Fridays with the Heidelberg

Lord’s Day 31

83. Q. WHAT ARE THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM?
A. The preaching of the holy gospel and Christian discipline toward repentance. Both preaching and discipline open the kingdom of heaven to believers and close it to unbelievers.

84. Q. HOW DOES PREACHING THE GOSPEL OPEN AND CLOSE THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN?
A. According to the command of Christ: The kingdom of heaven is opened by proclaiming and publicly declaring to all believers, each and every one, that, as often as they accept the gospel promise in true faith, God, because of what Christ has done, truly forgives all their sins. The kingdom of heaven is closed, however, by proclaiming and publicly declaring to unbelievers and hypocrites that, as long as they do not repent, the anger of God and eternal condemnation rest on them. God’s judgment, both in this life and in the life to come, is based on this gospel testimony.

85. Q. HOW IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN CLOSED AND OPENED BY CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINE?
A. According to the command of Christ: Those who, though called Christians, profess unchristian teachings or live unchristian lives, and after repeated and loving counsel refuse to abandon their errors and wickedness, and after being reported to the church, that is, to its officers, fail to respond to their admonition- such persons the officers exclude from the Christian fellowship by withholding the sacraments from them, and God Himself excludes them from the kingdom of Christ. Such persons, when promising and demonstrating genuine reform, are received again as members of Christ and of His church.



How is the church different from a bible study or Christian retreat?

Just this past week I discussed this question with another believer. It’s a good question. In our conversation, one of the distinctions we discussed was the issue of authority. Today’s Lord’s Day reading deals with the responsibility and authority that the church has to uphold the preaching of the word of God and church discipline. Among others, these are two “marks” of a biblical, healthy church. Sadly, we know that both of these marks are absent in many of the churches that fill our cities.

The Heidelberg points to how these two marks serve as keys. The preaching of the word of God and discipline both serve to open the door as well as close the door to the kingdom. We need more gospel-centered preaching that points the listener to their need for Christ. We also need to keep the church pure and holy, and discipline serves in that regard. Stuart Scott writes, “The Lord has a twofold purpose in church discipline: one is to put godly pressure on the erring brother to repent for his own good and God’s glory, and the other is to keep his church pure.” (The Faithful Parent, 120)

May our church continue, by God’s grace, to pursue faithfulness in these two areas of preaching and discipline for our good and for His glory.