Hi Mike,

I hope all is well with you and yours. In a conversation the other day, I was “debating” with a Mormon. The issue I raised was… if I were to believe that Joseph Smith held the “keys to the Kingdom” (AKA Celestial Kingdom by the LDS faith)… then Christ must have been lying when he said:

Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

… and in Acts we are told…

Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

The Mormon that I was conversing with said something along the lines of, “Well, Christ gave Peter the keys to the kingdom, why couldn’t he also have given them to Joseph Smith”. I reeled for a moment and decided to read the excerpt from Matthew chapter 16 (follows):

Mat 16:13  When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
Mat 16:14  And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
Mat 16:15  He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Mat 16:16  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Mat 16:17  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Mat 16:20  Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

After reading the passage, the point I made to this person was that it seemed to me that Christ was addressing ALL of the disciples… not just Peter. I can see how from the context this could be construed either way… but knowing what I know… I can see that Christ is telling EVERYONE – the disciples, you, me, everyone – that he is giving them the “keys to the kingdom”. Have I erred in my assertion or does Peter really hold some special post that no one else is privy to? That seems absurd.

Thank you,
T____

Hi T____,

Thank you for your question about exactly who has the keys to the kingdom of God? Both the Catholics and the Mormons use these verses in Mat 16 to establish themselves as the one true church of God. But is it not obvious to the most casual observer that Christ is the key to the kingdom of God? Of course He is, and yes, you are exactly on target. Christ was talking, not just to Peter, but to all of His disciples, including you and me.

Mat 16:13  When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
Mat 16:14  And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
Mat 16:15  He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

When Christ is speaking, He is always speaking to “He that hath [ been given] ears that hear.” This is the statement that concludes the message to all seven of the churches of Asia.

Rev 2:29  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Just as with Peter, the message is addressed to the angel of each church individually. “Unto the angel of the church in Ephesus… Smyrna… Pergamos… etc. But after addressing it to each individual church, we are also told, “He that hath and ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches.“
Since we are told that mankind is to “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”, it does not add one word to scripture to say ‘He that hath an ear let him hear what the spirit says to the apostle Peter.’
If Christ’s promise of the keys to the kingdom was to Peter alone, then why is not the previous verse also to Peter alone?

Mat 16:17  And Jesus answered and said unto him [ Peter], Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Is the revelation of Jesus Christ only given to Peter? If any of these verses are addressed only to Peter, then what are we to make of what Christ told the Adversary at the very beginning of His ministry?

Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

The Greek for the word ‘man’ here is ‘anthropos’. It means all of mankind of all time. How can mankind “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” if mankind is not given “the keys to the kingdom of God” which words have proceeded out of the mouth of God?
Where is that kingdom which needs these keys? Is it not within each of us?

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Who will rule in the kingdom of God? Is it not the “overcomers.”

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Rev 2:28  And I will give him the morning star.

What is the difference between the keys to the kingdom of God and “the key of David” the king who is the symbol of that kingdom? Are there two different keys?

Isa 22:22  And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
Rev 3:7  And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

Is this not exactly what Christ was referring to when He told the disciples:

Mat 16:19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

To “bind and loose” is to lock and to unlock.

I will conclude with these two verses of scripture, which make clear that we are all given all things alike.

Ecc 9:2  All [ things come] alike to all: [ there is] one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as [ is] the good, so [ is] the sinner; [ and] he that sweareth, as [ he] that feareth an oath.
1Co 3:21  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
1Co 3:23  And ye are Christ’s; and Christ [ is] God’s.

“Let no man glory in men.” We are directly commanded not to glory in men, be it Peter or Joseph Smith, and yet that is exactly what both the Catholics and the Mormons, the Calvinists and all other denominations of men do.
“All things come alike to all… things present and things to come are all ours,” including “the keys to the kingdom of God”. All the verses you pointed out – Joh 6:44, Joh 14:6, and Act 4:12 – all demonstrate that “all things are yours”, and it is the Father who drags us to Himself by His own spirit.
God bless you as you stand for Him and remain faithful to His Word.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike