Tag: Theology

What are the Keys of the Kingdom?

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In Matthew 16, we read that in response to Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:17), Jesus says:

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. 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 16:18-19

These verses have been used by the Roman Catholic Church to support the concepts of papal authority and papal succession, suggesting that Peter’s successors hold the keys of the kingdom.

But is this correct?

What was Jesus speaking about when he said “on this rock I will build my church”? And what are the “keys of the kingdom”?

In a recent Sermon Extra video, Pastor Mike and I discussed this topic. Here are some highlights, and then you can see the full video below.

What was Jesus speaking about when he said “on this rock I will build my church”?

There are 3 possible options:

  • Jesus is speaking about Peter as the first leader of the church
  • Jesus is referring to Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) and the Son of the Living God (deity)
  • Jesus is referring to himself as the rock (cornerstone) upon which the church is based

The strength of the first view (that Jesus is speaking about Peter) is the fact that Peter’s name means “stone.” So, perhaps Jesus is speaking about Peter through a play on words.

However, when Peter himself writes his first epistle (1 Peter), he writes that we who are believers are like living stones which are being built together into a spiritual house (temple), with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he says that we who are believers are members of the household of God, which is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).

When John (who was present when Jesus said those words recorded in Matthew 16) wrote his gospel, he made this statement his grand culmination:

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 20:30-31

It’s surprising just how similar John’s words are to Peter’s statement: that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. John says that this is the way to receive eternal life. So, is this confession of Jesus as Messiah and God the foundation of the church?

Here’s the thing: even if it is referring to Peter, and Jesus was giving Peter a position of primacy of leadership in the early church, it does not necessarily follow that Peter’s primacy of leadership would then be handed down in succession to whoever held his position in the future. This is especially true, since Peter’s position changed over the course of time in the early days of Christianity. Early on, we see Peter as a leader in the church in Jerusalem, but eventually he left Jerusalem. He eventually died in Rome, but the church in Rome was not started by him.

The idea of papal succession is quite a leap from this verse, and it has significant historical issues with it as well, as I explain in the video linked below.

What are the “Keys of the Kingdom”?

Keys are something which open doors and close doors. Did Jesus give these keys specifically to Peter, or were they given to Christian leaders in general, or even to believers in general?

If they were given to Peter, it is worth noting that Peter is the one who opened the doors to salvation through Jesus first to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), then to the Samaritans (Acts 8), and then to the Gentiles (Acts 10-11).

It is certainly significant that the exact phrase that is used in Jesus’ statement in Matthew 16 about the keys of the kingdom: “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” is used again by Jesus only two chapters later in Matthew 18, when he is talking about how to deal with a fellow believer who has sinned against you.

There, after explaining the protocol for dealing with these situations, he says:

“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Matthew 18:18-20

This is spoken to all of Jesus’ disciples, not just Peter, but the final statements seem to make it clear that this statement applies to all believers who gather in Jesus’ name.

Here’s the video in which we discuss this in a bit more detail, especially in regard to this historical development of interpretation within the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches:

What Proof is there that Jesus Actually Resurrected?

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On this episode of the Theology for the People podcast, Michael Payne and I discuss what is at stake in regard to Jesus’ resurrection, as well as some alternative explanations for Jesus’ missing body that have been proposed. Finally, we share some of the strongest evidences for why Christians believe that Jesus did in fact rise from the grave.

Click here to listen to the episode, or listen in the embedded player below.

What Proof is there that Jesus Actually Resurrected? – Theology for the People

In this episode, Nick Cady and Michael Payne discuss what is at stake in regard to Jesus' resurrection, as well as some alternative explanations for Jesus' missing body that have been proposed. Finally, they share some of the strongest evidences for why Christians believe that Jesus did in fact rise from the grave. For more from Nick and Mike, check out the White Fields Church Podcast, whitefieldschurch.com, or the White Fields YouTube channel. Make sure to visit the Theology for the People blog at nickcady.org for more articles and content.

Bible Study in the Dark Ages: The Irish Monastic Approach and What It Can Teach Us Today

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Shane Angland is a teaching elder at Ennis Evangelical Church in County Clare, Ireland. He is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M.) and holds a B.A. in History and Politics from the University of Limerick. Shane also served for several years as a missionary in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

On this episode of the Theology for the People podcast, Shane shares some of his research about the Irish monastic approach to Bible study in the “Dark Ages” and what made it unique, as well as what we today can learn from their practices.

