Upon This Rock
Devotions for Growing Christians
Upon This Rock
Matthew 16:16 - Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Matthew 16:18 - Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
In response to Peter's great confession of faith, the Lord Jesus gave a wonderful doctrinal statement about the Church: "Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." Has so much truth ever been spoken in so few words? But perhaps because this statement is so concise, misunderstanding - and even serious controversy - has arisen over the years about Church doctrine that is contained in our Lord’s words.
- There is misunderstanding about the definition of the Church.
- There is misunderstanding about the foundation of the Church.
- There is misunderstanding about the mission of the Church.
Although you may have already firmed up your understanding of these areas of doctrine, read on! It never hurts to "revisit" Church doctrine!
It's Alive!
Misunderstanding about the definition of the Church occurs when the concepts of "organism" and "organization" are blurred. Composed of all true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Church is a living, breathing, growing organism. It is not an organization, hobbled by iron-clad traditions. When the Lord Jesus said that He would build His Church, He wasn't revealing a blueprint for building a rigidly structured ecclesiastical organization with multi-tiered levels of power and authority! No way! Jesus had real people in mind. His Church is described as His Body and His Bride! Our Lord was looking forward to a living, growing, vibrant relationship with His redeemed people - a restoration of the loving fellowship between God and the people He had created in His own image.
Although there must be structure (authority and spiritual leadership) within each individual local church, the New Testament does not describe the universal Church as a hierarchical, structured organization. The Church universal, as the living, growing, active Body of Christ, is compared to the human body in many places in Scripture. (Read 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4.) The healthy human body is a living, growing, active organism, with myriad complex characteristics and functions. Each part of the human body has its part to play, and every part is important. There is no "hierarchy" in the body's parts. Ultimately, the "head" (brain) callsl the shots for the proper functioning of the body.
In the same way, the universal Church is an active organism with many different "parts," with Jesus Christ as the "Head" (Ephesians 4:15-16). Every local church is unique, with its own characteristics and mission. As important body parts, each individual believer and each local church should receive direction from, and should answer directly to, Christ, the Head of the Body. An individual Christian can best practice this truth of the unity of the Body of Christ by first being non-sectarian, and second, by being actively involved in a Christ-honoring, Bible-teaching local church that takes its direction straight from the Head of the Body.
On Solid Rock!
There is misunderstanding about the foundation of the Church, as described by our Lord in Matthew 16. When the Jesus said "upon this rock I will build my church," He was not indicating that Peter would be the foundation of the Church. He was referring to Himself as the solid Rock, and to the rock-solid truth that Peter had just stated about Jesus as the Messiah: "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus was not just the son of David - He was indeed the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God. And upon Him alone, based upon this great foundational truth, the Church would be built.
There’s no doubt that Peter played a significant role in the early Church. The name Peter ("petros"), means a stone or a small boulder. Jesus used this name to unfold the foundation of the Church. Peter - and all the apostles - are described as foundational stones or boulders in Ephesians 2:19-22, which uses a growing building to illustrate the Church. Peter was given the keys to open the doors of the kingdom at Pentecost (Acts 2), and to open the doors to the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius (Acts 10). In Matthew 18:18 and John 20:23, Peter - and the rest of the apostles - were given the power to bind and loose the disciplinary retention and forgiveness of sins. This power has nothing to do with salvation, and it is still granted to church leaders today.
Although Peter played a significant role in the early Church, the Lord Jesus never declared Peter to be the massive rock foundation on which the Church was to be built! In Matthew 16:18 the Lord used two different forms of a Greek word: "You are Peter ["petros," a stone or small rock], and upon this rock ["petra," a massive rock] I will build my Church...." Look at how the word "petra" is used in the parable of the wise builder in Matthew 7:24-25. "Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house upon a rock [petra]. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock [petra]." Obviously the rock foundation on which the wise man built was not just a "petros" - a small boulder!
1 Corinthians 3:11 clearly states that "no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."
Other New Testament references teach in no uncertain terms that neither Peter, nor any "successor" of Peter, was ever to be considered the head of the church! Ephesians 1:22 states that "God placed all things under His [Christ's] feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body." Ephesians 5:23 reiterates that "Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior." Primacy and supremacy clearly belong to Christ alone!
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created...all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the Head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy" (Colossians 1:15-18).
Peter never considered himself to be the foundation of the Church. In fact, in 1 Peter 2:4-6 he described every Christian as one of the many "living stones" that make up the building of the Church, with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone of the foundation. Peter never considered himself to be the head of the church, but only a "fellow-elder" - one of many elders (1 Peter 5:1).
When did the Church begin? The foundation for the Church was laid with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the building began with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). In Matthew 16, when the Lord Jesus said, "I will build My Church" (future tense), it’s clear that the Church had not yet begun.. Since the Church is described as "the temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 3:16), it follows that the Church did not begin until the Holy Spirit descended on the believers at Pentecost. Although the Spirit was certainly present and working in the lives of Old Testament believers, He did not indwell them in the same way as He continuously indwells the body of Christ on earth today.
Mission Possible!
Misunderstanding about the mission of the Church is based on the phrase, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." What did our Lord mean? What are "the gates of hell"? And in what way could the "gates of hell" prevail against the Church? Did He mean that satanic powers and persecution would not be able to stop the growth of the Church? Did He mean that demonic forces would not be able to penetrate the true body of Christ? While both of these statements are true, most likely the Lord had neither of these two church truths in mind when He made this prediction. To comprehend the amazing truth of this statement, we need to look at the historical background: the gates of ancient cities.
In biblical times, the gates of a city were the key points in the city's defense. Massive stone gates with multiple-chambered inner gates were constructed to withstand opposing armies. To "possess the gate of your enemies" (Genesis 22:17), meant to conquer your enemy. When the gates of the city were breached, the attacking army had won. The city was conquered because the gates had not been able to withstand the attack!
But what about the "gates of hell"? The Greek word that is used here, and is translated as "hell," is actually the word "hades." Hades is not the same as hell, or the lake of fire. It’s a word that is used to describe the realm of the dead - the place of departed spirits. For an example, read the story our Lord told in Luke 16:19-31. In this story, the word "hades" is used to describe the place where the unbelieving dead await the final judgment (v23). This distinction is also used in Revelation 20:13-15 where "death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire."
This important background reminds us of the true state of unbelievers now, and after death. Without Christ, all humanity is presently held captive - without hope - behind the gates of hades! In John 3:18 Jesus tells us that "Whoever believes in Him [the Son of God] will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already" (note: present tense). But in Hebrews 2:14-15 we learn that "[Jesus] shared in...humanity so that by His death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."
With this background in mind, we can begin to appreciate the tremendous prediction the Lord made in Matthew 16. It's an astounding concept and a wonderful encouragement for believers! When Jesus Christ died and rose again, the power of death was broken. Death was unable to keep its hold on our Lord Jesus - and in His death and resurrection He conquered death itself!
Now, as members of His Body, we are also members in His victorious army. We can storm the "gates of hades" and rescue people from the clutches of death! The gates of hades will not prevail against the assault of Christ's victorious Church! Because we know that death is a conquered foe, our mission is to act on Christ's statement, and snatch the captives as "brands from the fire" (Zechariah 3:2, Jude 23). Because the power of death was broken at the cross, the building of the Church will go on, living stone by living stone, until the building is complete. The gates of hell will not prevail against it.
Two thousand years of Church history have proven the accuracy of our Lord's prediction. Although there are misunderstandings and confusion over the precise meaning of His words, the ongoing fulfillment of His prophetic statement is wonderfully clear: "Upon this Rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it"!
- Dave Reid