Jesus is the Rock His Church is built upon, according to Mt.16:18-19

Quasar92

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In these verses, Christ stated, “And I say unto you, that you are Peter, and upon this Rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

In order to understand the meaning here, we must start reading from Matt. 16:13. Christ asked the disciples, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?”

Peter answered, “ You [Jesus] are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (vs. 16). Then Christ responded, “You are Peter [petros, which means little rock], and upon this rock [petra, means very great rock, referring to Christ Himself] I [pointing to Himself] will build My church” (vs. 18). Most people assume here that Christ is building His Church on Peter. But this is not the case. Christ is the great “Rock” upon whom the Church is built (Deut. 32:3-4, 15, 18; I Cor. 10:4; Eph. 2:20; I Pet. 2:6), not Peter (Eph. 1:22; 5:23; Col. 1:18).


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stevenfrancis

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Interesting take. Here are a few other things to consider in order to see the whole picture at a more macro level. The idea of Petrine primacy doesn't just come from Matthew 16, to my understanding. Before posting other things here, I also would like to point out that Even Matthew 16 itself, if you keep reading, goes on to say: MT 16:19 and I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
MT 16:18 And I tell thee this in my turn, that thou art Peter, and it is upon this rock that I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; 18 κἀγὼ δέ σοι λέγω ὅτι σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς.

MK 3:14 and he appointed twelve to be his companions, and to go out preaching at his command, 15 with power to cure diseases and to cast out devils. 16 To Simon he gave the fresh name of Peter; 16 καὶ ἐποίησεν τοὺς δώδεκα, καὶ ἐπέθηκεν ὄνομα τῷ Σίμωνι Πέτρον:

In lists of the Apostles, Peter listed first, and Judas always last. Mt 10:2; Mk 3:16; Lk 6:14; Acts 1:13

JN 1:42 and brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him closely, and said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona; thou shalt be called Cephas (which means the same as Peter). 42ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν. ἐμβλέψας αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν: σὺ εἶ Σίμων ὁ υἱὸς Ἰωάννου, σὺ κληθήσῃ Κηφᾶς, ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται Πέτρος.

JN 21:15 And when they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, dost thou care for me more than these others? Yes, Lord, he told him, thou knowest well that I love thee. And he said to him, Feed my lambs. 16 And again, a second time, he asked him, Simon, son of John, dost thou care for me? Yes, Lord, he told him, thou knowest well that I love thee. He said to him, Tend my shearlings.[2] 17 Then he asked him a third question, Simon, son of John, dost thou love me? Peter was deeply moved when he was asked a third time, Dost thou love me? and said to him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou canst tell that I love thee. Jesus said to him, Feed my sheep.

Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has claimed power over you all, so that he can sift you like wheat: 32 but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith may not fail; when, after a while, thou hast come back to me, it is for thee to be the support of thy brethren.

Acts 4:7 And they had Peter and John brought into their presence, and asked them, By what power, in whose name, have such men as you done this? 8 Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, and said to them, Rulers of the people, elders of Israel, listen to me.[2] 9 If it is over kindness done to a cripple, and the means by which he has been restored, that we are called in question,

John 21:3 Simon Peter told them, I am going out fishing; and they said, We, too, will go with thee. So they went out and embarked on the boat, and all that night they caught nothing.; ...7 Whereupon the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord. And Simon Peter, hearing him say that it was the Lord, girded up the fisherman’s coat, which was all he wore, and sprang into the sea. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat (they were not far from land, only some hundred yards away), dragging their catch in the net behind them.

First official act of the Church government: Acts 1:15 At this time, Peter stood up and spoke before all the brethren; a company of about a hundred and twenty were gathered there. 16 Brethren, he said, there is a prophecy in scripture that must needs be fulfilled; that which the Holy Spirit made, by the lips of David, about Judas, who shewed the way to the men that arrested Jesus. 17 Judas was counted among our number, and had been given a share in this ministry of ours. 18 (With the price of his treachery, this man came into possession of a field; and afterwards, when he fell from a height, and his belly burst open, so that he was disembowelled, 19 all Jerusalem heard of it, and the field came to be called, in their language, Haceldama, that is, the Field of Blood.)[4] 20 Well, in the book of Psalms the words are written, Let their camping-place be deserted, and let no man be found to dwell in it. And again, Let another take over his office.

First Post ascension preaching of the Gospel: Acts 2:14 But Peter, with the eleven apostles at his side, stood there and raised his voice to speak to them; Men of Judaea, he said, and all you who are dwelling in Jerusalem, I must tell you this; listen to what I have to say.

First Post ascension miracle: Acts 3:4 Peter fastened his eyes on him, as John did too, and said, Turn towards us; 5 and he looked at them attentively, hoping that something would be given him. 6 Then Peter said to him, Silver and gold are not mine to give, I give thee what I can. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. ....; 12 Peter, when he saw it, addressed himself to the people;

Acts 15:6 When the apostles and presbyters assembled to decide about this matter 7 there was much disputing over it, until Peter rose and said to them, Brethren, you know well enough how from early days it has been God’s choice that the Gentiles should hear the message of the gospel from my lips, and so learn to believe.

1Cor:4 that he was buried, and then, as the scriptures had foretold, rose again on the third day. 5 That he was seen by Cephas, then by the eleven apostles, 6 and afterwards by more than five hundred of the brethren at once, most of whom are alive at this day, though some have gone to their rest. 7 Then he was seen by James, then by all the apostles; 8 and last of all, I too saw him, like the last child, that comes to birth unexpectedly.

Acts 8:19 Let me too, he said, have such powers that when I lay my hands on anyone he will receive the Holy Spirit. Whereupon Peter said to him, 20 Take thy wealth with thee to perdition, thou who hast told thyself that God’s free gift can be bought with money. 21 There is no share, no part for thee in these doings; thy heart is not true in the sight of God. 22 Repent of this baseness of thine, and pray to God, in the hope of finding pardon for the thought which thy heart has conceived. 23 I see plainly that a bitter poison has taken hold of thee; thou art the bondsman of iniquity. 24 And Simon answered, Pray for me to the Lord, that none of this harm you have spoken of may fall upon me.

