“Learning to Engage Others with Jesus”: Evangelism and the Keys

Keys have really changed over the years. In many cases, that little piece of metal with all the right notches and grooves is unnecessary. Now you simply need a piece of plastic with the properly-encoded magnetic strip or the correct PIN to punch in on a keypad or your fingerprint or your retina or your voice to gain access through locked doors.
But the most important keys will never become outmoded or unnecessary, at least not while we’re still on this earth. After Peter had confessed that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), Jesus not only blessed him, but He also said to all His disciples (and thus to all the church, including us), “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” (Matthew 16:19). What precisely these “keys” are is described well by Dr. Luther in his Small Catechism: “The Office of the Keys is the special authority which Christ has given to His Church on earth: to forgive the sins of the penitent sinners, but to retain the sins of the impenitent as long as they do not repent.”
So what do these “keys” have to do with evangelism, with telling others about Jesus and what He has done for them? Everything! Your unbelieving friend is locked up in prison. His unforgiven sin keeps him under the curse of God. Paul talks about this: Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them (Galatians 3:10). If you are under God’s curse, it means that you are locked up in prison, sitting on death row, waiting for the sentence to be carried out. There is no way for your friend to escape, at least not on his own. This fact may be news to your friend, that they are condemned because of his sin, but it’s vital for him to know. Telling your friend this bad news is what Jesus referred to as “binding” sin on earth.
It’s such a blessing and joy to be able to share some good news with your unbelieving friend also! When your friend admits that he recognizes his sin, when he confesses that he has sinned against God, then you get to use the “loosing” key with him: “Your sins are forgiven!” You are privileged to tell your friend that instead of remaining under God’s curse, someone else took his place and therefore took away his curse: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). Because Jesus took our place, because He took our punishment for our sins, the doors of our prison are unlocked and the very doors of heaven are opened to us.
As you continue to “engage others with Jesus” in your daily life, keep that picture of using the keys in mind. We have known this message of marvelous freedom since the time we were baptized and the gates of heaven were unlocked for us. Every day we are blessed to live in freedom from the curse of sin as we await the day of going to our true home of heaven. How many people do you know that need their prison door unlocked? With how many of your friends can you share the best news of all, the news that Jesus has freed them from sin, death, and hell and opened heaven to them? When you engage others with Jesus, you do use the keys He gave you.
Michael K. Smith teaches at Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary in Mankato, Minnesota, and serves on the Board for Home Outreach.