Jesus taught about church in two distinct passages in Matthew:
Matthew 16:13-19: Unlocking the kingdom
Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ (vs 16-19)
‘I will build my church’ – The church belongs to Christ. It is his body, will be his bride, is the building of which he is the cornerstone, and the family in which he is the first-born son.
‘The gates of Hades will not prevail against it’ – no evil can prevent the church from thriving.
‘On this rock’ – The rock that began as, and continues to be, the foundation of the church forever is the confession that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and the Son of God. Jesus plays on the Greek words for rock (petra) and Peter (petros), who became a founding apostle of the church at Pentecost. He was the first to preach the Gospel, in Acts 2.
‘I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven’ – Jesus sets out the authority that his church will have. Keys open doors. Jesus’ church is the sole body of people who have been given the authority to work with God in opening the door of his kingdom to other people (cf. Matthew 28:18-20).
Difference between the kingdom and the church
NB. Matthew speaks of the ‘kingdom of heaven’ where other Bible writers use ‘kingdom of God’ in respect of his Jewish audience, for whom the name of God was too holy to be written down. The phrases are otherwise synonymous.
‘The kingdom is primarily the dynamic reign or kingly rule of God, and ... the sphere in which the rule is experienced … the church is the community of the kingdom.’ – George Ladd
God forms the church by and for the kingdom:
BY – when people enter the kingdom they are baptised into the body of the church
FOR – the church is the main instrument for building further the kingdom of God
The foremost agent of the kingdom of God is the church, in obedience to God and filled with his Holy Spirit.
(Jesus said if the Pharisees succeeded in silencing his disciples’ praise, that the stones would shout out instead (Luke 19:40). When the church does not obey God and is silent, he may use all kinds other agents to advance his rule and reign. This can be seen clearly throughout history. However, his first choice, his plan A, is to use the church, to whom he has given the authority and responsibility to increase his kingdom.)
Matthew 18:15-20: Changing heaven from earth
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’ (vs 18-20)
This passage is in the context of church discipline (see vs 15-17). Since we have been given ‘keys’ plural to the kingdom, we can assume that the church has God-given authority to open up the kingdom of heaven in a plurality of ways.
‘The power of the church is its God-given authority to carry on spiritual warfare, proclaim the gospel, and exercise church discipline.’ – Wayne Grudem
Grudem’s summary suggests three main areas of authority given to the church:
- Spiritual warfare
- Proclamation of the gospel
- Discipline of the body
Although it is a whole subject in itself, we must note that the church has authority to govern itself, have structures of accountability, and processes of discipline for its members.
‘whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven’ – whilst a common rabbinical term, the concept of binding and loosing is used only twice in the Bible, both times by Jesus speaking about the church.
The church has authority to act on earth and influence heaven. We know that we are the link between heaven and earth: we are seated spiritually in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:4-7) where the King is enthroned, yet we live on the earth with His kingdom inside of us (Luke 17:20-21). When we go to people, the kingdom of heaven comes near to them (Matthew 10:7-8), and is demonstrated as we give in the power of God. As the internet is in one sense everywhere, yet you need a computer to access it, so it is with God’s kingdom. In one sense his rule is everywhere, yet people need a specific point to log on to it. You are that point of contact.
Understanding our heavenly authority
To comprehend what the church’s influence on heaven is, we need to understand more clearly how heaven works, what the significance of heaven is to the world, and how this influence operates. We will do this through three premises:
1 Our authority is located in the spiritual realm
Colossians 1:16, Ephesians 1:18-23 and 6:10-12 create for us a picture of the created order of beings in the heavenly realms:
- Thrones
- Rulers and authorities
- Power and dominion
- Every title that can be given
The position which has authority over all others is ‘thrones’. In fact it is from here that all others were created. All throughout the Bible we read that God is enthroned in the heavens. Jesus, after his death and resurrection, was raised up by God to the highest place, seated (or enthroned) at the right hand of the Father. Note that he is ‘far above’ all others that follow.
‘Rulers’ are the highest angelic beings (Greek arche, hence ‘archangel’), one third of which have fallen to become demonic rulers. Traditionally the angel Gabriel and Lucifer (who became Satan) would be found at this level. ‘Authorities’ indicates their areas of authority and operation.
‘Power’ speaks of lesser spiritual powers, such as normal ranking angels, and those that fell to become demons and evil spirits. It may be that ‘dominion’ refers to their areas of authority and operation, mirroring their superiors. ‘Every title’ covers every other rank and position given in creation, whether heavenly or earthly – invisible or visible.