Of course there are more scriptures that point to Peter's primacy, and in fact the entirety of the New Testament mentions him an astounding 191 times in contrast to the next most mentioned Apostle, (John), who appears in the NT only 48 times. This, in itself is no proof, but certain worth a moment to ponder.

May God bless and keep you,

Steve
 
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Quasar92

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Interesting take. Here are a few other things to consider in order to see the whole picture at a more macro level. The idea of Petrine primacy doesn't just come from Matthew 16, to my understanding. Before posting other things here, I also would like to point out that Even Matthew 16 itself, if you keep reading, goes on to say: MT 16:19 and I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
MT 16:18 And I tell thee this in my turn, that thou art Peter, and it is upon this rock that I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; 18 κἀγὼ δέ σοι λέγω ὅτι σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς.

MK 3:14 and he appointed twelve to be his companions, and to go out preaching at his command, 15 with power to cure diseases and to cast out devils. 16 To Simon he gave the fresh name of Peter; 16 καὶ ἐποίησεν τοὺς δώδεκα, καὶ ἐπέθηκεν ὄνομα τῷ Σίμωνι Πέτρον:

In lists of the Apostles, Peter listed first, and Judas always last. Mt 10:2; Mk 3:16; Lk 6:14; Acts 1:13

JN 1:42 and brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him closely, and said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona; thou shalt be called Cephas (which means the same as Peter). 42ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν. ἐμβλέψας αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν: σὺ εἶ Σίμων ὁ υἱὸς Ἰωάννου, σὺ κληθήσῃ Κηφᾶς, ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται Πέτρος.

JN 21:15 And when they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, dost thou care for me more than these others? Yes, Lord, he told him, thou knowest well that I love thee. And he said to him, Feed my lambs. 16 And again, a second time, he asked him, Simon, son of John, dost thou care for me? Yes, Lord, he told him, thou knowest well that I love thee. He said to him, Tend my shearlings.[2] 17 Then he asked him a third question, Simon, son of John, dost thou love me? Peter was deeply moved when he was asked a third time, Dost thou love me? and said to him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou canst tell that I love thee. Jesus said to him, Feed my sheep.

Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has claimed power over you all, so that he can sift you like wheat: 32 but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith may not fail; when, after a while, thou hast come back to me, it is for thee to be the support of thy brethren.

Acts 4:7 And they had Peter and John brought into their presence, and asked them, By what power, in whose name, have such men as you done this? 8 Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, and said to them, Rulers of the people, elders of Israel, listen to me.[2] 9 If it is over kindness done to a cripple, and the means by which he has been restored, that we are called in question,

John 21:3 Simon Peter told them, I am going out fishing; and they said, We, too, will go with thee. So they went out and embarked on the boat, and all that night they caught nothing.; ...7 Whereupon the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord. And Simon Peter, hearing him say that it was the Lord, girded up the fisherman’s coat, which was all he wore, and sprang into the sea. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat (they were not far from land, only some hundred yards away), dragging their catch in the net behind them.

First official act of the Church government: Acts 1:15 At this time, Peter stood up and spoke before all the brethren; a company of about a hundred and twenty were gathered there. 16 Brethren, he said, there is a prophecy in scripture that must needs be fulfilled; that which the Holy Spirit made, by the lips of David, about Judas, who shewed the way to the men that arrested Jesus. 17 Judas was counted among our number, and had been given a share in this ministry of ours. 18 (With the price of his treachery, this man came into possession of a field; and afterwards, when he fell from a height, and his belly burst open, so that he was disembowelled, 19 all Jerusalem heard of it, and the field came to be called, in their language, Haceldama, that is, the Field of Blood.)[4] 20 Well, in the book of Psalms the words are written, Let their camping-place be deserted, and let no man be found to dwell in it. And again, Let another take over his office.

First Post ascension preaching of the Gospel: Acts 2:14 But Peter, with the eleven apostles at his side, stood there and raised his voice to speak to them; Men of Judaea, he said, and all you who are dwelling in Jerusalem, I must tell you this; listen to what I have to say.

First Post ascension miracle: Acts 3:4 Peter fastened his eyes on him, as John did too, and said, Turn towards us; 5 and he looked at them attentively, hoping that something would be given him. 6 Then Peter said to him, Silver and gold are not mine to give, I give thee what I can. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. ....; 12 Peter, when he saw it, addressed himself to the people;

Acts 15:6 When the apostles and presbyters assembled to decide about this matter 7 there was much disputing over it, until Peter rose and said to them, Brethren, you know well enough how from early days it has been God’s choice that the Gentiles should hear the message of the gospel from my lips, and so learn to believe.

1Cor:4 that he was buried, and then, as the scriptures had foretold, rose again on the third day. 5 That he was seen by Cephas, then by the eleven apostles, 6 and afterwards by more than five hundred of the brethren at once, most of whom are alive at this day, though some have gone to their rest. 7 Then he was seen by James, then by all the apostles; 8 and last of all, I too saw him, like the last child, that comes to birth unexpectedly.

Acts 8:19 Let me too, he said, have such powers that when I lay my hands on anyone he will receive the Holy Spirit. Whereupon Peter said to him, 20 Take thy wealth with thee to perdition, thou who hast told thyself that God’s free gift can be bought with money. 21 There is no share, no part for thee in these doings; thy heart is not true in the sight of God. 22 Repent of this baseness of thine, and pray to God, in the hope of finding pardon for the thought which thy heart has conceived. 23 I see plainly that a bitter poison has taken hold of thee; thou art the bondsman of iniquity. 24 And Simon answered, Pray for me to the Lord, that none of this harm you have spoken of may fall upon me.

Of course there are more scriptures that point to Peter's primacy, and in fact the entirety of the New Testament mentions him an astounding 191 times in contrast to the next most mentioned Apostle, (John), who appears in the NT only 48 times. This, in itself is no proof, but certain worth a moment to ponder.

