Matthew 16:18–19 (ESV)
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. 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.”
In Matthew 16:19 Jesus says he is giving the keys to the kingdoms of God to the Apostle Peter. Keys are used to unlock doors and grant entry to those outside. In regards to entering Heaven, the keys refer to what we must do to gain entry. Peter did not keep the keys to himself but gave them to the rest of the world. On the day of Pentecost when the first church got its start.
Acts 2:37–38 (ESV)
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The keys or the way in which we are able to unlock the kingdom of God and enter are repentance, baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost. These are the very keys Jesus referred to in Matthew and the very same keys that grant us entry today. The locks have not changed nor have they become loose throughout time.
Don’t fall into the trap of believing there is a back door or another way in. There is no other plan of salvation. This is it. The keys are right there at your fingertips, shown clearly in the Bible. Use them and unlock the door before it is locked forever and never able to open again.
If you want to know more about the biblical plan of salvation. As well as the keys, repentance, baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost, please read some of our other articles. They go into far greater detail about each of them than we can in this article. But know that it is in Acts 2:38 that we are given the very keys we must use to gain entrance into the kingdom of God. There is only one narrow path to Heaven and this is it be one of the few who finds it.
Matthew 7:14 (ESV)
14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
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