Q: What are the keys of the kingdom?
A: The preaching of the holy gospel
and Christian discipline toward repentance.
Both preaching and discipline
open the kingdom of heaven to believers
and close it to unbelievers.1
1 Matt. 16:19; John 20:22-23
Q: How does preaching the gospel open and close the kingdom of heaven?
A: According to the command of Christ:
The kingdom of heaven is opened
by proclaiming and publicly declaring
to all believers, each and every one, that,
as often as they accept the gospel promise in true faith,
God, because of what Christ has done,
truly forgives all their sins.
The kingdom of heaven is closed, however,
by proclaiming and publicly declaring
to unbelievers and hypocrites that,
as long as they do not repent,
the anger of God and eternal condemnation
rest on them.
God's judgment, both in this life and in the life to come,
is based on this gospel testimony.1
1 Matt. 16:19; John 3:31-36; 20:21-23
Q: How is the kingdom of heaven closed and opened by Christian discipline?
A: According to the command of Christ:
Those who, though called Christians,
profess unchristian teachings or live unchristian lives,
and after repeated and loving counsel
refuse to abandon their errors and wickedness,
and after being reported to the church, that is, to its officers,
fail to respond also to their admonition-
such persons the officers exclude
from the Christian fellowship
by withholding the sacraments from them,
and God himself excludes them from the kingdom of Christ.1
Such persons,
when promising and demonstrating genuine reform,
are received again
as members of Christ
and of his church.2
1 Matt. 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 5:3-5, 11-13; 2 Thess. 3:14-15
2 Luke 15:20-24; 2 Cor. 2:6-11