May God bless and keep you,

Steve


The Confession; The Rock; The Church

Matthew 16:16-18


During the earthly sojourn of Jesus Christ there was much confusion and controversy about His identity. The question came up over and over, who is He? (Jno. 7:40-44).

He was aware of this, and He was especially concerned that His disciples knew who He was. The time came for that teaching. He had gone with His disciples to the area of Caesarea Philippi. It was here that He asked them two questions. The first had to do with what impressions the public had: "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" Then the Lord asked His disciples to speak for themselves, and Peter spoke up ...

"And Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." - Matt. 16:16-18.

There are three vital things here to be studied and distinguished: THE CONFESSION, THE ROCK, AND THE CHURCH.

Peter's Confession: "You are the Christ, the Son of God."

A variety of opinions prevailed among the people of that day about who the Son of Man was. By divine revelation Peter knew the truth, and he spoke it on this occasion without fear: "You are the Christ, the Son of God." Would you agree, this confession is important? Certainly. In fact, we know that the person who refuses to acknowledge this truth is refusing to be saved! Jesus said "if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins," (Jno. 8:24). And He said through John, "whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God," (1 Jno. 5:1). Likewise, "whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in Him, and He in God," (1 Jno. 4:15). This confession is the proposition that lies at the very foundation of the gospel plan; it is a truth that must be confessed and believed. It is important.

If this confession is important, wouldn't you agree, anything the Bible connects to it is also important? Or to state this another way: If this confession is important,
that which is built on it is also important! The church is built on this truth Peter expressed. Jesus, the Head of the church, said: "...on this rock I will build My
church!"

"This Rock!"

Should we think of "this rock" as the man, Simon Peter? In favor of this view, the name Peter means "rock," and the Roman Catholic edition of the New Testament has this footnote: "This rock was Peter."

This argument is made for one purpose: TO GIVE CREDIBILITY TO THE IDEA THAT PETER WAS THE FIRST POPE IN ROME. Of course, that idea can be rejected on the basis of any number of scriptural facts. But in regard to our text, consider these points:

(1) While the word "Peter" in the Greek is PETROS, which means small rock, the word "rock" as that which the church is built on is PETRA, which means a massive stone.

(2) Further, while PETROS (Peter) is masculine, PETRA is feminine in gender. These observations alone indicate, the Lord was talking about two distinct things. And, in the King James, the Lord referred to Peter as "thou," but He referred to the rock as "this."

"This rock" that the church is built on isn't Peter, it is the confession Peter made. You see, the church wasn't built on Peter, it was built on the truth about the divine
Person, Jesus Christ. Peter expressed the truth, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heven."

"And I also say to you that you are Peter (petros), and on this rock (petra) I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." Agreeing with this, the statement written by Paul in 1 Cor. 3:11, "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus christ." Likewise, in Ephesians 2:20 - "And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner-stone."

"I Will Build My Church!"

This statement identifies Jesus as the builder and owner of the church; it is a simple matter of grammar and wording: "I will build MY church." In the shedding of His
blood, His resurrection from the dead, ascension to God's right hand, and in the preaching He commissioned the apostles to do - HE BUILT HIS CHURCH. Those who come to Him in obedient response to the gospel become a part of His church, His body. They belong to Him.

Another point of grammar, when the Lord said, "I will," that indicates present intention to do something in the future! He was telling His chosen men, Here is what I
intend to do. He hadn't built the church yet, but He would in the future: "I will" became reality (see Acts chapter two)

It should be observed, the word "church" in this statement is singular. He said, "I will build My church." He didn't promise to set up a vast conglomeration of denominational bodies; he didn't say, "I will build my churches." There is one church! "The body" in Ephesians 1:22,23 is singular. "There is one body," (Eph. 4:4), and "...by one spirit we were all baptized into one body," (1 Cor. 12:12,13).

The text puts before us these facts about Christ and His church.

1. Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

2. God revealed this to Peter, not "flesh and blood."

3. Jesus told these men, He would build His church on this confession, and "the gates of Hades" would not prevent it.

What a privilege to be a part of Christ's body; to be baptized into this realm of fellowship with God and cooperation with His children to do His work.

May God Bless and keep you.


Quasar92
 
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Norbert L

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In these verses, Christ stated, “And I say unto you, that you are Peter, and upon this Rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

In order to understand the meaning here, we must start reading from Matt. 16:13. Christ asked the disciples, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?”

Peter answered, “ You [Jesus] are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (vs. 16). Then Christ responded, “You are Peter [petros, which means little rock], and upon this rock [petra, means very great rock, referring to Christ Himself] I [pointing to Himself] will build My church” (vs. 18). Most people assume here that Christ is building His Church on Peter. But this is not the case. Christ is the great “Rock” upon whom the Church is built (Deut. 32:3-4, 15, 18; I Cor. 10:4; Eph. 2:20; I Pet. 2:6), not Peter (Eph. 1:22; 5:23; Col. 1:18).


Quasar92
Here's an explanation given by a Christian scholar and he points out, it's not what we think "this rock" means in context, it's about what it meant to the disciples and their context, how they understood the what Jesus was referencing as the rock.
 
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AnticipateHisComing

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Of course there are more scriptures that point to Peter's primacy,
First of all, Jesus did not teach to revere one apostle over another.
Second, Peter was in no way inerrant. He made two famous blunders that were called out by God himself.
Third, whatever role and special authority given to Peter is never taught in scripture to be passed on to successive generations.

So why 2000 years later do we argue how important Peter was?
and in fact the entirety of the New Testament mentions him an astounding 191 times in contrast to the next most mentioned Apostle, (John), who appears in the NT only 48 times. This, in itself is no proof, but certain worth a moment to ponder.
You forget Paul who corrected Peter. If you reduce all the duplicate times Peter is mentioned in the first four gospels that repeat the same story you have Paul's name mentioned about the same number of times.

