Probably no tenet of the Roman Catholic Church is more vigorously propagated than that our Lord Jesus Christ constituted the Apostle Peter the foundation of His Church. It is our purpose herewith to examine this ambitious claim in the light of God's Word. The Scriptures warrant us in this approach to the question, for the prophet Isaiah instructs us: "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Chapter 8:20. Let us then imitate the Bereans of Paul's day, who "searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17:1111These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:11).
That the Apostle Peter was granted a special place of administrative responsibility in connection with the early beginnings of the Christian economy, no thoughtful student of the Word would deny. But to confuse such an admittedly privileged position with the gratuitous assumption that our Lord thus indicated Peter as the rock foundation of His Church, is to do violence to many plain and unequivocal statements of Scripture.
From early times Catholic theologians have labored assiduously to prove their baseless assumption of the foundation character of Peter's commission by calling attention to the cognate relationship of the two Greek words used in the historic passage of Matt. 16:1818And 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. (Matthew 16:18): "Thou art Peter [petros, masculine gender, and meaning 'a stone'], and upon this rock [petra, feminine gender, here correctly rendered `rock'] I will build My church." To seek to force these two Greek words of different genders into the same identical linguistic connotation is to ignore all the standard Greek lexicons. We will here cite a few selected passages from some recognized authorities. The first is the great work of Liddell and Scott,' pp. 1206-1207:
"Petra, a rock, a ledge or shelf of rock. There is no example, in good authors, of petra in the sense of petros, a stone.
"Petros, a stone, and thus distinguished from petra in Homer. The usual prose word is lithos."
Our next authority is the lexicon of Robinson,' page 579:
"Petra, 1. A rock, cliff, ledge, literally a mass of live rock.
... On such also houses and villages were founded for security
(Matt. 7:24, 2524Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. (Matthew 7:24‑25)). 2. Figuratively, Of Christ, in allusion to the rock whence the waters flowed in the desert (1 Cor. 10:44And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4)).... So too of Christ as a rock of offense or stumbling; that is, as the occasion of destruction to those who reject Him (Rom. 9:3333As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Romans 9:33); 1 Pet. 2:88And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. (1 Peter 2:8)). Petros, a piece of rock, a stone.... In New Testament only as proper noun Peter, the surname of Simon, one of the apostles, son of Jonas."
Our third citation is from Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus,' Vol. 2, pp. 82, 81:
"Petros is used in Greek for 'stone,' and also sometimes for `rock,' while Petra always means a 'rock.'... We can further understand how, just as Christ's contemporaries may have regarded the world as reared on the rock of faithful Abraham, so Christ promised that He would build His Church on the Petrine in Peter on his faith and confession." (Italics supplied.)
Our last citation will be from Vine's Dictionary of New Testament Words,' page 302 of vol. 3: "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.... Petra, 1 Cor. 10:44And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4) (twice), figuratively, of Christ; in Rom. 9:3333As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Romans 9:33) and 1 Pet. 2:8, metaphorically, of Christ; in Matt. 16:1818And 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. (Matthew 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."
As if to anticipate the preposterous claim of Rome that Christ intended to build His Church on Peter, the same chapter records the humiliating fact that the Lord had to administer to the man Peter (petros) as stern a rebuke as one might think possible: "Get thee behind Me, Satan: thou art an offense unto Me: for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." Matt. 16:2323But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. (Matthew 16:23). No! our Lord never founded His Church upon one who could so readily and immediately be a mouthpiece of Satan.
But if Christ did not mean to convey to us the Romish idea of placing His Church upon the man Peter, what did He mean by this most contested passage, in Matt. 16? I think we cannot do better here than quote from the well-known expositor, William Kelly, as he writes in his volume on Matthew,' in loco: " 'Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church.' What rock? The confession Peter had made that Jesus was the Son of the living God. On this the Church was built.... 'Thou art Peter'—thou art a stone—a man that derivest thy name from this rock on which the Church is built." (Italics supplied.)
We are firmly convinced that Mr. Kelly has, in these words, given us the mind of the Spirit of God in the passage under consideration. That Peter himself had this view of the Lord's words addressed to him in Matt. 168Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? (Matthew 16:8), is fully corroborated and easily evidenced by his own epistles. In Peter's first epistle, chapter 2, verses 4 to 8, we hear the Apostle comparing believers to stones, and Christ to a rock. It is true, the word for stones here is not petros but lithos; yet this is easily accounted for in the fact to which our attention was called in Liddell and Scott's lexicon—"the usual prose word is lithos." This does not in the least weaken our contention that the rock, petra, is not Peter, but Christ. "Unto you therefore which believe He [Christ] is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone [lithos] of stumbling, and a rock [petra] of offense, even to them which stumble at the word." 1 Pet. 2:7, 87Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. (1 Peter 2:7‑8). Here Christ is plainly designated a rock (petra). In the fifth verse of this same chapter Peter shares his "stoneship" with his brethren by admitting them to his privilege of being a living stone (lithos) built upon the living stone (lithos), Christ of verse 4. Remember always that Petros in the New Testament is never used save as a proper name, and is applied to Peter only. But whenever Peter desires to designate a stone, he uses the ordinary Greek term, lithos. According to all the Greek lexicons, the two words, lithos and petros, are synonyms.
