19
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