What does it mean Mat 16:18-19?

[Leonardo Von]

What does it mean Mat 16:18-19?

•    Mat 16:18 -> “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.”. 

First, Jesus passes to call Simon, of Peter (that is, a little stone) and on the assertion of Peter, Jesus promised to build His Church:

•    Mat 16:16 -> “Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”.

The belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, is the Rock on what the Church will be built up and against which the gates of hell won’t prevail. That is to say, the gates of hell couldn’t keep Jesus there because He was thoroughly perfect, pure, holy.

•    Eph 4:8-9 -> “Wherefore he says, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?”.

Although Jesus went to the hell for some time for being dying our death (carrying our sins), the death and the hell couldn’t hold Him.

Now, if we establish our life on this Rock (that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God), we will pass out of death to life (John 5:24), without experimenting any condemnation (Rom 8:1) (without going to hell).

Next, Jesus said:

•    Mat 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.”.

First of all, what are the keys of the kingdom of heaven? Well, considering that God is love (1John 4:8,16), Jesus is God (1John 5:20) and Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1), therefore the key of the kingdom of heaven is Jesus’ word:

•    1Jn 5:3 -> “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”.

It is the following of Jesus’ commandments the key which opens the kingdom of heaven (which is being built up in the heart of all believer – 2Co 3:1-3; 1Pe 2:5-8). In other words: if we yearn for being part of the building that Jesus is constructing in the heart of every believer and pine for seeing them being part of Jesus’ building in our life, we need to obey Jesus’ commandments, because this is the expression of God’s love (to wit, the capacity to keep His commandments).

However, recollect that the Rock on which the Church is built is to consider Jesus as Son of the Living God. That is to say, we need to do this, not by our force, but through His presence and power.

When we use Jesus’ word to link people with us (so that they also may have fellowship with us in Jesus Christ – 1John 1:3), each link isn’t only here on the Earth, but in the heaven too.

At the same way, if for the sake of disobedience (the person departed from Jesus and His teachings) we unlink people our of live, each link will be broken in the heaven too.

Finally, what does it mean “to be loosen” of the heaven?

•    Mat 18:18-20 -> “Verily I say unto you, What things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”.

Note that, when two or three are gathered together in Jesus’ name and agree in what they are asking Him, this is a sign that Jesus is amidst them and, for this, the Father will attend the request.

So, have a good day using Jesus’ word to build His Church inside you.