So where do we fit in? Before we joined the church, we were low down, subject to the influence of spiritual powers and particularly Satan’s regime. The Bible teaches that He is the prince and god of this world (John 12:31, 2 Corinthians 4:4), and that his kingdom is made up of the kingdoms of this world, to which we belonged. But when God ‘rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son’ (Colossians 1:13), our status changed dramatically. We were made alive together with Christ and raised up with him and seated in the heavenly places with him! (Ephesians 2:4-6) That means that spiritually we are at the top of the order in Christ – seated in the throne room with him, far above all other beings whether spiritual or earthly.
Our authority in this position is awesome. God has made Jesus ‘the head over all things for the church, which is his body’ (Ephesians 1:22b-23a).
Difference between power and authority
Two men square up in the street: one is a heavyweight boxer. He has the power to knock out the second man. The latter, however, is a policeman. Whilst physically less powerful, he carries with his badge the authority to arrest and detain the boxer. His authority has been given to him by the government, who will back up his actions. We are not in ourselves more powerful than many other people, let alone spiritual beings such as Satan and demons. We have however, authority where he has none. Our authority over him, and all other powers, has been given to us by God, who will back up our actions carried out in his name by the power of Jesus’ Spirit (Mark 16:15-20). ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you’ (James 4:7).
2 The world is directly affected by the spiritual realm
Ephesians 6:12 – our struggle is not against other people, but spiritual beings and powers in the heavenly realms. Satan’s kingdom influences and deceives those outside of God’s kingdom (2 Corinthians 4:4). What happens in the world around us is directly influenced by what happens in the heavenly realms – both by God and his angels, and evil powers who dwell there.
There are two main arenas in the heavenly realms (both called ‘heaven’ in the Bible):
1 GOD’S SEAT OF POWER
God, Jesus, and spiritually the church enthroned. God’s kingdom based here, his perfect will unopposed. The place of ultimate authority far above all others. Isaiah 63:15, Revelation 4:2, 8; 5:6.
2 THE ARENA OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE
The spiritual dimension where fallen spiritual beings contest the will of God to prevent his work being carried out on the earth by angels. Ephesians 6:12, Revelation 12:7-9, Daniel 10:12-13.
This may sound far out to an ‘enlightened’ Western society, but the Bible is explicit on such matters. ‘If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth’ (Colossians 3:1-2).
After Peter’s revelation above about Jesus’ identity – which would become the foundation of the church – he made the mistake of opposing God’s plan to allow Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus rebuked the source of such behaviour, Satan, and told Peter ‘you are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things’ (Matthew 16:23).
So the world is affected by this spiritual war – and the church is the only entity on earth with the authority and power to do something about the outcome.
3 The spiritual realm is affected by what the church does on earth
2 Corinthians 10:3-4 – ‘we live as human beings, but we do not wage war according to human standards; for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power…’
God has raised the church up in Christ to a position of authority and power. He has given us the responsibility within his overall will and control to influence what happens on the earth by changing things in the spiritual arena of warfare. That is what Jesus referred to when he said ‘What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven…’
He also said to pray to the Father, ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ (Matthew 6:10). The church is the only entity on earth who can give power to God’s agents who battle in the spirtual realm so that they can deliver the will of God to the earth, and thereby increase his kingdom. Daniel 10:10-14 depicts this mechanism explicitly.
How we exercise this authority is another discussion; broadly it is found in praying for God’s will to be done in Jesus’ name, and by the impact of lives lived in obedience to God, and full of his Holy Spirit. In these ways we advance His kingdom by preaching the gospel, undertaking spiritual warfare, and looking after the church.
Strength in number
In closing, return to Matthew 18:18-20. It confirms what we have learnt about the operation of God’s will and the authority of the church in bringing that will to earth. It is important to note how prayer is highlighted as the main method, and how vital it is to have a plurality of people gathering and agreeing together in prayer: a picture for us of church as God intended.
Application
The number of implications from this teaching are many. Here are a few main areas for further discussion and exploration:
1 How should this affect the way that you pray? What are the most important factors in making prayer effective?
2 Does this expand your view of spiritual affairs? Did you realise that the Bible was so explicit on the subject? Why do you think God wants his church to be aware of such things? What may happen if we are not?
3 What does this tell us about the importance of belonging to a local expression of church? Where do we stand without submitting to church government, and gathering and agreeing with other believers?
4 How can we marry our authority in spiritual warfare and making disciples?
5 How important is the church to God? What does it mean to belong to a local church as well as the universal one?
6 In what ways do we exercise our authority as a church? Resistance, prayer, preaching the gospel, obedience, putting on the armour … any others? What are our divinely powerful weapons?
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