An important hermeneutical method is that the intended audience must always be considered. For example, what are we to make of Matthew 16:19 when Jesus tells Peter that he has the keys to Heaven and whatever he binds and looses on Earth will be bound in Heaven?
You will notice that I’ve used two translations in the header image. The first is the NKJV, which was my typical study Bible at the time of writing, and the other is the AMP. The AMP is the Amplified Bible, which uses a combination of both word for word and thought for thought translation methods. That means that it not only contains the closest possible corresponding English word to the words found in the original transcripts, but also means it can help interpret the more difficult ones.
Which brings us on to the verse in question. It’s important to know that both Jesus and Peter were very devout Jews (no need to say which of them was more devout). That being said, they both understood Jewish phrases that would blow over the heads of most non-Jews. This could be compared to the way “Christianese” sounds to an unbeliever. This is important, as you will see.
Going back to the AMP, the Jewish phraseology is interpreted for us, almost explaining to us exactly what the verse means. Jesus telling Peter that he has been given the “keys of the Kingdom of Heaven” literally means he has been given the authority of the Kingdom of Heaven. To “bind”, in Jewish legal terms, means to forbid, and to “loose” means to allow. Most noteworthy in the AMP’s rendering is that it says “will have [already] been...” bound or loosed. The YLT (Young’s Literal Translation) also has a similar rendering.
A comparison can be drawn between Peter and Moses in this respect. For example, in Matthew 19 and Mark 10, Jesus is questioned on the legitimacy of divorce. Both He and those questioning Him referred specifically to what Moses allowed. During his time as prophet, Moses was also effectively given the keys (authority) of Heaven. In Exodus 4:16, a more powerful statement is actually made: “you shall be to him as God” (said by God to Moses concerning Aaron the Levite). Obviously, the God who will share His glory with no man (Isaiah 42:8), and declares that all authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Him (Matthew 28:18) was not saying “Moses, Peter, you’re gods now”. Rather, both Moses and Peter were being given the authority to speak on God’s behalf. They were His messengers on the Earth.
Just as Moses “loosed” divorce, but “bound” the consumption of pork under the Old Covenant, Peter and the other apostles had been given the authority to forbid and allow that which pertains to the New Covenant. During their lives, they did so by word of mouth, but they also had the good sense (thank you Lord Jesus) to write down their doctrines in the form of epistles, which we still have today as Scriptures. This enables us, in a lesser sense, to also “bind” and “loose” the things that we know have been bound or loosed. This can be compared to the modern legal system. The Lord is the King, the Bible is the law, the Prophets and Apostles are the judiciary and police, and we are lawyers. God’s authority as King is absolute. What He says goes, and no one, not even Peter, is higher. The Apostles, as the “judiciary”, do not have the right to change the law, but they can interpret it, declare it, and even enforce it. When a court makes a ruling, lower courts must obey. We, as “lawyers”, also cannot change the law, but we can advise on what it says.
So that is what it means when Peter was given the keys to Heaven and the authority to bind and loose. Rather than being able to control God’s decisions, it actually means he was able to declare them.