Peter Is NOT The Rock Upon Which The Church Was Built

Matthew 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

A common false belief, especially among Roman Catholics, is that Peter is the rock upon which the church was built.

Here is the Greek meaning of the name, Peter:

pet'-ros

Apparently a primary word; a (piece of) rock (larger than G3037); as a name, Petrus, an apostle: - Peter, rock. Compare G2786.

Here is the Greek meaning of the word in Matthew 16:18, rock:

pet'-ra

Feminine of the same as G4074; a (mass of) rock (literally or figuratively): - rock.

SOURCE: Strong's Concordance 

As we just learned, the name “Peter” means petros, “a piece of rock.” But Jesus is Petra, “the Rock.” Hence, Jesus told Peter: “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter (a piece of rock), and upon this rock (The Rock) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Most people are unfamiliar with the Greek language, so they commonly misinterpret this Scripture. This is a good example of why it helps to look up the Greek meaning of words. However, you DON'T need to be a Greek scholar to understand the Holy Bible. A simple cross reference with 1st Corinthians 3:11 would show you that Jesus alone is THE FOUNDATION of the Church...

1st Corinthians 3:9-11, “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Jesus alone is THE FOUNDATION of the Church. Christ is also THE HEAD of the Church. 

Ephesians 5:23, “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.” Colossians 1:18, “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” Jesus is the HEAD and we as saints are the BODY of Christ. That is beautiful!

The Foundation Of The Apostles And The Prophets

What saith the Scripture? ...

Ephesians 2:19-22, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

Jesus is the undisputable foundation upon which the New Testament Church is built. The apostles and all the prophets were built upon Jesus Christ. We as believers are also built upon those foundations, Jesus being the Chief Cornerstone.

The apostles followed Jesus and after His crucifixion went their own separate ways, helping to found the early Christian church. The apostles were 12 of the disciples of Jesus who went on to spread his message and found the early Christian church. After the crucifixion of Jesus in the 1st century, they split up and began to proselytize both the message of Jesus and the concept that he was the son of God. In so doing they expanded the following of this offshoot of Judaism and set out the early tenets of what Christianity would become. Jesus said...

Acts 1:6-9, “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.”

The “apostles” (plural) typically refers to those who were among the original followers of Jesus. The term “apostle” (singular) means "one sent on a mission." The apostles' preaching of the Gospel of free grace, and their church building efforts, laid the groundwork that shaped history and is today followed by hundreds of millions of religious people. 

Having said that, let me be very clear that Roman Catholicism is of the Devil. Satan is the foundation of the Catholic Church, not the Apostle Peter. Nor was Peter the first Pope. The Bible says that Jesus healed Peter's sick mother-in-law. That refutes the Catholic false teaching that Peter was a Pope, since he did have a wife. Matthew 8:14, “And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.”

I tell you dear friend with all biblical authority that Catholicism is a prisonhouse of religion! The only extent to which the apostle and prophets influence us today is in relation to the written Word of God. Hebrews 1:1-2, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;” God doesn't speak to humanity today through dreams, visions, Ellen G. White, the Pope nor any other means. God only speaks through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. That is, the Word of God. Revelation 19:13 says, “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.”

Miss Ellen G. White (1827-1915) is considered to be the most legendary of Seventh-Day Adventist leaders. Miss White claims to have received approximately 2,100 visions from God, appointing herself as God's end time prophet to confirm Bible prophecies. We know according to Hebrews 1:1-2 that she is a LIAR! God speaks through the inspired Word of God, not through men. Think about it. If God spoke through men and women, how would we know who is lying, or who is telling the truth?

By speaking through the Holy Bible, no one can deceive anyone else if we 'SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES' as Jesus commanded in John 5:39. 2nd Peter 1:20, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” No one can claim to have received exclusive messages from God, as sinfully did Ellen White during her lifetime. No one has a right to claim to speak for God. We all have THE SAME inspired King James Bible. No one has any special private communication from God. Cults are formed when false prophets speak in the place of God, adding to His words. Proverbs 30:5-6, “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”

Romans 3:4, “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.”

Jesus Is The Firstborn From The Dead

Also, carefully notice in Colossians 1:18 that Jesus is the FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD. We read in the Bible that some bodies of the saints resurrected from the dead when He died on the cross. Matthew 27:52-53, And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” Did not these saints rise up from the dead before Christ? Yes, the dead. So how can Jesus be “the firstborn from the dead”?

The simple answer is that Jesus is the first person to ever be resurrected in His glorified immortal body. Those saints who raised up when Christ died on the cross, had to die again. The same is true of Lazarus, whom Jesus resurrected from the dead. Lazarus was raised up in his mortal earthly body, as were the saints at Calvary when Jesus died on the cross. They all needed to die again. But Jesus was the first person to ever be resurrected in a glorified immortal body. Jesus didn't need to die when He raised up from the dead, because He now had His perfect resurrected body. Philippians 3:20-21, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”

So, Jesus is the mountain (The Rock) upon which Christ has built His Church. Please don't miss that! Jesus said that He, and not Peter, would build His Church! Jesus Christ alone builds His New Testament Church. John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” Unless the Holy Spirit come down in power, nothing can happen. Psalms 127:1, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”

Peter is NOT the Rock upon which the Church was built, Jesus Christ alone is THE ROCK!!!