Check out Shane’s blog here: anglandicus.blogspot.com

Click here to listen to the episode, or listen in the embedded player below.

Bible Study in the Dark Ages: The Irish Monastic Approach and What It Can Teach Us Today – with Shane Angland – Theology for the People

Shane Angland is a teaching elder at Ennis Evangelical Church in County Clare, Ireland. He is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M.) and holds a BA in History and Politics from the University of Limerick. Shane also served for several years as a missionary in Kharkiv, Ukraine. On this episode, Shane shares some of his research about the Irish monastic approach to Bible study in the "Dark Ages" and what made it unique, as well as what we today can learn from their practices. Check out Shane's blog here: http://anglandicus.blogspot.com/ Visit the Theology for the People blog at nickcady.org, where you can read articles and suggest topics for future episodes.

Applied Theology: Ministering to Victims of Human Trafficking – the Theological Foundations of “Mercy Ministry”

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Earlier this month, I travelled to Hungary and Ukraine with a small team of pastors and leaders to put on a retreat for Ukrainian leaders who have been involved in providing aid over the past year since the full-scale invasion of their country.

On the way, I had the opportunity to visit some friends in Hungary, including my friend László (Laci), who pastors in Budapest.

In addition to pastoring a local church, he leads a ministry which helps those caught in human trafficking to escape prostitution and experience lasting freedom. 

The south side of Budapest, where Laci ministers, is a working class area, known for high levels of crime and prostitution.

While I was in town, I had the opportunity to sit down with Laci to discuss we discuss the theological foundations for “mercy ministries” and how Laci got involved in practical ministry to the poor and oppressed. 

For more information, visit: Servants Anonymous Foundation

Click here to listen to the episode, or listen in the embedded player below.

Applied Theology: Ministering to Victims of Human Trafficking in Budapest, Hungary – The Theological Foundations of "Mercy Ministry" – Theology for the People

László (Laci) is a pastor in Budapest, Hungary. In addition to pastoring a local church, he leads a ministry which helps those caught in human trafficking to escape prostitution and experience lasting freedom.  The south side of Budapest, where Laci ministers, is a working class area, known for high levels of crime and prostitution. In this episode, we discuss the theological foundations for "mercy ministries" and how Laci got involved in practical ministry to the poor and oppressed.  For more information, visit: Servants Anonymous Foundation

Wealthy & Whole – with Jeff Gipe

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In this episode of the Theology for the People podcast I speak with Jeff Gipe about what the Bible says about wealth, why it is that so many wealthy people are not “whole,” and what the solution is to this problem.

Jeff Gipe is a pastor in Franklin, Tennessee. Previously, he was a successful businessman in Southern California, who left the business world to plant a church in the area where he lived, which happens to be one of the most affluent communities in the world. 

Jeff is a graduate of Western Seminary, and has put in a lot of work theologically and practically into thinking biblically about the topic of money and how it relates to God’s vision for human flourishing.

Click here to listen to the episode, or listen in the embedded player below.

Wealthy & Whole – with Jeff Gipe – Theology for the People

What does the Bible say about wealth? Why is it that so many wealthy people are not "whole" – and what is the solution? Jeff Gipe is a pastor in Franklin, Tennessee. He was a successful businessman in Southern California, who left the business world to plant a church in the area where he lived, which happened to be one of the most affluent communities in the world.  He is a graduate of Western Seminary, and has put in a lot of work theologically and practically into thinking biblically about the topic of money and how it relates to God's vision for human flourishing. Visit the Theology for the People blog at nickcady.org, where you can read articles and suggest topics for future episodes.

Business as Mission – with Steven and Teresa Yeats: Missionaries in Moldova

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A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of traveling to Chisinau, Moldova, to visit Steven and Teresa Yeats, friends of mine who have been missionaries in Eastern Europe for many years.

Steven is a pastor and a church planter, but a few years ago he started a business in Moldova, and in this episode of the Theology for the People podcast, he talks about the spirituality of money and the reasons for considering doing business as a form of mission.

We talk about sustainable church planting and unique needs that exist in the developing (majority) world for jobs to be created so that Christian people who want to be part of what God is doing in their home countries can stay without feeling the need to emigrate.

