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MATTHEW CHAPTER 16
(v. 13) "When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples. 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?'
(v. 14) They replied, 'Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.'
(v. 15) 'But what about you?' He asked. 'Who do you say I am?'
(v. 16) Simon Peter answered 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'
A) PETER'S CONFESSION OF JESUS AS THE CHRIST THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD
Notice that the focus of this passage is the statement that 'Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God'
(v. 16) Simon Peter answered 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'
(v. 17) Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of John, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by My Father in heaven.
(v. 18) And I tell you that you are Peter ('petros') and on this rock ('petra') I will build My church I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.' "
A) PETER'S STATEMENT WAS NOT FROM MAN BUT FROM GOD
["For this was not revealed to you by man, but by My Father in heaven" =
Notice that Peter's statement came not from man but from the Father. This rules out Peter's own reasoning, in spite of the fact that OT Scripture and our Lord's ministry - especially His words spoken directly to the disciples and to others, as recorded in the NT, constantly pointed to the fact that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God. Thus it took God's supernatural intervention for Peter to accept and make the statement he made about our Lord in Mt 16:16.
[The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Victor Books, USA, Walvoord & Zuck, Eds, 1988, p. 57]:
"Peter's words brought a word of commendation from the Lord. Peter was blessed because he had come to a correct conclusion about the person of Christ and because great blessing would be brought into his life. The Lord added, however, this was not a conclusion Peter had determined by his own or others' ability. God, the Father in heaven, had revealed it to him. Peter was living up to his name (it means 'rock') for he was demonstrating himself to be a rock."
(v. 26) "Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.
(v. 27) But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
(v. 28) He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are,
(v. 29) so that no one may boast before him.
(v. 30) It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, Who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
(v. 31) Therefore, as it is written: 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.'
[Notice again that God enabled not the wise of the world, nor the influential, nor the strong to know the wisdom of God but the lowly, the weak and those the world considered in their human viewpoint as foolish, and those that the world despised. Again the simplest of truths would only be known by those whom God chose and not as a result of mans reasoning. Thus no one can claim to have arrived at the wisdom of God utilizing their own reasoning. So verse 31 says: 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.' for this wisdom.]
(v. 13) This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
(v. 14) The man without the Spirit [i.e, the unbeliever, ref. Eph 1:13-14] does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."
[Notice that inspite of human wisdom man cannot discern spiritual truth. It takes the indwelling Spirit of God to do that.]:
(v. 15) The spiritual man makes judgments about all things..."
"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
(v. 63) ''' "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
(v. 64) Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.
(v. 65) He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." '''
[Notice that in order for man to even express a moment of faith in Jesus, God the Father has to enable him to do that]
B) OUR LORD'S FIRST MENTION OF HIS CHURCH: 'ON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH'
1) PETER RECEIVES THE NAME OF 'PETROS' A SMALL THROWING SIZED ROCK FROM OUR LORD
"And I tell you that you are Peter..." = "petros", (masc.) = pebble, throwing size rock
"and on this rock" = "petra", (fem.) = huge size rock, material of which a cliffside is made up of, foundation stone] ...I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."
[Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, W. E. Vine, Fleming H. Revell Co., Old Tappan, N.J., 1971, p. 302]:
"Petra... denotes a mass of rock, as distinct from petros a detached stone or boulder, or a stone that might be thrown or easily moved. For the nature of petra, see Matt. 7:24, 25; 27:51, 60; Mark 15:46; Luke 6:48 (twice), a type of sure foundation.... Rev. 6:15, 16 cp. Is. 2:19 ff.; Hos 10:8); Luke 8:6, 13, used illustratively; 1 Cor 10:4 (twice), figuratively of Christ; in Rom 9:33 and 1 Pet 2:8, metaphorically, of Christ; in Matt. 16:18, metaphorically, of Christ and the testimony concerning Him; here the distinction between petra concerning the Lord Himself, and Petros, the Apostle, is clear."
[Compare http://eliyah.com/lexicon.html
"4073 petra {pet'-ra} from the same as 4074; TDNT - 6:95,834; n f AV - rock 16; 16 1) a rock, cliff or ledge 1a) a projecting rock, crag, rocky ground 1b) a rock, a large stone 1c) metaph. a man like a rock, by reason of his firmness and strength of soul
"4074 Petros {pet'-ros} apparently a primary word; TDNT - 6:100,835; n pr m AV - Peter 161, stone 1; 162 Peter = "a rock or a stone" 1) one of the twelve disciples of Jesus"
"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock [the Rock, the foundational truth that Jesus is the Christ is the Son of the living God, v. 16] I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it."