How about this statistics game.
Peter wrote 2 short books in the NT.
Paul wrote 13 expansive books in the NT.
Paul wrote so much more on the fine details of Christian beliefs.

Peter preached to the Jews. Not too many Jewish Christians today.
Paul was called by God to preach to the gentiles. Most of the Christians today.

I don't wish to belittle Peter, only to squash the thought that his legacy gives any one church some special privilege.
 
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stevenfrancis

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First of all, Jesus did not teach to revere one apostle over another.

Isn't this a bit of a straw man argument, to be fair? Neither my post, nor the scriptures, nor the doctrine of the Church suggests reverencing any Apostle over another. It's just simple fact that there was one Apostle set up by Christ as the Shepherd of His Church. That is, primarily to shepherd the other Apostles, (the Bishops), as their pastor until Jesus returns again to judge the living and the dead, and His eternal Kingdom established. This is not earned. It's not because of anything Simon did or didn't do. In fact, even the "rock" controversy that those of protestant debaters beat to death is not based on anything Peter did. Mt. 16:17 "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. So if anyone has reverenced an Apostle over another one, it is God the Father.

Second, Peter was in no way inerrant. He made two famous blunders that were called out by God himself.

Boy.....you nailed this one. Human beings are a fallen creature in need of salvation by a savior. David had an affair with one of his soldiers wives, and then had the husband killed in battle to cover the crime. Yet he was chosen by God the father to be the King of Israel, and the ancestor of Christ Jesus most important in his lineage.

Moses murdered an Egyptian, and was virtually unable to speak to people to the degree that he had to have his brother Aaron do most of the talking. God chose Moses to be grand patriarch of our entire evolution of faith. The founder of our religion. It goes on and on.

St. Paul was a persecutor of Christians, and stood by holding garments at the stoning of St. Steven. He asked for special orders to go to Damascus to round up and kill or imprison as many Christian followers as he could. God had other plans for him, making him the Apostle to the Gentiles, and one of Churches greatest teachers. As you mention elsewhere, even chastising Peter in one instance, which was probably needed at the time. St. Paul was smarter than Peter. He was a far more prolific writer, and the first "theologian" of the Church. In the same league as Augustine and Aquinas for Christian thought and writing. Yet he was not chosen by God to be the shepherd of his brother Apostles. He himself said he was last among the Apostles, and not worthy to be called one. Paul wasn't even on the scene yet when Jesus told the ignorant, hot tempered, temporary coward Peter: Lk 22:31* "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, * that he might sift you like wheat, 32* but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren.
and: Jn 21:15* When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." 16* A second time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go." 19* (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.)


Third, whatever role and special authority given to Peter is never taught in scripture to be passed on to successive generations.
Acts 1:15 In those days Peter stood up among the brethren (the company of persons was in all about a hundred and twenty), and said, 16* "Brethren, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David, concerning Judas who was guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was numbered among us, and was allotted his share in this ministry. 18 (Now this man bought a field with the reward of his wickedness; and falling headlong * he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. 19 And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20* For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his habitation become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it'; and 'His office let another take.' 21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us--one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection." 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, "Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two thou hast chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place." 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was enrolled with the eleven apostles.
Ps 108:7 Now bring aid to the men thou lovest, give our prayer answer, and lift thy right hand to save. 8 God’s word came to us from his sanctuary: In triumph I will divide up Sichem, and parcel out the valley of Tents;

So why 2000 years later do we argue how important Peter was?

Only the few. Over a billion Christians find no argument to be had. But okay......why indeed? Could it be that it IS important, and perhaps a sore spot to reformer? I'm just riffing on your premise. ;-)

You forget Paul who corrected Peter.

If you reduce all the duplicate times Peter is mentioned in the first four gospels that repeat the same story you have Paul's name mentioned about the same number of times.
The statistics are somewhat unimportant, and I can see where they would be trivial to the other side of the argument. I would like to keep two of them on the table, however, because it is from 4 different gospel writers. The fact that Peter is the first apostle mentioned in all Apostolic lists (And Judas last). It may seem trivial, but this isn't alphabetical, and it's not random. Mt 10:2; Mk 3:16; Lk 6:14; Acts 1:13). This means it is the order in the oral traditions being documented, that the various evangelists used. Then, of course in other times that he is mentioned in scripture, apart from lists, look at the content of the scripture in question, and you will find that with only a few exceptions, he is being referred to in some special way by the evangelists, and even Paul, who you wish to compare him to. It's not really a contest, and I probably shouldn't have tried to present the stats in the way I did. It was for brevity sake, and I was just hoping others would pick up on that. There would be a LOT of scripture I'd have to cut and paste.

I don't "forget" that Paul scolded Peter once. Not even that it needed doing. Does't change anything about Christ's mission for him and his role as shepherd.

Peter preached to the Jews. Not too many Jewish Christians today.
Paul was called by God to preach to the gentiles. Most of the Christians today.

Here again, I'm not sure what this has to do with Christ's tasking of Peter to be the shepherd of His Church. He didn't say "Till Paul comes around", or just until the Jews are converted. Peter is what he is, or he isn't. This one doesn't really do much to the argument. For what it's worth, I'd rather read Paul. He's a better writer. I'm guessing he was superior preacher as well. Doesn't change anything about either his role, or Peter's.

I don't wish to belittle Peter, only to squash the thought that his legacy gives any one church some special privilege.

Good luck with that. Good hearted folks have been trying to do that since the 1700's.

May God bless and keep you,

Steve
 
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The statement of Peter went on to be the baptismal creed of The Church. The statement itself is the entryway. "I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God." See ACTS 8.
 