Additionally, Steven and Teresa share about how the war in Ukraine has affected their lives and their ministry, and how we can be praying for them and for the church in Moldova.

Click here to listen to the episode, or listen in the embedded player below.

Business as Mission – with Steven and Teresa Yeats, Missionaries in Moldova – Theology for the People

Steven and Teresa Yeats have been missionaries in Eastern Europe for many years. They currently live in Chisinau, Moldova. Steven is a pastor and a church planter, but a few years ago he started a business in Moldova, and in this episode he talks about the spirituality of money and the reasons for considering doing business as a form of mission. We talk about sustainable church planting and unique needs that exist in the developing (majority) world. Additionally, Steven and Teresa share about how the war in Ukraine has affected their lives and their ministry in Moldova. Finally, they share how we can be praying for their ministry and the church in Moldova. Make sure to check out the Theology for the People blog at nickcady.org

The Subversive Power of the Lord’s Prayer

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Dan Marotta is the founding Rector of Redeemer Anglican Church in Richmond, Virginia, and the author of Liturgy in the Wilderness: How the Lord’s Prayer Shapes the Imagination of the Church in a Secular Age.

In this episode, we discuss the topic of prayer and the Lord’s Prayer specifically. 

The Lord’s Prayer is a beautiful, subversive prayer given to the church by Jesus. It forms our imaginations and—given time—transforms us. Dan explains how what you pray shapes what you believe, which in turn shapes how you live.

What was Jesus’ intention in giving us this prayer? Was it to give us a model of how to pray, or was it intended to be given to us as what to pray? Dan and I discuss the historical usage of the Lord’s Prayer, as well as the value and dangers of both praying written prayers and praying extemporaneously.

Dan is a graduate of Denver Seminary, and we discuss some of the cultural uniquenesses of different parts of the United States, and how those affect the way we minister to others.

Click here to listen to the episode, or listen in the embedded player below.

The Subversive Power of the Lord's Prayer – Theology for the People

Dan Marotta is the founding Rector of Redeemer Anglican Church in Richmond, Virginia, and the author of Liturgy in the Wilderness: How the Lord's Prayer Shapes the Imagination of the Church in a Secular Age. In this episode, we discuss the topic of prayer and the Lord's Prayer specifically.  The Lord’s Prayer is a beautiful, subversive passage of words given to the church by Jesus. It forms our imaginations and—given time—transforms us. Dan explains how what you pray shapes what you believe, which in turn shapes how you live. Visit the Theology for the People blog at nickcady.org, where you can read articles and suggest topics for future episodes.

Ministering in Ukraine During the War: How God is Working and How to Pray – with Benjamin Morrison

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Benjamin Morrison is a missionary in Ukraine and the pastor of Calvary Chapel Svitlovodsk in Central Ukraine. He is also a leader with City to City in Europe and Ukraine.

Ben and I got to know each other when I was I pastoring in Hungary, and we have kept in touch over the years. I have had the opportunity to serve with him in Ukraine, and he has visited our church in Colorado many times as well.

When the war began in Ukraine last February, Ben and his family decided to stay in order and try to meet the needs of the many displaced people who were coming to the region where he lives seeking refuge and safety.

This safety is somewhat relative, as Ben’s city has also come under attack from Russia.

In this episode of the Theology for the People podcast, I speak with Ben about the significant humanitarian aid his church has been providing, as well as how the war has affected people’s view of God.

We also discuss other ethical and theological questions related to the war, including the conundrum faced by Christians in Russia regarding how to respond.

You can support Ben and the ministry he is doing by visiting bit.ly/give2ukraine

Click here to listen to the episode, or listen in the embedded player below.

Ministering in Ukraine During the War: How God is Working & How to Pray – Theology for the People

Benjamin Morrison is a missionary in Ukraine and the pastor of Calvary Chapel Svitlovodsk in Central Ukraine. Ben is also a leader with City to City in Europe and Ukraine. To support Ben and the ministry he is doing, visit bit.ly/give2ukraine Visit the Theology for the People blog at nickcady.org to read articles, suggest topics, or ask questions.

Big Announcement! – Audiobook Now Available on Audible (and more!)

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My book, The God I Won’t Believe In: Facing Nine Common Barriers to Embracing Christianity, is now available in audiobook! (Click here to view it on Audible)

This is something that I and my colleague, Curt Fuller, have been working on for many months, and it just went live today.