"I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it." = Notice that the verb is in the future tense. Our Lord is stating that, at some time in the future from the time he made the statement to Peter, He would commence building His church.
[Lewis Sperry Chafer states, in Systematic Theology, vol. 2, Victor Books, Wheaton, Ill., 1988, p. 237]:
"Each of the five words, 'I will build My church' has great doctrinal significance, and the phrase could be quoted each time emphasizing a different word. In referring to Himself as 'I,' Christ stated that the building of the church is something He undertakes. It is Christ who is calling out, saving, and perfecting this specific company. The word 'will' shows a prophetic aspect to Jesus' statement, and implies that the church was not in existence at that time and was not the work of Christ while He was on earth but would be realized in the future. This contradicts the thought that the church existed throughout the Old Testament. The word 'build' suggests that this is a slow process continuing throughout the present age (Eph. 2:20; Heb. 3:6).
Though God will use human instruments to proclaim the Gospel, the calling of the church to salvation and the forming of the church into the body of Christ is a work of God not of man. The expression 'My church' points to the distinction between God's work for Israel and His work for the Gentile world. Though God loved Israel (Jer. 31:3), it does not complicate the fact that God also loved the church to an infinite degree (John 13:1; Eph. 5:25). This introductory word of Christ amplified in the Upper Room Discourse (John 13-17) points to the conclusion that the church was a future undertaking to be fulfilled in the present age."
b) OUR LORD'S DEATH HAD TO PRECEDE THE CHURCH
[Chafer, op. cit., pp. 238-239]:
"Though many theologians do not recognize the distinctive use of ekklesia for the body of Christ in the present age, good reasons are advanced in Scripture to indicate that the church began at Pentecost.
1. Christ's Death. There could be no church in the world constituted as she is and distinctive in all her features until Christ's death (Acts 20:28: Rom. 3:24-26; Col. 1:13-14). The death of Christ is more than a mere anticipation, but the church, the body of Christ, is based wholly on His finished work, and she must be purified by His precious blood."
(v. 7) "Therefore Jesus said again, 'I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. [Our Lord is speaking of the sheep of Israel since this is the time before the cross. Our Lord went first to the lost house of Israel, (Mt 10:5-6)
(v. 14) "I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep [believers in Israel - Jews, cp "other sheep" = Gentiles (v.16)] and My sheep know Me -
(v. 15) just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father - and I lay down My life for the sheep. [ref: Christ dying for the sins of Israel]
(v. 16) I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock [the church] and one Shepherd.
[So here in the Gospel of John, our Lord is speaking of a single flock, i.e., group of believers who follow Him composed of Jew and Gentile: the church. And this single group it indicates will be such after our Lord's death. Cp Isa 56:8; Jn 17:20; Acts 15:7-9; Eph 2:11-19]
c) OUR LORD'S RESURRECTION HAD TO PRECEDE THE CHURCH
[Chafer, op. cit., p. 238-239]:
"2. Christ's Resurrection. There could be no church until Christ rose from the dead to provide her with a resurrection life (Rom. 4:24; Col 3:1-3). This is a new feature that had not been introduced before."
d) OUR LORD'S ASCENSION HAD TO PRECEDE THE CHURCH
[Chafer, op. cit., p. 238-239]:
"3. CHRIST'S ASCENSION. There could be no church until Christ ascended on high to become the Head of the church (Eph. 1:19-23; Heb. 7:25; 1 John 2:1). The church is a new creation with a new Head in the resurrected Christ. As such, He is also the Head of the body of Christ which is the church. The church in the present age could not survive if it were not for Christ's intercession and advocacy in heaven."
e) THE CHURCH BEGAN AT PENTECOST AT THE HOLY SPIRIT'S ADVENT
The Bible speaks of a unique group of people all united into one body: the body of Christ, the Church. Scripture indicates in numerous places that this body did not become an entity until the Holy Spirit united Jewish and Gentile believers at that 'first' Pentecost.
[Dr John Walvoord wrote, ("The Millennial Kingdom", Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, Mi; 1971, p.226]:
"...saved Israelites under the old economy [under the Mosaic Law system] were placed into the body of Christ at Pentecost."
[Chafer, op. cit., p. 238-239]:
"Holy Spirit's Advent
There could be no church on earth until the advent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5; I Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:30).
The coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost to indwell and seal the church made the church a temple or habitation of God. Saints had been regenerated before Pentecost but only at Pentecost was the church baptized by the Spirit onto one body. Inasmuch as these important works essential to the character of the church did not occur before Pentecost, the church could not begin until that date. A church without the finished work on which to stand, a church without resurrection position of life, a church which is a new humanity but lacking a Head, a church without Pentecost or what Pentecost contributed is only a figment of theological fancy and is not the teaching of the New Testament."
Now that Holy Spirit baptism was inaugurated, a new creation has come out of the mass of Jews and Gentiles that inhabit the earth, (cp. Gal 6:15, 2 Cor 5:17):
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
(v. 14) "For He Himself is our peace, Who has made both groups [Jew & Gentile, vv.11-13] .................
(v. 14 cont.) "For He Himself is our peace, Who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
(v. 15 N.A.S.) by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two [kinds of people] into one new man, [into one new and unique kind of man - a member of the Body of Christ] thus establishing peace,"
And this is precisely what happened, for example, when a group Israelite believers who were water baptized by John came upon the Apostle Paul. Paul thereupon layed hands on the Israelite believers and they were at that moment baptized by God the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ - the church (Acts 19:1-6).
[Charles C Ryrie states in "Biblical Theology of the New Testament", Moody Press, 1959, p. 120]:
"Although it is not expressly recorded in Acts 2 that the baptism of the Spirit occurred on the Day of Pentecost, it is said in Acts 11:15-16 that it did happen then in fulfillment of the promise of the Lord. However, it is Paul who explains that this baptism places people in the Body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13). In other words, on the Day of Pentecost men were first put into the Body of Christ. Since the Church is the Body of Christ (Col 1:18) the Church could not have begun until Pentecost and had to begin on that day."
(v. 18) And I tell you that you are Peter, [= "petros"] and on this rock [= "petra"] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."
Peter is referred to by our Lord as rendered in the original Greek, 'petros', (masc.), as a pebble, or a throwing sized rock. On the other hand, our Lord refers to that upon which He will build His church as rendered in the original Greek, 'petra', (fem.), as a huge foundation stone, i.e., the kind of material of which cliffsides are made of.
The distinction between these two words, "petros" and "petra" signifying the distinction between Peter and that foundation upon which our Lord will build His church, i.e., the statement that Jesus is "the Christ the Son of the living God" is further drawn by the following:
A proper name or symbolism for a man would not usually be a word in the feminine gender "petra".
The fact that this was "not revealed to [Peter] by man, (v. 17), but by My Father in heaven." indicates that the foundation of the church is beyond Peter, i.e., supernatural knowledge that Christ is the Messiah.
Other passages indicate that the apostles were indeed a foundational part of the church, Peter being a part of that group but not the whole foundation to the exclusion of Paul and the other Apostles. Furthermore, the Lord is depicted as the Chief Cornerstone - Himself the basis upon which all else is built: the True Foundation of His Church:
(v. 20) "Consequently, you [Gentile believers, (vv. 11, 13)] are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household,
(v. 20) built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the Chief Cornerstone.
(v. 21) In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
(v. 22) And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit."
"They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock [petras, feminine] that accompanied them, and that rock [petra, feminine] was Christ."
Finally, if our Lord were referring to the Apostles as the foundation of His church then He would have used the plural form of rock rather than the singular, referring to all of the Apostles.
[Dave Hunt states, "A Woman Rides the Beast", Harvest House, Eugene, Oregon, 1994, p. 146-148]:
'''The Testimony of the Church Fathers
How did the so-called Church Fathers (the leaders up to the time of Pope Gregory the Great, who died in 604) intepret this passage? [Matthew 16:18; John 21:17] It so happens that in this regard they are unanimously in agreement with the Protestant position. Not one of them interprets this passage as Catholics are taught to understand it today.
To be in agreement with the unanimous teaching of the Church Fathers, a Catholic would have to reject the dogma that Peter was the first pope, that he was infallible, and that he passed his authority on to successors. Devout Catholic historian von Dollinger reminds us of the undeniable facts:
"Of all the Fathers who interpret these passages in the Gospels (Matthew 16:18; John 21:17), not a single one applies them to the Roman bishops as Peter's succesors. How many Fathers have busied themselves with these texts, yet not one of them whose commentaries we possess - Origen, Chrysostom, Hilary, Augustine, Cyril, Theodoret, and those whose interpretations are collected in catenas - has dropped the faintest hint that the primacy of Rome is the consequence of the commission and promise to Peter!
