Question 84: How is the kingdom of heaven opened and closed by the preaching of the gospel?

 

Question 84: How is the kingdom of heaven opened and closed by the preaching of the gospel?

Answer: It is opened by the command of Christ. That is, by publicly proclaiming and declaring to all believers that God, through the merits of Christ, forgives all their sins when they believe the promise of the gospel with true faith. But it is closed to unbelievers and hypocrites by publicly proclaiming and declaring that they are subject to God's wrath and eternal damnation unless they repent. God's judgment in this life and the life to come is based on this gospel testimony.

 The unlocking of the keys of the kingdom of heaven is connected to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. God unlocked the keys of the kingdom of heaven on earth when the disciples preached and those who accepted the gospel received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the keys are unlocked in heaven, and God uses Satan to judge those who accept the gospel.

Just as Satan tempted Jesus, God presents three tests: opulence, legalism, and gnosticism. Those who pass the test will receive the Holy Spirit from heaven. The old will die, and they will be born anew. This opens the gates of heaven.

Opening the keys on earth does not automatically unlock them in heaven. Rather, it means giving the keys of heaven to apostles and saints on earth. What is unlocked on earth will be unlocked in heaven.

If a saint on earth diligently ministers, yet preaches unbiblically, with doctrines that defy the Bible, the keys of heaven will not be opened. If a saint diligently preaches the gospel effectively, yet those who hear it believe, yet remain mired in legalism, the keys of heaven will not be opened.

There may be a time difference between the moment the keys are unlocked on earth and the moment they are unlocked in heaven. Regarding that time, neither the Son nor the angels know. Only the Father knows. There may be a time difference between the moment the keys are unlocked on earth and the moment they are unlocked in heaven.

Regarding that time, neither the Son nor the angels know. Only the Father knows. Therefore, the command is to stay awake and pray. The saints are to pray earnestly for the keys of heaven to be unlocked.

 

Question 85: How are the gates of heaven shut and opened by Christian discipline?

Answer: It is done by the command of Christ. That is, if anyone, though he calls himself a Christian, believes unchristian doctrines, lives an unchristian life, and, despite the constant admonitions of the church, persists in his errors and wickedness until the fact is known to the church officers and he refuses even their admonitions, the officers must exclude him from the communion of saints by forbidding him to receive the sacraments. God will also banish him from the kingdom of Christ. If such a person promises and practices true repentance, he will be received back into Christ and into the church.

The opening and closing of the gates of heaven are directed at non-Christians. When non-Christians repent and believe that they are united with Jesus Christ in death and resurrection, they are baptized and become citizens of heaven. Those who enter into Christ have already entered the gates of heaven, for the gates of heaven are open.

The opening of the gates of heaven is for those who enter into Christ, and the closing of the gates of heaven is for non-Christians. They are not opened and then closed, but are originally closed.

The doctrine that God expels from His kingdom those who live unchristian lives and stubbornly cling to their own wrongdoings and wickedness is incorrect. This means that such people were never originally part of Christ. Regarding the claim that those born of water and the Spirit later fall away and live unchristian lives, those who live unchristian lives are not originally born of water and the Spirit. They simply consider themselves Christians.

Those born again of water and the Spirit, even if they occasionally live a wrong life, are not driven out by God, but are merely pricked by Satan to bring them to their senses. Salvation, once granted, is immutable. Doctrines imply that those who have been saved can lose it again, but this is untrue.

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