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Podcast: The Bible as Literature
Episode: If Your Brother Sins
Description: When Jesus said to Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,” it is usually misunderstood as the gift of personal power, as though Peter is himself invested with divine authority. (Matthew 16:19) This is an incorrect reading. The keys entrusted to Peter are the words handed down to the church in the content of Paul’s gospel—the teaching Peter betrayed in Galatians. These keys do not belong to Peter. They are entrusted to him and to the other disciples to preach, teach, and discern the path of righteousness for the Lord’s flock. Neither the keys n...