Not one of them has explained the rock or foundation on which Christ would build His Church as the office given to Peter to be transmitted to his successors, but they understood by it either Christ Himself, or Peter's confession of faith in Christ; often both together."
In other words, contrary to what the average Catholic has been told, the so-called Fathers of the Roman Catholic Church stood unanimously against the current Catholic interpretation. And it is a devout Roman Catholic authority on Church history, one who loves his Church, who points out these facts.
Other Catholic historians agree with von Dollinger. Peter de Rosa, also a devout Catholic, just as ably punctures the baloon of papal supremacy and an unbroken line of succession back to Peter:
"It may jolt them [Catholics] to hear that the great Fathers of the church saw no connection between it [Matthew 16:18] and the pope. Not one of them applies 'Thou art Peter' to anyone but Peter. One after another they analyse it: Cyprian, Origen, Cyril, Hilary, Jerome, Ambrose, Augustine. They are not exactly Protestants.
Not one of them calls the bishop of Rome a Rock or applies to him specifically the promise of the Keys. This is as staggering to Catholics as if they were to find no mention in the Fathers of the Holy Spirit or the resurrection of the dead....
For the Fathers, it is Peter's faith - or the Lord in Whom Peter has faith - which is called the Rock, not Peter. All the Councils of the church from Nicaea in teh fourth century to Constance in the fifteenth agree that Christ Himself is the only foundation of the church, that is, the Rock on which the church rests.
...not one of the Fathers speaks of a transference of power from Peter to those who succeed him... There is no hint of an abiding Petrine office.
So the early church did not look on Peter as Bishop of Rome, nor, therefore, did it think that each Bishop of Rome succeeded Peter... The gospels did not create the papacy; the papacy, once in being, leaned for support on the gospels [though it wasn't there].'
That the popes for centuries relied upon fraudulent documents (The Donation of Constantine and the False Decretals) to justify their pomp and power even after their exposure as deliberate counterfeits betrays how little these 'vicars of Christ' cared for truth. It also tells us that in those days the popes didn't rely for justification of their papal authority upon Matthew 16:18 and alleged apostolic succession from Peter, or they would not have needed false documents to authenticate their position. Such an application of 'thou art Peter' was invented much later.
Who Is the Rock
The truth of the matter does not depend upon a disputable interpretatin of a few verses but upon the totality of Scripture. God Himself is clearly described as the unvailing "Rock" of our salvation throughout the entire Old Testament (Deuteronomy 32:3, 4; Psalm 62:1,2; etc.). In fact, the Bible declares that God is the only Rock: 'For Who is God saved [except] our God?' (Psalm 18:3).
The New Testament makes it equally clear that Jesus Christ is the Rock upon which the church is built and that He, being God and one with the Father, is therefore the only Rock. The rock upon which the 'wise man built his house' was not Peter but Christ and His teachings (Matthew 7:24-29). Peter himself points out that Christ is the'chief cornerstone' upon which the church is built (1 Peter 2:6-8) and quotes an Old Testament passage to that effect.
Paul likewise calls Christ 'the chief cornerstone' of the church and declares that the church is also 'built upon the foundation of [all] the apostles and prophets' (Ephesians 2:20). That statement clearly denies to Peter any special position in the Church's foundation."
[David Buffaloe states, (Didaskalos Ministries)
http://members.surfsouth.com/~buffaloe/Dmmain.htm ]
"Peter’s revelation came not from Peter Himself but from the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit of God. Peter was not therefore "special", did not use his own genius to determine that Jesus was the "Christ" (Christos, Messiah), the Son of the Living God. It was a Gift that God gave Him, revelation of the truth. It was the supernatural knowledge that Christ is the Messiah that the Church was founded on. This is the PETRA, or huge Rock. Peter himself (PETROS) was only a little stone, a small part of the foundation of the Church. Jesus is the PETRA.
[Boyce W. Blackwelder in the book "Light from the Greek New Testament" (1976 reprint, may be out of print) explains it this way]:
"Stone and Rock in koine Greek a distinction was made between petros and petra, the former being used to designate a stone and the latter to signify a large rock, a boulder, mass of rock, steep cliffs, and the like. There are illustrations of this distinction in the Septuagint. In II Maccabees 4:41, petros in its plural form is used of stones small enough to be picked up and thrown by hand, while in 14:45, petra is used of a steep rock upon which a man stands."
