Theology 101 No. 28

The Office of the Key:

The Church’s Power to Forgive or Retain Sin

AWhat is the Office of the Keys? The Office of the Keys is that special authority which Christ has given to His church on earth to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they do not repent.”

AWhat do you believe according to these words? I believe that when called ministers of Christ deal with us by His divine command, in particular when they exclude openly unrepentant sinners from the Christian congregation and absolve those who repent of their sins and want to do better, this is just as valid and certain, even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself.”

Luther’s Small Catechism, 1991 edition. P. 29.

As we have studied a variety of topics, we have seen that our God works, more often than not, through means/instruments. He communicates His Word to us through the Means of Grace. He also uses people in their various Christian vocations to show Himself to the world (the “Masks of God”). Knowing these principles is necessary for understanding the Office of the Keys. God uses His people to communicate His Word to others. The task of the Pastor in communicating God’s Word through preaching and teaching is perhaps the most recognized method. God has given the task of sharing the Word to all Christians (though not the preaching office). As we have also learned, God’s Word has two basic, but equally vital, components: Law and Gospel. Both must be used to make the other effective.

In John Chapter 20 (see verses 19-22) Jesus gave to the Church its mission: To forgive and to retain sin. This power is called the Office of the Keys. The “Keys” represent the power of the church to lock or unlock heaven to an individual (See Matthew 16:19 and 18:18). In a society that incorrectly interprets and uses Jesus’ words in Matthew 7 (“Judge not lest the me judged”), this power to lock and unlock heaven makes little sense or can be scary given the abuse that can and has occurred over the centuries. But the Office of the Keys, when used properly and in accordance with God’s Word is a good and holy gift from Him. The forgiveness of sins is at the very heart of Christianity. And there can be no sweeter words spoken to a broken and repentant heart than, “Your sins are forgiven.” Even the pronouncement that one’s sins are retained carries with it the hope that the seriousness of the individual’s condition before God will help them to see their need for repentance. (The second use of the Law helps a person to see their sin and their need for Christ and His forgiveness to escape God’s just wrath.)

The Office of the Keys draws its power from the fact that the Word of God is the only authority in the church and that God’s precepts are the only means through which the congregation must operate. The Church is commanded to teach all that Christ has commanded (Matthew 28:20). Christ teaches that repentance (Law) and the forgiveness of sins (Gospel) in His name is to be preached (Luke 24:46,47) and that the sins of the unrepentant are to be retained/unforgiven (God’s judgement announced). “The lack of repentance makes faith in Jesus Christ impossible” (Light from Above, p. 133). The Office of the Keys is truly a matter of (eternal) life and (eternal) death. The keys correctly applied, by using the Law and the Gospel properly, help to assure our eternal life with Christ.

With this said, it is amazing that our Lord would entrust to sinful human beings such a powerful task as goes with the Office of the Keys. It is a power that has been misused in the past. But it must be remembered that any pronouncement of the forgiveness of sin or its withholding is only valid in heaven IF it is done in accordance with God’s Word and command. Forgiveness cannot be given for that which God does not forgive, nor can condemnation be declared for that which God does not condemn. (In other words a pastor cannot declare your sins unforgiven because he has made a pronouncement that green and gold are to never be worn. It is not a commandment from the Scriptures but from his own whimsy. If, however, a pastor withholds forgiveness from a person who is living in sin, that is in accordance with God’s Word and is as valid on earth as in heaven [even if it is not recognized on earth by some].)

The joy of knowing that ones sins are forgiven and hearing the reassurance of this from the lips of a brother or sister in Christ is without measure for the soul that is truly anguished over its sin. To know we are forgiven means peace with God, eternal life with Him, and the security that goes with knowing we are His child. “Confronting” people with their sin in an effort to win them back to Christ or to prevent them from straying too far is truly one of the most loving things we can do for our "neighbor.” The joy for us in seeing an erring brother or sister return to the flock is celebrated even in heaven by the angels (Matthew 18:12ff). The Keys are a tremendous gift to Christ’s church on earth and it is a gift that must be used as if people’s eternities are at stake -- for they truly are.