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Lily of Valleys

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Here's an explanation given by a Christian scholar and he points out, it's not what we think "this rock" means in context, it's about what it meant to the disciples and their context, how they understood the what Jesus was referencing as the rock.
Both Apostle Peter and Apostle Paul understood Isaiah 8:14 "A Rock (petra) of Offense" was referring to Jesus Christ when they quoted it in 1 Peter 2:8 and Romans 9:33 respectively:

For this is contained in Scripture:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone,
And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,
“The stone which the builders rejected,
This became the very corner stone,”
and,
“A stone of stumbling and a rock (petra) of offense”
(1 Peter 2:6-8)

just as it is written,
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock (petra) of offense,

And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.” (Romans 9:33)



Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter (Petros), and upon this rock (petra) I will build my church (Matthew 16:16-18)

For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock (petra) which followed them; and the rock (petra) was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:1-4)
 
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AnticipateHisComing

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First of all, Jesus did not teach to revere one apostle over another.
Isn't this a bit of a straw man argument, to be fair?
Not even close to being a straw man argument, if you are honest about how the RCC loves to revere their saints; how they built a most impressive cathedral in the Vatican that bears Peter's name, where the Pope famously speaks from to thousands. Do you revere the current Pope? I think you revere the "first Pope" too, despite what you argue.
Neither my post,
Did you read all you wrote about Peter in your post 2? You kid yourself making distinction between your assigning primacy to Peter but not acknowledging any increased reverence to him. The RCC builds the doctrine of papal supremacy on him. Again, do Catholics revere the Pope above the many other bishops?
nor the scriptures,
You are correct in this statement although you argue against it later. Make up your mind.
nor the doctrine of the Church suggests reverencing any Apostle over another.
First of all you need to learn even from your own church's doctrine that the Church is the body of all baptized believers and not the RCC. As such, there is no set doctrine in the Church. It varies greatly including Protestant and Catholic.

As to any claim that the RCC does not suggest reverence of Peter, I am not going to argue what they teach, only what they practice. And, o how the Catholics love to revere their Pope.
That is, primarily to shepherd the other Apostles, (the Bishops), as their pastor until Jesus returns again to judge the living and the dead, and His eternal Kingdom established. This is not earned. It's not because of anything Simon did or didn't do. In fact, even the "rock" controversy that those of protestant debaters beat to death is not based on anything Peter did. Mt. 16:17 "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. So if anyone has reverenced an Apostle over another one, it is God the Father.
So now you argue incorrectly that scripture does teach Peter to be revered above the other apostles. Note that Jesus blessed all the apostles and Jesus said he, through the Holy Spirit, would teach them all. However, there is one apostle that is called out as special. That would be John, who Jesus loved. A much greater indication of veneration than to be blessed by God.
 
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AnticipateHisComing

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Second, Peter was in no way inerrant. He made two famous blunders that were called out by God himself.
Boy.....you nailed this one.
But the RCC created a doctrine of Papal infallibility off of Peter, who had two significant spiritual/doctrinal failures after he had been called and even blessed by Jesus. Find this in Paul after he was called by Jesus.
Third, whatever role and special authority given to Peter is never taught in scripture to be passed on to successive generations.
Acts 1:15 In those days Peter stood up among the brethren (the company of persons was in all about a hundred and twenty), and said, 16* "Brethren, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David, concerning Judas who was guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was numbered among us, and was allotted his share in this ministry. 18 (Now this man bought a field with the reward of his wickedness; and falling headlong * he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. 19 And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20* For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his habitation become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it'; and 'His office let another take.' 21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us--one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection." 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, "Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two thou hast chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place." 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was enrolled with the eleven apostles.
Ps 108:7 Now bring aid to the men thou lovest, give our prayer answer, and lift thy right hand to save. 8 God’s word came to us from his sanctuary: In triumph I will divide up Sichem, and parcel out the valley of Tents;
If you can read what scripture you quote, you can read that Peter said the one prophesied to be replaced was Judas, not Peter when he died. If scripture is so clear about Judas being replace, show me just as clear scripture with Peter being succeeded forever. You can't.
So why 2000 years later do we argue how important Peter was?
Only the few. Over a billion Christians find no argument to be had. But okay......why indeed? Could it be that it IS important, and perhaps a sore spot to reformer? I'm just riffing on your premise. ;-)
Again, you try to use statistics to prove your point.

Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Sure, if you want to count a billion Catholics in the world to prove you are right, then note that most of those are in low education nations. In the Western world the Protestants are much more dominate such that characterizing them as few is deceitful. Also, there are more than 2 billions Christians so you don't even have a majority.
 
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AnticipateHisComing

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The statistics are somewhat unimportant, and I can see where they would be trivial to the other side of the argument. I would like to keep two of them on the table, however, because it is from 4 different gospel writers. The fact that Peter is the first apostle mentioned in all Apostolic lists (And Judas last). It may seem trivial, but this isn't alphabetical, and it's not random. Mt 10:2; Mk 3:16; Lk 6:14; Acts 1:13). This means it is the order in the oral traditions being documented, that the various evangelists used. Then, of course in other times that he is mentioned in scripture, apart from lists, look at the content of the scripture in question, and you will find that with only a few exceptions, he is being referred to in some special way by the evangelists, and even Paul, who you wish to compare him to. It's not really a contest, and I probably shouldn't have tried to present the stats in the way I did. It was for brevity sake, and I was just hoping others would pick up on that. There would be a LOT of scripture I'd have to cut and paste.

I don't "forget" that Paul scolded Peter once. Not even that it needed doing. Does't change anything about Christ's mission for him and his role as shepherd.
What you forgot is that Paul is also an apostle, yet you go on and on about what is stated in the gospels which is before Paul came into the picture. You said the next most named apostle was John, but it is Paul.

What you miss is that there are many shepherds as Peter said, but there is only one Chief Shepherd. Hebrews shows how Jesus abolished the High Priest position with its centralized bureaucratic church structure. Despite being in heaven, he is still the head of the Church. It does not need a human head. This is made clear with Peter being charged with teaching the Jews and Paul teaching the Gentiles. Two big shepherds, one Church, one Chief Shepherd.

This is the point of the OP.

