The Institution And Confession Of The Church

Who you say Jesus is will determine everything about how you follow Him. If you think Jesus was a good teacher, then you will follow Him like you would a good teacher. If you think Jesus merely had some good ideas, then you will listen to what He says every once in while. If you think Jesus was a good example, then you will try to follow His example.

However, if you believe that Jesus was and is the promised Messiah who came to the earth to save us from our sins, to conquer sin and death, and to reign and rule over all as Lord, then that changes everything about how you live. The church is made up of people who believe in that Jesus and know Him intimately. Do you know Jesus intimately?

As those who know Jesus intimately, the church is also the community of people who proclaim Jesus confidently. Based on Peter's identification of Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God, Jesus responds, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it" (Matt 16:18). This one verse has caused all kinds of questions and controversies in the history of the church. Everyone wants to understand the church's foundation. So what is the rock that the church is built on? Is it Peter? Jesus? The apostles? The gospel? Yes. Let me explain.

Sometimes this issue is confusing because different metaphors are used in other parts of the New Testament to describe the church. For example, Paul calls Jesus "the foundation" (1 Cor 3:11), the "rock" (1 Cor 10:4), and the "cornerstone" (Eph 2:20). However, in Ephesians 2:19-20 the apostles and prophets are referred to as the foundation of the church, and in 1 Corinthians 3:10 Paul describes himself as a "skilled master builder" in relationship to the church. These various metaphors are used to make different points. Given this variety, we need to understand Matthew 16 in light of its context, knowing that other New Testament writers are using different metaphors to make different points. So what's the point that Jesus is making here?

The name Peter means "rock," so there's a bit of a play on words here. In essence, Jesus is saying, "I tell you, you are rock and on this rock I will build my church." Jesus acknowledges, then, some kind of foundation in Peter. By God's grace alone, Peter has just confessed that Jesus is217 the Christ, the Son of the living God. It's immediately after this confession that Jesus spoke of the church that He is building upon Peter and his confession of faith. Therefore, based on the immediate context, this is how we should understand the rock of the church: the people of God proclaiming the gospel of Christ.

Peter is the first apostle who makes this declaration of Christ's identity, and he is the apostle upon whom much of the church's foundation would be built beginning in Acts 2. As a result of Peter's initial proclamation of the gospel in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, around three thousand people were saved (Acts 2:41). Right after this, the early church devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching of the Word and thousands more came to Christ in the days ahead (Acts 2:42-47). Jesus was building His church, and Peter continued to play a central role in this mission throughout the first 12 chapters of Acts. But Peter was not alone, for Paul says in Ephesians 2:20 that the church is built on the foundation of all the apostles. (By the way, Peter was not perfect, either; see how he is called "Satan" just a few verses later!) And beyond Peter, Martin Luther declared, "All who agree with the confession of Peter (in Matt 16:16) are Peters themselves setting a sure foundation" (as cited in MacArthur, Matthew 16-23, 29). This is not to take away from the uniqueness of Peter, but it is to remind us that as we proclaim the gospel, we too are building upon the foundational confession made by Peter approximately two thousand years ago.

As the church proclaims the gospel of Christ, Jesus says that the "forces of Hades will not overpower it" (v. 18). The "forces of Hades," also translated as the "gates of hell" (ESV), is a Jewish idiom for the powers of death. Death cannot stop this Messiah, for like Jonah, Jesus would rise from the dead in victory over the grave. And it's not only Jesus who won't be stopped; death will not stop His messengers. J. C. Ryle said,

Death cannot stop this Messiah or His messengers, and we know this because Christ gives His authority to the church. Matthew 16:19 is another verse that has sparked debate and discussion: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven." Based on these verses, all kinds of errant ideas and practices have come about. People walk around claiming to bind this or that object or demon, all the while claiming the authority of Jesus. Once again we must consider the context of Jesus' instructions.

When Peter or the other apostles, or any follower of Christ for that matter, proclaims the gospel, it is done under Jesus' authority—His authority to save sinners and to judge sinners. Jesus' authority to save means that we can say to any person in the world, "If you turn from your sin and trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord, you will be free from sin forever." That's a guarantee based on the authority of Christ and His Word. At the same time, we can also say to any person in this world, "If you do not turn from your sin and trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord, you are bound to your sin and its payment for all eternity in hell." Authority has been entrusted to us as the church to proclaim this message. We tell people whether or not they are going to heaven or to hell, whether or not they are in the kingdom of heaven or not, all based on the authority of God's Word.

