Peter's Commission: A Closer Look
"I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18).
These are some of the most controversial words in all of the Bible. A lot of Christian history has been based on how people have interpreted the meaning of this text.
For many, it meant that Jesus built His church on Peter, that he was what has been called "the first pope," and that he, Peter, was the rock that Jesus was talking about.
Others, however, interpret it as Jesus saying, essentially, You are Peter, but on this Rock, Myself, I will build My church. The evidence, as we'll see below, is strongly in favor of the latter.
Look up the following texts. How do they help us understand what the rock is that Jesus is talking about here? Deut. 32:4; Pss. 18:2, 31; 95:1; 1 Cor. 10:4; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:6.
No matter how privileged Peter was, no matter his gifts, no matter the importance of his role, God's church has never been built upon a sinful human being. Heaven forbid! Jesus Himself is the Rock, the foundation upon which His church rests. All of us, including Peter, whatever our role and position, are secure as long as we rest on that foundation, that Rock, and we can do that only to the extent that we are surrendered in faith and obedience (see Matt. 7:24) to the words and command of our Lord. Sure, the Lord knew the future of Peter and knew what Peter would become, but He certainly was not going to make Peter, a sinful, fallen human being, the foundation rock of His church. What should Christ's words tell us about the importance of humility in our lives and especially in our work for the salvation of others? Why, whatever our gifts, are they nothing if not surrendered to the Lord?
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