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

1 Peter 5:2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
 
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Norbert L

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Both Apostle Peter and Apostle Paul understood Isaiah 8:14 "A Rock (petra) of Offense" was referring to Jesus Christ when they quoted it in 1 Peter 2:8 and Romans 9:33 respectively:
What I would look into is the following. What was being referred to in that passage of Isaiah v. 9-15? Basically when Isaiah gave this message, what was going on between Israel and the rest of the nations at that time? You do read in the history books of the Bible in Kings and Chronicles how Israel didn't live in isolation and oftentimes be influenced and adopt the religious beliefs of its' neighbors. It's important to understand how the disciples understood what was happening within the time of Isaiah.
 
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Bob Crowley

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In these verses, Christ stated, “And I say unto you, that you are Peter, and upon this Rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

In order to understand the meaning here, we must start reading from Matt. 16:13. Christ asked the disciples, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?”

Peter answered, “ You [Jesus] are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (vs. 16). Then Christ responded, “You are Peter [petros, which means little rock], and upon this rock [petra, means very great rock, referring to Christ Himself] I [pointing to Himself] will build My church” (vs. 18). Most people assume here that Christ is building His Church on Peter. But this is not the case. Christ is the great “Rock” upon whom the Church is built (Deut. 32:3-4, 15, 18; I Cor. 10:4; Eph. 2:20; I Pet. 2:6), not Peter (Eph. 1:22; 5:23; Col. 1:18).


Quasar92

As a former Protestant turned Catholic, I get tired of hearing this excuse. The Scripture is crystal clear - Christ was setting up an office and giving the church authority at the same time viz. "What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and what you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

And He was setting it up on Peter.

The nuances of the Greek were not due to Christ's phrasing, as He would have spoken in ARAMAIC.

Later writers put the words into Greek, and because of this the mix of masculine and feminine was due to Greek usage.

John Stenhouse M.S.C, Ph.D, had this to say in "Catholic Answers to Biblical Fundamentalism".

Volume 1 Chapter 8 How do we know that St. Peter is the 'Rock' upon which Jesus built his Church?

(He's referring to an virulently anti-Catholic book, "Roman Catholicism" by Lorraine Boettner, to give the context)

.... JESUS DID NOT USE GREEK ....

Despite Boettner's confidence that his conclusion is 'clear' we find that polemic has clouded the author's understanding. In the first place, Jesus did not speak Greek to Simon and the other Apostles. Boettner seems not to know this, for he quotes with approval another Protestant 'scholar' (Dr. Henry M. Woods, who says that 'Our Lord purposely uses a different Greek word, Petra, from that used for Peter, Petros ...' (Page 108) Such nonsense would be said, if it were not that good people actually believe it.

We know from John 1:42 that our Lord used the Aramaic word for "Kaypha" when addressing Peter. There isn't a shred of evidence to show that He spoke Greek, 'purposely' or otherwise. And he certainly didn't use Greek words on this occasion. The same word is found in Luke 19:40 for the paving stones on the road that will 'shout aloud'.

Problems with gender only arose in the Greek (into which the Lord's words were translated later on). Two words were used when the passage was translated into that language: one "Petros" which is masculine, and the other "Petra" which is feminine. As would be expected, the masculine name was used when translating Simar Bar Jona's new name "Rock": Petros. And the feminine was used to translate the "Rock" upon which the Church was to be founded. To have used the Greek feminine word as Simon's new name would have been insulting.

.....

It is incontestable that in the language of Scripture, to be given a name by God is to become what one is called. If Simon was called a "Rock", this was because he was to be a "Rock". "He was", says St. John Chrysostom (345-407 AD) for whom Greek was his native tongue, and who unlike Boettner doesn't appear to find the text a difficulty, "a Rock in name and in deed".


This business of claiming the use of Petra and Petros in the Greek TRANSLATION (when Christ spoke Aramaic) is supposed to somehow disprove the plain sense of the text is a load of codswallop.

The Catholic Church was founded on Peter, as stated by God the Son in person, and the proud gates of Hell will not prevail against it!
 
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OrthodoxyUSA

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The Catholic Church was founded on Peter, as stated by God the Son in person, and the proud gates of Hell will not prevail against it!

As a former Protestant turned Orthodox, I get tired of hearing this.

The statement that Peter made is the subject, not Peter personally. Why is it that The Catholic Church turns to sola scriptura when dealing with this. Do you not know what the first creed was? Do you not know that James was our first Bishop? Do you not know that Peter was Bishop of Antioch before Rome? Do you not know that they were all commanded to baptize and teach what was given.

Rome has no authority based on this single scripture set aside from all other facts.

Rome's authority came from councils based on size and centrality, and an Emperor who proclaimed Rome's authority.

Jerusalem was in charge until after the diaspora and Hellenization.

Forgive me...
 
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From another thread:

From the Orthodox POV

The key being spoken of in Matthew is baptism.

Peter gave what would become the first baptismal creed of The Church.

Mat 16:16
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

The statement itself is the rock, and Peter is being named for it.

We see the statement being used as a baptismal creed in ACTS.

Act 8:36-37
And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Was Philip exercising the authority of Peter? No. The authority was his own as given by Christ.


Forgive me...
 
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Quasar92

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As a former Protestant turned Catholic, I get tired of hearing this excuse. The Scripture is crystal clear - Christ was setting up an office and giving the church authority at the same time viz. "What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and what you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

And He was setting it up on Peter.

The nuances of the Greek were not due to Christ's phrasing, as He would have spoken in ARAMAIC.

Later writers put the words into Greek, and because of this the mix of masculine and feminine was due to Greek usage.

John Stenhouse M.S.C, Ph.D, had this to say in "Catholic Answers to Biblical Fundamentalism".




This business of claiming the use of Petra and Petros in the Greek TRANSLATION (when Christ spoke Aramaic) is supposed to somehow disprove the plain sense of the text is a load of codswallop.

The Catholic Church was founded on Peter, as stated by God the Son in person, and the proud gates of Hell will not prevail against it!


Consider the following Scriptural facts:

Is Peter the rock on which the Church is built?


"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it," (Matt. 16:18).

The Roman Catholic Church Puts a great deal of emphasis on Peter and claims that Jesus said he would build his church on him.

