1. What is the Office of the Keys?
a) Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”
b) Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
c) John 20:22-23 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
The Bible teaches us that:
The Office of the Keys is the power, or authority, to a) Preach the Gospel;
b) Administer the Sacraments;
c) Forgive sins or not to forgive sins.
2. Why is this power called the Office of the Keys?
Matthew 16:19 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.
The Bible teaches us that:
It is called the Office of the Keys because it opens heaven by forgiving sins, or closes heaven by not forgiving sins.
3. Whose sins are to be forgiven, and whose sins are not to be forgiven?
a) Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
b) Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
c) Acts 16:31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.”
The Bible teaches us that:
The sins of penitent sinners, that is, of sinners who are sorry for their sins and believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, are to be forgiven, and the sins of impenitent (that is, those who are not sorry for their sins) are not to be forgiven.
4. To whom has Christ given this authority?
a) Matthew 16:19 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. (Said to Peter as the spokesman of all disciples, not as the head of an organized religious group)
b) John 20:22-23 And with that he (Christ) breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (All disciples)
c) 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (refers to all Christians)
d) Matthew 18:17, 18, 20 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. (This refers to the local congregation)
The Bible teaches us that:
Christ has given this authority to His Church (all believers) on earth and specifically to every local gathering of Christians, which we call a congregation.
5. How does a local congregation publicly use this authority, the Office of the Keys?
a) 1 Corinthians 4:1 So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God.
b) Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. (The word “pastor” is derived from the German word pastor which means “shepherd.”)
c) 1 Corinthians 14:40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. The Bible teaches us that:
It is God’s will that the Christian congregation chooses and calls men as pastors, overseers of the congregation, who in the name of the congregation and in the name of Christ publicly perform the functions of the Office of the Keys. All Christians have this right, or authority, to use the Law and the Gospel. God expects us to use these Keys in our private lives, but God has set up a way for the administration of this authority in a public way. He calls pastors through the voting members of a congregation to do it.
6. What does the Bible teach about Church discipline and excommunication?
a) Matthew 18:15-17 If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
b) 1 Corinthians 5:13 God will judge those outside. ”Expel the wicked man from among you.”
c) Matthew 18:18 I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
d) 2 Corinthians 2:6-10 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven – if there was anything to forgive – I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake.
The Bible teaches us that:
Christ has given this authority to His Church (all believers) on earth and specifically to every local gathering of Christians, which we call a congregation.
5. How does a local congregation publicly use this authority, the Office of the Keys?
a) 1 Corinthians 4:1 So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God.
b) Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. (The word “pastor” is derived from the German word pastor which means “shepherd.”)
c) 1 Corinthians 14:40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
The Bible teaches us that:
It is God’s will that the Christian congregation chooses and calls men as pastors, overseers of the congregation, who in the name of the congregation and in the name of Christ publicly perform the functions of the Office of the Keys. All Christians have this right, or authority, to use the Law and the Gospel. God expects us to use these Keys in our private lives, but God has set up a way for the administration of this authority in a public way. He calls pastors through the voting members of a congregation to do it.
6. What does the Bible teach about Church discipline and excommunication?
a) Matthew 18:15-17 If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
b) 1 Corinthians 5:13 God will judge those outside. ”Expel the wicked man from among you.”
c) Matthew 18:18 I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
d) 2 Corinthians 2:6-10 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven – if there was anything to forgive – I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake.
The Bible teaches us that:
a) A Christian who has fallen into sin and is clearly not repenting of his/her sin should be confronted lovingly by the one who first becomes aware of the situation. If the person doesn’t repent of the sin after being lovingly shown from God’s Word why it is wrong, then the first person goes back again with two or three fellow concerned and loving Christians. If this still does not bring the Christian to repentance, the matter is then taken to the church. It is at this point that the pastor should be involved personally. (Church discipline)
b) If the person confronted by his/her sin refuses to repent or acknowledge to the church that sin is involved, the congregation will sever its ties with the individual. This “excommunication” excludes the individual from all the rights and privileges of a Christian (Communion, marriage, burial, etc.) except the right to hear the Word of God.
c) Such action of the congregation and pastor is as valid and certain, in heaven also, as if Christ, our Lord, acted and dealt with that person Himself.
d) Should the person later confess his/her sin and ask for forgiveness, the congregation through the pastor forgives his/her sin and receives him/her again as a brother/sister. The whole purpose of Church discipline and excommunication is to make the person see the damning effect of sin and to lead him to repentance. I t is not to clear the dead wood from the church roster! Many times, however, in the steps leading to excommunication, a person will voluntarily remove himself from church membership simply by asking the pastor to no longer consider himself to be a member of that congregation.
7. What does the Bible teach us about Confession?
a) 2 Samuel 12:13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.”
b) Luke 11:4 Forgive us our sins. Psalm 19:12 Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
c) Matthew 5:23-24 Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
d) Matthew 3:5-6 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
e) Matthew 9:2 Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
The Bible teaches us that:
a) Confession consists of two parts, namely the confession, or acknowledgment of sin, and the absolution, or forgiveness, pronounced upon him that confesses.
b) We are to daily confess all our sins, known and unknown, to God. The absolution is pronounced in the general Gospel promise.
c) We are to confess to our neighbor our sinful actions that have hurt him directly. The absolution is received when our neighbor forgives us.
d) We are to confess our sins with our local Christian congregation during our worship service. This happens at the beginning of each worship service. The pastor announces God’s forgiveness to all present, and is God’s own pronouncement of forgiveness.
e) We may confess any particularly burdensome sin which weighs heavy on our hearts to the pastor of our local congregation. He is under solemn obligation not to make known anything spoken to him in confidence. To break that trust is a sin against the member and against God.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. A person undergoing church discipline asks the pastor to remove his name from the church roster. By so doing, that member has placed himself outside of the Christian church, for he has rejected the shepherd that the Lord has placed over his soul? Agree or disagree?
2. A person repents of the sin for which he was excommunicated. One of the members says that the church shouldn’t let him back into the church because he’s not really sorry for what he did. How would you answer him?
3. A person confesses to his pastor that his wife has been unfaithful to him and that he is going to kill her for doing this. What should the pastor do?