Two view of whether the keys to the kingdom open and close church membership:
No, for Matthew 16:19, unlike Matthew 16:18, discusses not the church but the kingdom. The two are not identical. Jesus’s preaching about the kingdom never referred to organization, to being bound to a confession, or to a contrast with Israel. When Christ speaks of the church, he begins with the confession and speaks of a defined circle. The connection between kingdom and church is also seen here, and in that relationship the kingdom is the broader reality. When the keys of the kingdom are spoken of in connection with the church, this evokes the idea that in the narrower sphere, the church has authority with respect to the broader sphere—the kingdom. As such, the church stands as the core, as the center of the kingdom. The fact that the church is the army of the kingdom can perhaps be inferred from other passages of Scripture, like 2 Corinthians 10:4 and Ephesians 6:13, but it is not expressly stated here in Matthew 16:19.
Yes, Matthew 16:19 speaks of
the keys
: the full authority that Jesus gives to Peter. The church is correct to connect the keys with the preaching of the gospel and with church discipline.
Interpretation 1:
No, in Matthew 16:19, unlike in Matthew 16:18, the discussion is no longer about the church but about the kingdom of heaven. This clearly shows here that the two are not identical. From the beginning Jesus preached about the kingdom of heaven—the sphere in which God’s kingship is acknowledged. In speaking of the kingdom, he never referred to organization, to being bound to a confession, or to a contrast with Israel. Regarding the kingdom of heaven, one can focus on the realm when one focuses on the King; one can focus on the whole range of blessings enjoyed within it when one focuses on the citizens who belong to it.
When Christ speaks about the church, he begins with the confession and speaks of a defined circle. The connection between kingdom and church is also clearly evident here, and in that relationship the kingdom is the broader reality. When the keys of the kingdom are spoken of in connection with the church, this evokes the idea that in the narrower sphere—the church—there is authority with respect to the broader sphere—the kingdom. As such, the church stands as the core, as the center of the kingdom. The fact that the church is the army of the kingdom can perhaps be inferred from other passages of Scripture—for example, 2 Corinthians 10:4 and Ephesians 6:13—but it is not expressly stated here in Matthew 16:19.1
Interpretation 2:
Yes, Matthew 16:19 speaks of the keys
: that is, the full authority that Jesus gives to Peter. One may assume that, in light of the entire work of Christ, the later church did not act incorrectly when, in connection with the keys, it thought of the preaching of the gospel and of church discipline and excommunication.
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 loosedin heaven.”