  1. Simon Peter holds the first place in the college of the Twelve; Jesus entrusted a unique mission to him. Through a revelation from the Father, Peter had confessed: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Our Lord then declared to him: "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." Christ, the "living Stone," thus assures his Church, built on Peter, of victory over the powers of death. Because of the faith he confessed Peter will remain the unshakable rock of the Church. His mission will be to keep this faith from every lapse and to strengthen his brothers in it." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. 552).
  2. "By the word "rock" the Saviour cannot have meant Himself, but only Peter, as is so much more apparent in Aramaic in which the same word (Kipha) is used for "Peter" and "rock." His statement then admits of but one explanation, namely, that He wishes to make Peter the head of the whole community of those who believed in Him as the true Messias; that through this foundation (Peter) the Kingdom of Christ would be unconquerable; that the spiritual guidance of the faithful was placed in the hands of Peter, as the special representative of Christ." (CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles).
The scripture reference to which the Roman Catholic Church attempts to substantiate its position is found in Matt. 16:18. Here it is in context.

"Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He began asking His disciples, saying, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17And Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it. 19 "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 20 Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ," (Matt. 16:13-20).

There are problems with the Roman Catholic position. First of all, when we look at the Greek of Matthew 16:18, we see something that is not obvious in the English. "...you are Peter (πέτρος, petros) and upon this rock (πέτρα, petra) I will build My church..." In Greek nouns have gender. It is similar to the English words actor and actress. The first is masculine, and the second is feminine. Likewise, the Greek word "petros" is masculine; "petra" is feminine. Peter, the man, is appropriately referred to as Petros. But Jesus said that the rock he would build his church on was not the masculine "petros" but the feminine "petra." Let me illustrate by using the words "actor" and "actress:" "You are the actor; and with this actress, I will make my movie." Do see that the gender influences how a sentence is understood? Jesus was not saying that the church will be built upon Peter but upon something else. What, then, does petra, the feminine noun, refer to?

The feminine "petra" occurs four times in the Greek New Testament:

  • Matt. 16:18, "And I also say to you that you are Peter (petros), and upon this rock (petra) I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it."
  • Matt. 27:60, "and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock (petra); and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away."
  • 1 Cor. 10:4, "and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock (petras) which followed them; and the rock (petra) was Christ."
  • 1 Pet. 2:8, speaking of Jesus says that he is "A stone of stumbling and a rock (petra) of offense"; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed."
We can clearly see that in the three other uses of the Greek word petra (nominative singular; "petras" in 1 Cor. 10:4 is genitive singular) we find it referred to as a large immovable mass of rock in which a tomb is carved out (Matt. 27:60) and in reference to Christ (1 Cor. 10:4; 1 Pet. 2:8). Note that Peter himself in the last verse referred to petra as being Jesus! If Peter uses the word as a reference to Jesus, then shouldn't we?

In addition, Greek dictionaries and lexicons give us further insight into the two Greek words under discussion:

  1. Petros:
    1. Petros, "πέτρος, a stone, distinguished from πέτρα (Source: Liddell, H., 1996. A lexicon : Abridged from Liddell and Scott's Greek-English lexicon (636). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.).
    2. Petros, Πέτρος, Peter, meaning stone. The masc. of the fem. pétra (4073), a massive rock or cliff.” (Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament, electronic ed., G4074, Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000, c1992, c1993).
    3. Petros, Πέτρος, “a noun akin to 4073, used as a proper name; “a stone” or “a boulder,” Peter, one of the twelve apostles:— Peter(150), Peter’s(5).” (Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition, H8674, Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998, 1981).
  2. Petra:
    1. Petra, πέτρα , Ion. and Ep. πέτρη, , a rock, a ledge or shelf of rock, Od. 2. a rock, i.e. a rocky peak or ridge . . . Properly, πέτρα is a fixed rock, πέτρος a stone." (Source: Liddell, H. (1996). A lexicon : Abridged from Liddell and Scott's Greek-English lexicon (636). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.).
    2. Petra, πέτρα , (4073) denotes a mass of rock, as distinct from petros, a detached stone or boulder, or a stone that might be thrown or easily moved." Source: Vine, W., & Bruce, F. (1981; Published in electronic form by Logos Research Systems, 1996). Vine's Expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words (2:302). Old Tappan NJ: Revell)
    3. Petra, πέτρα, ας, ἡ (1) literally, living rock, bedrock (MT 7.24), in contrast to πέτρος (isolated stone); (Timothy Friberg, Barbara Friberg and Neva F. Miller, vol. 4, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, Baker's Greek New Testament library, 311, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2000).
    4. Petra, πέτρα, noun feminine; ≡ bedrock, (James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Greek (New Testament), electronic ed., GGK4376 (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).
  3. Petros & Petros
    1. πέτρα petra; a prim. word; a (large mass of) rock:--rock(10), rocks(3), rocky(2). Πέτρος Petros, “a noun akin to 4073, used as a proper name; “a stone” or “a boulder,” Peter, one of the twelve apostles:— Peter(150), Peter’s(5).” (Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition, H8674, Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998, 1981).
    2. "On this rock (ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ). The word is feminine, and means a rock, as distinguished from a stone or a fragment of rock (πέτρος, above)." (Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, 1:91, Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2002).
    3. Petros, "πέτρος, a stone, distinguished from πέτρα. Petra, πέτρα , Ion. and Ep. πέτρη, , a rock, a ledge or shelf of rock, Od. 2. a rock, i.e. a rocky peak or ridge . . . Properly, πέτρα is a fixed rock, πέτρος a stone." (Source: Liddell, H. (1996). A lexicon : Abridged from Liddell and Scott's Greek-English lexicon (636). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.).
A stone is movable, unstable; and this is exactly what we see with Peter, who doubted when he walked on water, who denied Jesus, and who was rebuked by Paul at Antioch.