[Professor Mantey says, (Julius R. Mantley, "Was Peter A Pope?", p. 25)]:
"Petra has the meaning of a mass or cliff of rocks, or simply of the substance which we call rock, at least fifty-two times in the Septuagint."
Dr. Mantey also has pointed out: "The fact that the city, Petra, southeast of Palestine, with its houses hewn out of solid rock, is so named also implies that the word was used to mean a cliff or a mass of rocks."
We find similar illustrations in the literary Koine writings. Polybius uses petra in the sense of precipice and to signify a ridge of rock. (Polybius: The Histories, Vol iv, bk x.48.5f; ix.27.4)
Diodorus of Sicily writes of cutting tunnels through petra, of numerous streams which drop from cliffs (petra) into the sea, of ships striking against rocks (petra), and of a mountain range at whose summit are rocks (petra) of a terrifying height. (Diodorus Siculus, vol ii, bk iii.12.5; 39.1; 40.5; 44.4)
Plutarch (Plutarch's Lives, vol. ii) uses petra of a cliff which is described as "huge and jagged" (Camillus, XXV.2), and of a rock upon which a heifer stood (Lucullus, XXIV.7). He speaks of a large petros which, however, was small enough to be picked up and thrown by a man (Aristides XVII.3).
Josephus (Josephus: Jewish Antiquities, Vol. iv, Bk iv, bk iii.36) says, "a river was to flow for them out of the rock" (petra)." In the New Testament petra signifies a great rock or mass of rock (e.g., Matt. 7:24 f.- Mark 15:46; Luke 6:48; 8:6, 13). An awareness of the distinction between petros and petra clears away difficulties of interpretation in Matthew 16:18. Some expositors, faced with a problem in verses 17-19 have questioned the genuineness of the passage. But such an approach does not come to grips with the main issue. There is no textual evidence that the verses in question are an interpolation, hence no reason for doubting their authenticity. An understanding of the distinction generally observed in Koine Greek between petra, a massive rock, and petros, a detached rock or stone, makes the words of Jesus clear.
If it be argued that Jesus probably spoke Aramaic in the conversation with Peter, and that Aramaic makes no such distinction between the terms, it can be stated that the writer of the New Testament account understood a distinction and expressed it by the two different words.
There are several strong arguments which show that Peter (petros) and the rock (petra) upon which the church is built are not identical. All the pronouns in Matthew 16:18 are emphatic, contrasting the person of Peter with the mighty rock which is the foundation of the church. The different genders (petros, masculine; and petra, feminine) emphasize a distinction in the references. Since petra is used metaphorically several times to indicate Christ (Rom. 9: 33; I Cor. 10: 4; I Pet. 2:8), it is in harmony with the Scriptures to take it thus in Matthew 16:18. In this light Jesus means that he is the foundation of the church. He speaks of himself as the builder, and uses the expression "my church."
So the New Testament ekklesia is built upon Christ's deity and Saviorhood, upon the efficacy of his blood, and upon the immutability and objectivity of truth. It is obvious that no human being could be the support of such a structure. Paul speaks of Jesus Christ as the foundation (1 Cor. 3:11). The church is the creative work of God. Actually Peter's confession was impossible apart from the divine revelation upon which his proclamation was based. Jesus makes this point clear in Matthew 16:17. This revelation was not disclosed to Peter only. It was also the experience of the other disciples, and it is the impetus which makes possible the confession of any and all believers now as then. The church is based upon the truth which Peter confessed, that is, upon the reality that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
In verse 18 our Lord is also in effect saying to Simon, "The power of the gospel which has transformed you into a man of dependable character [implied in petros] will likewise change other persons, and as a result of this redemption the church is built."
Thus we see that the church never produces salvation; salvation produces the church. There is a sense in which the inspired writings and work of all the apostles and prophets have their place in the divine plan of the church of which Jesus Christ is the cornerstone (Eph. 2:20). In fact, all believers are living stones (lithoi) in God's temple (1 Pet. 2:5). But Peter has no special position or prerogative above the other apostles. Nowhere in the New Testament is any supremacy assigned to him."
III cont.) [Mt 16:18 cont.]:
(v. 18) And I tell you that you are Peter, [= "petros"] and on this rock [= "petra"] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."
B) PETER CLAIMED NO MORE FOR HIMSELF THAN APOSTLESHIP
"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world..."
...an elder by office...