Augustine, the great church father, and bishop of Hippo, Africa, 396-340 A.D. gives a clear-cut paraphrase of Matt. 16:18. We quote: "Thou art Petros, and on this petra which thou hast confessed, saying Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God, will I build My Church: that is to say, on Myself. I will build thee on Myself, not Myself on thee." How infinitely above the gross conception of a poor, failing, inconsistent Peter, is this incisive statement of Augustine.
Let us now summon the testimony of another venerable church father, Chrysostom, 345-407 A.D., patriarch of Constantinople: "On this rock; that is, on the faith of his confession, He did not say upon Peter, for it was not upon man, but upon his faith." And if space permitted we could multiply citations from the fathers which show the same interpretation was advocated by them.
Peter was addressed as "Satan" by our Lord (Matt. 16:2323But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. (Matthew 16:23)); denied his Lord with oaths and curses (Matt. 26:7474Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. (Matthew 26:74)); played the hypocrite at Antioch (Gal. 2:11-1311But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 12For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. 13And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. (Galatians 2:11‑13)); and confessed his own difficulty in apprehending Paul's exalted line of ministry (2 Pet. 3:1616As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:16)). In the light of these revealed facts as to Peter, can we think for a moment that our Lord built His Church on such a poor failing instrument? No! there is but one MAN who is worthy to be the foundation rock of that blessed institution; He is "the MAN CHRIST JESUS" (1 Tim. 2:55For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (1 Timothy 2:5)).
In conclusion we would call attention to a plain and incontestable scripture which forever banishes Rome's frantic, if futile, attempts to place the Church upon Peter. We refer to 1 Cor. 3:1111For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11). It is from the pen of the great Apostle of the Gentiles, the one to whom was entrusted the ministry of the truth of the divine mystery of Christ and the Church, the one who said: "I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles." Let us hear his testimony: "Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
Thus we see that Christ—not Peter—was the foundation of the Church. Peter's priority in the administrative work of the early chapters of The Acts, we happily admit and rejoice in. He was the one chosen of God to open out the new truth of salvation through a risen and glorified Savior (Acts 2:3838Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38)). He was the one to interpret that stupendous event, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-1614But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; (Acts 2:14‑16)). He was the one to gain official recognition to the admission of the hybrid and despised Samaritans (Acts 8:14-1714Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: 15Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: 16(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. (Acts 8:14‑17)). He was the one who received the heavenly vision teaching God's acceptance of the Gentiles (Acts 10:2828And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. (Acts 10:28)), and it was he who officially threw open the door to them at the meeting in the household of Cornelius (Acts 10:43-4843To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. 44While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 45And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 46For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 47Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? 48And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days. (Acts 10:43‑48); Cf. Acts 15:6-116And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. 7And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. 8And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; 9And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. (Acts 15:6‑11)). But all these wonderful privileges are clearly distinct and separate from any pretense
on Peter's part to be the foundation of the Church of God which is the body of Christ.
We desire to close this brief review of the question at the head of this paper by quoting a passage from J. N. Darby as found in his article, "Romanism: or An Answer to the Pamphlet of a Romish Priest, entitled, 'The Law and the Testimony.' " On pages 85-87 of Mr. Darby's answer we read: "But Peter, let men say what they will, is never called a rock. He is called a stone; he partook of the nature of the rock, God having quickened him with this life, and given him to confess Christ in this character. But Peter means a stone, and does not mean a rock. People do not build upon a stone, even if it partake of the durability of the rock to which it belongs. Peter is not the rock or a rock; he is, as to his name, a stone. Peter having just confessed the true, living, and divine foundation of the new thing, which the rejected Christ was going to raise up in contrast with rebellious Israel; and Christ, having recognized that the Father Himself had taught Peter this great truth, carrying far beyond the hope of Israel, says, 'Thou art a stone,' thou participatest in this truth; and on this rock, this eternal truth of My person, which you have been given of the Father to own, I will build the church. The Father had revealed this great truth of Christ's nature to Simon, and Christ gives him besides the name of Peter; for the confession of truth, by divine teaching, connects a man with the strength and durability of the truth he so confessed: he abides livingly with it and by it.'"
'Greek-English Lexicon, 1776 pages, Harper & Bros., N.Y., 1883. 'Greek-English Lexicon of N.T., Ed. Robinson, 804 pages, Harper & Bros., N.Y., 1854.
'In two volumes, by Alfred Edersheim, Longman, Green & Co., N.Y., 1903.
'An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words with their Precise Meanings for English Readers, by W. E. Vine, M. A. Oliphants, Ltd. London & Edinburgh, 1956. 1400 pages.
'Lectures on the Gospel of Matthew, A. S. Rouse, London, 1896. 'From Collected Writings of J. N. Darby, Vol. 18. Morrish, London.