  • Matt. 14:29-30, "And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"
  • Luke 22:57-58, "But he denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him." 58 And a little later, another saw him and said, "You are one of them too!" But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"
  • Gal. 2:11,14 "But when Cephas [Peter] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned . . . 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?"
Jesus, who knew the heart of Peter, was not saying that Peter, the movable and unstable stone, would be the immovable rock upon which the Church would be built. Rather, it would be built upon Jesus; and it was this truth that Peter had affirmed what he said to Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," (Matt. 16:16). This is consistent with scripture elsewhere where the term rock is sometimes used in reference to God but never of a man.

  • Deut. 32:4, "The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice."
  • 2 Sam. 22:2-3, "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; 3 My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge."
  • Psalm 18:31, "And who is a rock, except our God."
  • Isaiah 44:8, "Is there any God besides Me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none."
  • Rom. 9:33, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed."
It should be obvious from the Word of God that the rock Jesus was referring to was not Peter--but himself.

The Aramaic Kepha
In contrast to this, in paragraph #2 at the beginning of this article, the Roman Catholic Church says that the rock cannot refer to Jesus "but only Peter--as is so much more apparent in Aramaic in which the same word (Kipha) is used for 'Peter' and 'rock.'" The problem is that the text is not in Aramaic--but Greek. Since we do not have the Aramaic text, it is not proper to refer to it as proof of the Roman Catholic position. We have to ask ourselves why the Roman Catholic Church would resort to using something that we don't have: the Aramaic text. Is it because their argument is not supported by the Greek, and so they must infer something from a text we don't possess?

Furthermore, in John 1:42 it says, "He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas," (which is translated Peter)." The word "Peter" here is petros--not petra. It is used to elucidate the Aramaic kephas which is not a name in Aramaic.

"Except in Jn. 1:42, where it is used to elucidate Aramaic kēphás, Pétros is used in the NT only as a name for Simon Peter . . . The translation supports the view that Kēphás is not a proper name, since one does not usually translate proper names"1

Jesus is the rock on which the church is built
The truth is that the only foundation is Jesus. The only rock of truth is Jesus Christ; and that we, as his redeemed, need to keep our eyes on him. We are to look to no one else as the foundation, the source, or the hope on which the church is built. The Church is built upon Jesus--not Peter.

"For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ," (1 Cor. 3:11).


By: Matt Slick


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Rock means Peter. Peter means Rock.

Rock crushes lizard

Lizard poisons Spock

Spock smashes scissors

Scissors decapitates lizard

Lizard eats paper

Paper disproves Spock

Spock vaporizes Rock

(and as it always has) Rock crushes scissors.

Rock-paper-scissors-lizard-spock-rules-big-bang-theory.jpg
 
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Quasar92

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Rock crushes lizard

Lizard poisons Spock

Spock smashes scissors

Scissors decapitates lizard

Lizard eats paper

Paper disproves Spock

Spock vaporizes Rock

(and as it always has) Rock crushes scissors.

Rock-paper-scissors-lizard-spock-rules-big-bang-theory.jpg


Post #17 refute your above views in cadence and by the numbers!


"What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame" (Romans 9:30-33)

What a shock Paul's statement must has been to the Jew steeped in rituals and law. This proclamation comes as an awakening to many of our churches today. The only way to obtain the righteousness that the law prescribes is by faith not works. The gentiles who did not follow after righteousness or seek salvation and relationship to God found it through faith in Jesus by believing the gospel message they heard. They believed in him and God imputed his righteousness to them. This only happens through faith. In the same way, the Jews who sought God through what they did and did not do, never obtained it because they never trusted in God to justify them. They only looked to themselves and their self righteousness to fulfill the law. Paul said they stumbled over the stumbling stone and fell flat.

Jesus is the only way to heaven. He said in John, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" ( John 14:6 ). Jesus is the precious cornerstone that Isaiah prophesied about, "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed" ( Isaiah 28:16 ). He is the rock of our salvation and the basis of our entire foundation. Those who have looked to him have found security and eternal life in Him. However to those who reject him, he is a stumbling stone in the way. They approach God with their works hoping to find justification, but run into this precious stone and trip and fall. Isaiah said, "and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare" ( Isaiah 8:14 ). Meaning that they are so self absorbed in their own virtue that they never noticed God's salvation right in front of them providing the way. He is placed directly in our paths. To those who rely on themselves they find him in the way. To those who trust Him they find he is the way.

Knowing all of this, it makes sense that Paul declares that Israel as a whole did not obtain the righteousness they sought. The reason is that they relied upon their merit and not upon God's grace. Isaiah said, "Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD : Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many" ( Isaiah 51:1-2 ). They were always suppose to look to God for their salvation. Through faith they were always suppose to be part of the promise spoken to Abraham. They were fashioned and created as God's people on the earth and he wanted them to be dependent upon him. However because of the law they started looking and trusting in themselves instead of God's grace and mercy and missed Jesus along the way.

This has huge implications for us today. We too are called to belong to the promised of grace. However, many rely on themselves and what they do to find salvation instead of trusting Jesus to save them. Many go to church and go through motions in order to prove their goodness before God and satisfy His requirements. Many look to themselves and their own self righteousness thinking that they are good enough. However we will never be good enough on our own. It is only by grace that we are saved and this is through faith in Jesus and this is a gift from God ( Ephesians 2:8-9 ).

Just as we cannot work our way to heaven on our own merit, we cannot work our way through the Christians life. We may start out by trusting in Jesus as their savior only to put that aside to live a life of works. However this will not cut it either. The Christian life is based upon a heart change through the grace offered in Jesus. Everything else branches out from that. Whatever we do must be rooted and cultivated in love as our motivation and not what we can do for God. When we trust in Jesus as our savior and live out of that gift of grace, we will never be disappointed because our lives are built upon that precious cornerstone and sure foundation.

Today, I am blessed to be "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord" ( Ephesians 2:20-21 ).Through faith in Jesus, you also are counted among this rich heritage. May you live your life by trusting, relying and depending upon Christ for everything. When you do you will find exceeding joy and expression in His grace for evermore, amen!



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