Note Peter's salutation to the believers above: "an elder by office"
"To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed"
C) SCRIPTURE INDICATES THAT PETER WAS NOT THE SUPREME AND UNIQUE CHURCH LEADER OF THE EARLY CHURCH
(v. 1) "Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also.
(v. 2) I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain."
(v. 8) "For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles.
(v. 9) James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews."
[Notice that James, Peter and John are reputed to be pillars of the church, and Paul's ministry to the Gentiles to be on a par with Peter's as an apostle to the Jews and not as a supreme leader of the church. There is no reference to any one of them as a supreme authority in the church. Notice also that James' name appears first in the list of the pillars of the early church]
(v. 11) '''When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.
(v. 12) Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.
(v. 13) The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
(v. 14) When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?" '''
[Note that if Peter were the supreme leader of the church, it certainly was not evident in this passage with Peter being openly rebuked by Paul on a serious matter of Peter sinning.]
III cont.) [Mt 16:18 cont.]:
(v. 18) And I tell you that you are Peter, [= "petros"] and on this rock [= "petra"] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."
D) THE GATES OF HADES WILL NOT OVERCOME DEATH OF THOSE OF THE CHURCH
[The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids Michigan, 1984, p. 370]:
"The gates of Hades will not overcome it. [Focusing] on "Hades" and, turning to Revelation 1:18 ... means death will not prevent Messiah's people from rising at the last day.... "Gates of Hades" or very similar expressions are found in canonical literature, (Job 17:16; 38:17; Pss 9:13; 107:18; Isa 38:10), noncanonical Jewish literature (Wisd Sol 16:13; 3 Macc 5:51; Pss Sol 16:2), and pagan literature (Homer Iliad 9. 312; Odyssey 11.277; Aeschylus Agam. 1291; Euripedes Hecuba 1), and seem to refer to death and dying. Hence RSV: "The powers of death shall not prevail against it."
[The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Victor Books, USA, Walvoord & Zuck, Eds, 1988, p. 56]:
"Building His church was a yet-future work of Jesus Christ, for He had not yet started the process. He said, "I will build [future tense] My church," but His program for the nation Israel had to be concluded before another program could be set in motion. This is probably why Jesus said not even the gates of hades would overcome this program. Jews would understand hades' gates to refer to physical death. Jesus was thus telling the disciples His death would not prevent His work of building the church. Later (Matt 16:21) He spoke of His imminent death. He was therefore anticipating His death and His victory over death through the Resurrection."
(v. 18) "And I tell you that you are Peter, [= "petros"] and on this rock [= "petra"] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
(v. 19) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
A) THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM = THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL ITSELF NOT SOME KIND OF PAPAL AUTHORITY
"I will give you the keys of the kingdom" =
[C. I. Scofield states, 'THE NEW SCOFIELD STUDY BIBLE', NIV, Oxford Univ. press, New York, 1967, p. 997]:
"These are not the keys of the Church [as some maintain] but of the kingdom of heaven in the sense of ch. 13, i.e., the sphere of Christian profession. [i.e., the message of the gospel itself - of the fact that a moment of faith alone in Christ alone will result in a guaranteed entrance into the kingdom of heaven, (Eph 1:13-14)]. A key is a badge of power or authority (cp. Isa 22:22; Rev 3:7). The apostolic history explains and limits this trust, for it was Peter who opened the door of Christian opportunity to Israel on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 3:38-42) and to Gentiles in the house of Cornelius (Acts 10:34-48). There was no assumption by Peter of any other authority...
(v. 7) "After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: 'Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.
(v. 8) God, Who knows the heart, showed that He accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us.
(v. 9) He made no distinction between us and them, for He purified their hearts by faith.
(v. 10) Now then. why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?
(v. 11) No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.' "
[Scofield, cont.]:
"In the council James, not Peter, seems to have presided...
(v. 13) '''When they finished, James spoke up: 'Brothers, listen to me.
(v. 14) "Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself.
(v. 15) The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
(v. 16) 'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it,
(v. 17) that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear My name, says the Lord, Who does these things'
(v. 18) that have been known for ages.
(v. 19) It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God." '''
Notice that James is the one making the pronouncement, not Peter.
This passage indicates that Peter had no type of papal authority over Paul either and it demonstrates that he also had a lack of infallibility in spiritual matters too:
[Gal 2:11-14]:
(v. 11) "When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.
(v. 12) Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.
(v. 13) The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
(v. 14) When I say that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, 'You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?' "
"I [Jesus Christ, (vv. 12-17)] am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.' "
IV cont.) [Mt 16:18-19 cont.]:
(v. 18) "And I tell you that you are Peter, [= "petros"] and on this rock [= "petra"] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."
(v. 19) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
"whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." =
C) WHATEVER YOU BIND ON EARTH RE: THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, THE GOSPEL OF ETERNAL LIFE, SHALL HAVE BEEN ALREADY BOUND IN HEAVEN - THUS NO EVIDENCE FOR PRIESTLY ABSOLUTION ONLY FULFILLMENT OF GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION
kai ..ho ...ean ..dEsEs ...........epi tEs gEs ...estai dedemenon
and what ever you will bind on .the earth will ..have been bound
kai ..ho ....ean .lusEs ..............epi tEs gEs ..estai lelumenon =
and what ever you will loose on .the earth will .have been loosed
estai = will, future, middle voice, indicative mood
dedemenon = perfect tense, passive mood, participle, nominative, singular, neuter = have been bound
lelumenon = perfect tense, passive mood, participle, nominative, singular, neuter = have been loosed
[Expositors, Ibid., pp. 370-374]:
"The periphrastic future perfect in 16:19 becomes "whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven" (similarly for 18:18). Thus... there is no evidence for... priestly absolution in the NT...
The church on earth carries out heaven's decisions, not heaven ratifying the church's decisions...
Lyo [to loose] has a full range of forms, and it is difficult to see why Matthew did not use either the future or the present participle in a periphrastic future if that was all he meant. This result spills over onto [the verb to bind] since the two verbs are so tightly linked in these verses... ...they must therefore be rendered 'shall have been bound/loosed"
[Note that if a binding/loosing on earth is meant to result in a binding/loosing in heaven then the future or present participle would have served better.]
[Expositors, cont.]:
Formally ho ean [= "what ever"] is neuter... It is better to take the binding and loosing in Matthew 16:19 to refer to persons, not rules. The neuter hosa ean [= "what ever] occurs in 18:18 where the context demands that persons are meant. Indeed, Greek often uses the neuter of people for classes or categories rather than for individuals. The context of v. 19 supports this; for the keys in the preceding clause speak of permission for entering the kingdom or being excluded from it, not rules of conduct under heaven's rule...
[So the salvation of individuals is in view who have already been declared in Scripture as destined for heaven and await such declaration on earth as a result of God's sovereign predestination and election]
The periphrastic future perfects are then perfectly natural: Peter accomplishes this binding and loosing by proclaiming a gospel that has already been given and by making personal application on that basis... Whatever he binds or looses will have been bound or loosed, so long as he adheres to that divinely disclosed gospel. He has no direct pipeline to heaven, still less do his decisions force heaven to comply; but he may be authoritative in binding and loosing because heaven has acted first (cf. Acts 18:9-10). Those he ushers in or excludes have already been bound or loosed by God according tothe gospel already revealed and which Peter, by confessing Jesus as the Messiah, has most clearly grasped."
D) THE POWER OF LOOSING AND BINDING IS AVAILABLE TO ALL BELIEVERS AND NOT JUST LIMITED TO A FEW
[Expositors Bible Commentary, Vol 8, Frank E Gaebelein, GeneralEd., Zondervan Publishing, 1984, p. 373-4]:
"Does this promise apply to Peter only, to the apostolic band, or to the church at large? The interpretation given so far broadly fits a major theme of Matthew's Gospel: the disciples were called to be fishers of men (4:19), to be salt (5:13) and light (5:14-16), to preach the good news of the kingdom (10:6-42), and, after the Resurrection, to disciple the nations and teach them all that Jesus commanded (28:18-20). Within this framework Matthew 16:18-19 fits very well. Unlike the messianic kingdom expected by so many Jews, which would come climactically without any agreement or action taken by men, Jesus announces something different. In full Christian perspective the kingdom will be consummated in sudden, apocalyptic fashion at the Parousia [Second Coming], when God's actions are final and quite independent of human means. But now the keys of the kingdom are confided to men. They must proclaim the Good News, forbid entrance, urge conversion. They constitute a small minority in a big world; their mission will be to function as the eshatological ekklEsia, the people of God Jesus is building within this world. Inevitably the assignment involves them in using the keys to bind and lose...
Peter stands with the other disciples as fishers of men, as recipients of the Great Commission (notice in v. 20 that Jesus warns all His disciples, not just Peter, to tell no one)... notions of hierarchy or sacerdotalism are simply irrelevant to the text.
Confirmation that this is the way 16:19 is to be taken comes at 18:18:
"[Jesus said] 'I tell you the truth, whatever you [believers in general as the context of the passage indicates, (vv. 3-20)] bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven."
[Notice both key verbs in the result clauses are perfect participles as in 16:19 = "have been bound/loosed"]
[Expositors, cont.]:
"If the church, Messiah's eschatological people already gathered now, has to exercise the ministry of the keys, if it must bind and loose, then clearly one aspect of that will be the discipline of those who profess to constitute it. Thus the two passages are tightly joined: 18:18 is a special application of 16:19. Again, if we may judge from Paul's ministry, this discipline is a special function of apostles, but also of elders and even of the whole church (1 Cor 5:1-13; 2 Cor 13:10; Titus 2:15; 3:10-11)...
It appears, then, that the text is not interested in whether Peter's (or the church's) decisions are infallible. Its concern is with the role Jesus' disciples must play within this new phase of redemptive history."
(v. 19) "On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' "
(v. 22) "And with that He [Jesus Christ] breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.
(v. 23) If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
a) FORGIVENESS OF SINS BEFORE GOD RE: ETERNAL LIFE IS IN VIEW
Our Lord is saying in Jn 20:23 that you as a believer may now announce that one's sins are forgiven as a result of one having trusted alone in Christ alone for such forgiveness. And the opposite is also true: that the believer may now announce that one's sins are not forgiven if they have not yet trusted in Christ alone for that, (Acts 10:43)
b) MAN'S FORGIVENESS OF FELLOW MAN IS NOT IN VIEW IN JN 20:23:
Note that man's forgiveness of fellow man's sins toward man is not in view because the opportunity to declare a fellow man forgiven of sins toward another man is not new and our Lord's declaration in Jn 20:23 re: forgiveness is new.
(v. 16) '''So they [Joseph's brothers] sent word to Joseph saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died:
(v. 17) 'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly,' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept.'''
(v. 16) "Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, 'I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you.
(v. 17) Now forgive my sin once more and pray to the LORD your God to take this deadly plague away from me.' "
Our Lord's announcement of this unique capacity heretofore not available in history to believers, i.e., to pronounce one's sins forgiven or not forgiven relative to God and eternal life comes as a direct result of our Lord's having paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world on the cross, (1 Jn 2:2). Recall that before the cross, sins of the believer before God relative to eternal life were covered by the promise of God's future sacrifice for them. They were not yet forgiven. So those who were saints during the ages before the cross times were promised forgiveness of sins having their sins actually "passed over" (Ro 3:25), resting on God's promise of a future sacrifice to make provision for them. Those saints were never actually pronounced forgiven, even those departed saints who resided in Paradise in Hades, until our Lord paid the price for their sins whence they could then be brought legally into heaven into the presence of God.
"Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed"
"forbearance" = "anoche" =
[Vine's Expository Dictionary]:
"a holding back...denotes forbearance, a delay of punishment....in the latter passage [Ro 3:25] His forbearance is the ground not of His forgiveness, but of His pretermission [suspension of the punishment] of sins, His withholding punishment. [In this passage] it is connected with the passing over of sins in times past [the times of human history in the past before our Lord died on the cross for sins and thereby paid the penalty for all sins past, present and future.] .....[In this passage] it is connected with the passing over of sins in times past, previous to the atoning work of Christ, [Cp Heb 9:9-15]."
d) PETER DEMONSTRATES THE BELIEVERS' AUTHORITY TO DECLARE SINS FORGIVEN
"[Peter said, (v. 34)] 'All the prophets testify about Him [Jesus Christ, (v. 38)] that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.' "
[Scofield, op. cit., p. 997]:
"An illustration of Peter's use of this authority as related to forgiveness [and pronouncing one forgiven] (Jn 20:23) is given in Acts 10:43."
(v. 38) "Therefore, my brothers [Paul says, (v. 16)] I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.
(v. 39) Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the Law of Moses.' "
[Scofield, op. cit., p. 1125]:
"Verses 22 & 23 [of Jn 20] do not refer only to the original disciples because, according to Lk 24:33, there were others with them [the apostles] on this occasion [whom our Lord was thus addressing]:
(v. 33) "They [the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, (vv. 13-30)], got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together."
(v. 36) "While they were still talking about this, Jesus Himself stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' "
