Keys of the Kingdom: Salvation and Speaking in Tongues

What Did Jesus Mean by “Keys of the Kingdom”?

When Jesus spoke of giving Peter “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19), He was not introducing mystery language. He was not pointing to a private spiritual experience. He was not defining a vocal sign.

He was speaking about authority.

However, over time, misunderstandings about spiritual authority have shaped how some believers understand salvation itself. In particular, many within the Oneness Apostolic tradition teach that speaking in tongues is the required initial evidence of salvation. They believe that unless a person speaks in tongues, they have not yet fully received the Spirit.

We must examine that claim carefully.

Because if tongues are required as proof of salvation, then assurance depends on an experience. However, if Scripture teaches something different, then we must anchor salvation where the apostles anchored it.

So we begin where Jesus began, with the keys.

Keys of the Kingdom: The Only Way in is Through Him

Keys of the Kingdom is a Scripture-centered study of Matthew 16 that examines what Jesus meant when He gave Peter “the keys of the kingdom.” This book explores the biblical meaning of authority, binding and loosing, and the gospel message entrusted to the church. It also carefully addresses the question of whether speaking in tongues is required evidence of salvation, guiding readers through the relevant passages with clarity, balance, and respect for Scripture.

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The Keys in Matthew 16: Revealed Truth, Not Vocal Experience

In Matthew 16:13–19, Jesus asks His disciples who they believe He is. Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responds that flesh and blood did not reveal this to Peter, but the Father in heaven.

Then Jesus says, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”

The context matters.

The keys are connected to revealed truth. Peter confesses the identity of Jesus. Jesus affirms that confession as divinely revealed. Then He grants authority connected to that revelation.

Nothing in the passage connects the keys to a vocal manifestation. Nothing suggests a private prayer language. Instead, the keys are tied to proclamation.

Keys open and close. They grant access. Therefore, the authority given in Matthew 16 concerns the declaration of the gospel, not the enforcement of an experience.

Isaiah 22: The Background of the Key

Jesus’ language echoes Isaiah 22:22, where Eliakim receives “the key of the house of David.” That key represents administrative authority. It signifies stewardship. Eliakim governs on behalf of the king.

This background clarifies Matthew 16.

The key is not mystical power. It is delegated responsibility. It allows access according to the will of the king.

When Peter preaches in Acts 2, he uses those keys. He proclaims repentance and faith in the risen Christ. He opens the door to Jews, and later, through Peter again, to Gentiles in Acts 10.

The key is proclamation of the gospel.

Therefore, we must be cautious about redefining kingdom authority as a required vocal sign. Authority in Scripture is connected to truth, not to a specific manifestation.

Binding and Loosing: Authority Under Heaven

Jesus continues in Matthew 16:19, saying, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” He repeats similar language in Matthew 18.

In Jewish context, binding and loosing referred to permitting and forbidding. It concerned teaching authority.

The apostles did not invent doctrine. They declared what heaven had revealed. They bound what Christ forbade. They loosed what Christ permitted.

Therefore, binding and loosing does not give leaders power to define salvation beyond Scripture. It calls them to faithfully proclaim what God has already established.

If Scripture does not declare tongues as a universal requirement for salvation, then no binding authority can make it so.

What Is the Sign of Salvation in the New Testament?

If tongues are required evidence, we would expect clear, repeated instruction stating that every believer must speak in tongues.

Instead, the New Testament consistently emphasizes repentance, faith, and union with Christ.

Paul writes in Romans 10:9 that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved.

In Ephesians 1:13, he explains that believers are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when they hear the word of truth and believe.

The Spirit Himself is the seal. The seal is not described as a specific vocal gift.

Furthermore, the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 focuses on character transformation. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control mark a Spirit-filled life.

Salvation is rooted in faith in Christ and evidenced by transformation, not by one specific gift.

Tongues in Acts: Descriptive, Not Prescriptive

We affirm that speaking in tongues is real. It appears in Acts. It appears in 1 Corinthians.

In Acts 2, the apostles speak in other languages as the Spirit enables them. In Acts 10, Gentiles speak in tongues as a sign that they too have received the Spirit. In Acts 19, disciples of John experience something similar.

However, Acts is describing historical moments. These events mark transitional expansions of the gospel: Jews, Samaritans, Gentiles, and followers of John.

We must ask: does Luke present these events as universal commands for every future believer?

The book of Acts never explicitly states that tongues are required evidence for all believers. Instead, it records significant redemptive-historical moments.

Description is not always prescription.

1 Corinthians 12:30 — Do All Speak With Tongues?

This is the critical passage.

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul explains that the Spirit distributes gifts as He wills. He lists various gifts: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing spirits, various kinds of tongues, and interpretation.

Then Paul asks a series of rhetorical questions:

“Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?”

The implied answer to every question is no.

Paul does not single out tongues as universal. He includes tongues among many gifts given selectively by the Spirit.

If Paul believed that every believer must speak in tongues as evidence of salvation, this would have been the perfect place to clarify that distinction. Instead, he places tongues within the broader category of spiritual gifts distributed differently among believers.

Therefore, Scripture itself answers the question: not all speak with tongues.

Engaging the Oneness Apostolic Perspective

Many within the Oneness Apostolic movement sincerely teach that speaking in tongues is the required initial evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit. This doctrine developed through early twentieth-century Pentecostal revival movements and was shaped by specific readings of Acts.

We must approach this with humility.

Many who hold this view love Scripture. They desire biblical faithfulness. They seek genuine spiritual experience.

However, our loyalty must remain with the full counsel of Scripture.

When we examine Matthew 16, Isaiah 22, Acts, and 1 Corinthians together, we do not see a command that every believer must speak in tongues as proof of salvation. We see tongues as a real and valuable gift. We see it as a sign in key historical moments. But we do not see it defined as a universal requirement.

Therefore, we affirm the reality of tongues while rejecting its elevation to mandatory evidence.

Assurance and the Gospel

This matters pastorally.

If salvation depends on a specific manifestation, believers who have not spoken in tongues may doubt their standing before God. They may question whether they have truly received the Spirit. They may feel pressured to produce an experience.

However, Scripture anchors assurance in Christ.

John writes that whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Paul points believers to faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

The gospel does not rest on a vocal sign. It rests on the person and work of Jesus.

Therefore, the keys of the kingdom open the door through proclamation of Christ crucified and risen. They do not enforce a required manifestation.

Why the Keys of the Kingdom Matter

When Jesus entrusted the keys to His apostles, He entrusted the authority to declare who belongs to the kingdom. That declaration rests on confession of Christ, repentance, and faith.

The church must guard the door faithfully.

We must not add requirements that Scripture does not add. We must not subtract what Scripture commands. We bind and loose only according to heaven’s revealed Word.

Tongues remain a gift. They can edify. They can serve in prayer and worship according to biblical order.

However, they are not the key to salvation.

Christ is.

A Call to Deeper Study

If this topic raises questions for you, we encourage you to examine the passages carefully. Read Matthew 16 in context. Study Isaiah 22. Compare Acts with 1 Corinthians 12. Ask what Scripture explicitly commands and what it simply records.

For those who want a more detailed, passage-by-passage study of these texts and their implications for the doctrine of salvation, our book Keys of the Kingdom explores this subject in depth. In it, we walk through the relevant Scriptures carefully and address common arguments with clarity and respect.