This truth is directly related to Jesus' upcoming discussion on church discipline (Matt 18:15-20). Being a part of the church is not simply like joining a club; it is an extremely important confession with eternal ramifications. And these ramifications are not only for being a part of the church, but also for what we do as a church—we speak with the authority of Christ. The urgency and priority of evangelism is one important implication that flows from these truths.

Unfortunately, this passage has been used and abused throughout church history, particularly in its exaltation of Peter and a supposed succession of leaders after him. Given this history, people are naturally led to wonder, Is Peter the first pope? The Catholic Church teaches the following:

Catholicism claims that Peter was given a special authority that is now passed down to a succession of church leaders, specifically bishops, under the primacy of the Pope. While this text absolutely acknowledges Peter's instrumental role in his initial confession and foundation of the church, we must disagree here with the Catholic church's teaching. This text is not about a supreme pope; it's about a sovereign Savior. Jesus said, "I will build My church" (v. 18). Jesus is the architect of the church. Peter's authority is completely tied to Jesus' authority as the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus alone is pre-eminent in this text, and His Word alone is supreme.

A second error flowing from these verses needs to be addressed: this text is not about a necessary pope; it's about a non-negotiable declaration. It's the church's proclamation of Christ that is primary. Wherever the gospel of Christ is proclaimed, the church will be built, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Finally, this text is not about an infallible pope; it's about an invincible mission. The pope does not speak new revelation that carries with it the weight of Christ's authority, as the Catholic church teaches. Rather, the church proclaims old revelation, the revelation of God saving sinners through Christ. Only with this message do we have Christ's authority to call people to be saved. This is why we referred to the church earlier as a community that proclaims Jesus confidently.

Following this controversial and foundational passage in verses 13-20, the tone in the narrative shifts dramatically in verses 21-23. The disciples learn that Jesus would suffer necessarily. The Lord Jesus gave these men a detailed prediction of His sufferings, death, and resurrection, things that "must" happen (v. 21). And just when we begin to think that Peter is getting it, he steps up and rebukes Jesus. Clearly, Peter was not infallible! He goes from rock to stumbling block, which is the literal meaning of that word "offense" in verse 23 (Carson, Matthew, 377). "Get behind Me, Satan!" may seem like strong language, but recall from Matthew 4 that a similar temptation was aimed at Jesus in the desert. Satan tried to seduce God's Son to gain His rightful rule and authority220 apart from God's plan of suffering and death. However, Jesus knew in Matthew 4 and He knows here in this passage that He must go to the cross to fulfill the Father's will.

In light of the path that Jesus took, the path of obedience that accomplished for us our salvation, the question becomes, "Will we follow Him?" He suffered once for all necessarily; we now suffer willingly (vv. 24-28). This is what it means to follow Jesus and be a part of His church. You die to yourself by putting aside self-righteousness, self-indulgence, and everything that belongs to you—your desires, your ambitions, your thoughts, your dreams, and your possessions.

At the same time, you take up your cross (v. 24). For the early disciples, the language of taking up your cross would have immediately brought to mind images of crucifixion. Anyone carrying his cross was a dead man walking. Your life as you once knew it was over.

As we die to ourselves and take up our cross, we cannot forget the end of verse 24. We are not simply leaving behind sin and self, we are committing to follow Jesus. This echoes Jesus initial invitation in Matthew 4:19 to "Follow Me." Pursue Me, Jesus says. Walk in My footsteps, according to My Word, adhering to My ways, trusting in My power, living for My praise. You hear echoes of this in Paul's language: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal 2:19-20). Though it may sound foolish to the world, this is how we find life: "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it" (v. 25).

Oh, the great reversal! Live for yourself and you will die. Die to yourself and you will live. And as you live, eagerly expect the King to come. Verse 27 tells us that the Son of Man is going to come and reward people according to what they have done, and since this coming is imminent, we must be prepared for it. The last verse in Matthew 16 is yet one more controversial point in this passage. Jesus said that some of those who were there with Him would live to see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. Though more could be said on this difficult verse, the coming of Christ's kingdom could refer to a number of different aspects of that kingdom. The context here, however, seems to refer to the spread of the gospel in the early church through the power of the Son of Man. Some of these disciples, after Jesus' death and resurrection, would be a part of the manifestation of Christ's kingly reign expanding throughout the Roman empire, as hosts of people were ushered into the kingdom.221 Disciples of Jesus not only expect the King, but in this sense they also eternally experience the kingdom to come.

Matthew 16 should cause each of us to ask the following questions: Have you died to yourself? Have you taken up your cross? Are you following Jesus? Have you found your life in Him? Are you eagerly proclaiming the good news of the kingdom as you eagerly await the return of the King? This is what it means to be a disciple. This is what it means to be a part of Christ's church.