Additionally, Curt and I sat down recently to record a short podcast episode to talk about the other projects we have in the works, as well as to describe the process of writing and recording these books.

Curt Fuller is the Technical Director at White Fields Community Church. He was the editor of my first book, and he is the voice which reads the audiobook.

Prior to coming to work at White Fields, Curt was already in the audiobook publishing world and was involved doing voiceovers, so he was the right man for the job!

In addition to this audiobook, we have two other projects in the works: a group study guide for The God I Won’t Believe In, which is designed to be used in small groups, youth groups, or by families or individuals at home, and a new book tentatively titled, So That You May Believe, based on evidences for believing in Jesus found in the Gospel of John.

Stay tuned for those, and go pick up a copy of the audiobook version of The God I Won’t Believe In on Audible!

Click here to listen to the podcast episode, or listen I n the embedded player below.

Writing Update & Announcement: Audiobook Preview & Upcoming Book Releases – Theology for the People

Curt Fuller is the Technical Director at White Fields Community Church in Longmont, Colorado. Additionally, Curt is Nick's writing partner; he was the editor of Nick's first book: The God I Won't Believe In: Facing Nine Common Barriers to Embracing Christianity The audiobook version of that book was published on February 1, 2023. In this episode, you can hear a preview of that book, and we discuss other projects currently in the works. To read the Theology for the People blog, or to suggest a topic or ask a question, visit: nickcady.org

The Trinity: Ontological & Economic

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As Christians, we confess that there is one God who eternally exists in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The three persons of the Trinity are equal in power and glory, are co-eternal, and are of the same essence (Ousia in Greek).

The Father is God, the Son is God, the Spirit is God, but the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Father, nor is the Spirit the Father or the Son. 

The three persons of the Trinity also have unique functions, and relate to each other in unique ways. As a result, we can speak about the Trinity in two ways: the “Ontological Trinity” and the “Economic Trinity.”

Ontological Trinity

“Ontological” has to doing with “being.” So, to speak of the Ontological Trinity is to explain who God is, and who the three persons of the Godhead are. 

The major ecumenical councils of the church, such as Nicaea and Chalcedon, focused on the ontological nature of the persons of the Trinity, and affirmed that Jesus, the Son, is very God of very God, and that the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force, but is, indeed, God. 

So, to speak about the Trinity ontologically, is to affirm both the divine nature and the unique personhood of the three persons of the Trinity.

Economic Trinity

“Economic” has to do with action, roles, and function: what God (and each person of the Godhead) does.

So, when we take an economic view of the Trinity, we are talking about the things which the Father does, or which the Spirit does, which are unique to that person of the Godhead.

For example, it is the role and function of the Holy Spirit to perform the sealing and sanctifying functions of God in the life of a believer.

Jesus, the divine Son, uniquely took on human flesh, came to Earth, lived a sinless life, and died on a cross for our redemption. 

The Father sent the Son, the Son submitted to the Father and obeyed the Father, the Father and the Son sent the Spirit. The Spirit glorifies and points to the Son. The Son glorifies the Father. The Father exalts the Son. The Son ever lives to make intercession for us. The Spirit indwells believers, reminding them of what the Son said, and bringing about conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Application

One important application of these principles, is the understanding that economic actions, such as submission, leadership, and difference of roles, does not diminish or take away from a person’s ontological identity, value, dignity, or identity.

This is communicated explicitly in Philippians 2, where we are told that Jesus, although he was equal with the Father, as God (ontologically), did not regard equality with [the Father] (economically) something to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and humbled himself in obedience, even to the point of death on a cross. 

The point here is that Jesus’ economic activity did not detract from his ontological nature. 

A point of application is made in the New Testament, in the complementary roles of men and women in the church. Though men are called to teach and exercise authority in the “household of God” (1 Timothy 3:15), this does not diminish or take away from the ontological equality of men and women as human beings, and as children of God, but is rather a matter of economic function. If this is true of the Trinity (and clearly it is), then it should not surprise us that it is true in the “household of God,” acted out by those who reflect His image to the world.

For more on this, check out this discussion of 1 Timothy 2:8-15, which I had with my wife, Rosemary, for our church’s weekly Sermon Extra video: