THE CHURCH.
‘Being surrounded with Roman Catholics, and High Church fellow work-people, I often have such texts as these brought before me. Thou art Peter! or it should be, ‘and I say 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.’ And ‘whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.’ (Matt, 16:18; John 20:2323Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. (John 20:23).) I feel at a loss sometimes, how to answer.”
Your letter calls our attention to the immense importance of Paul’s counsel to Timothy, as to the value of a knowledge of the holy scriptures. (2 Tim. 3:14, 1714But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; (2 Timothy 3:14)
17That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:17).) We trust, whoever brings scripture before us, we shall only desire to bow with all our hearts, to its authority. Jesus, then, here said, “Thou art Peter” (Petros), which means a stone; “and on this rock (Petra) I will build my church.” The question then, is, what is that rock, on which Christ builds His church? If He had meant that Peter was the rock, He would have said, Thou art Peter—the rock; but He said just the opposite, Thou art a stone.
Let us go a little further back to inquire what our Lord means by the rock, the foundation on which He would build His church. You will find when the Pharisees had rejected Him, Simon Peter confessed Him: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then said, “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona [son of Jona]: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”
Thus we learn that it was the Person of the Christ, the Son of the living God, as revealed by the Father, that was the foundation of Peter’s blessing—the foundation, fit for this blessed stone to be built upon. And on this foundation—this rock—Christ declared He would build His church. Mark, this is far more than the Messiah, made known as son of David. He was that, but He was about to be cut off, rejected as Son of man, the Messiah of Israel. But now He names for the first time, His church. This He would build on the rock, what He was as Son of the living God. The gates of hell, the powers of darkness, might seem to prevail, as to the kingdom of Messiah long foretold; but He would build something which had been quite unknown, His Church: and the powers of darkness should not prevail against it.
You will also notice that Jesus immediately tells His disciples that He must be killed, and be raised again the third day. Peter was now in a sad way, as he only looked for the kingdom, and as yet, knew nothing of Christ’s present work in building the church. He had no idea that Jesus must die and rise again, before He could begin that building.
There was another thing that does not seem to have been made known, or at least, was not understood, that there would be a new kind of kingdom on earth, that is, the kingdom of God on earth, but the king in heaven. You may read the parables about this in Matt. 13. Peter was to have the privilege of opening the doors of this kingdom. Mark, He did not give him the keys of the church, or say that Peter should build the church.
Turn to the Acts: after Jesus had been crucified, and was risen from the dead, and having gone up into heaven, He, the ascended Christ, sent down the Holy Ghost, and you will find it is He, by the Spirit, who builds His church. And to Peter is given the honor, as promised, of unlocking the doors into the new kingdom, first to the Jews (Acts 2), then to the Gentiles. (Acts 10)
Suppose we ask Peter what he has to say. Whether he regards himself as the rock, or the foundation: or whether he regards Christ as the alone foundation stone or rock—the foundation of salvation, and of the church?
Full of the Holy Ghost he says: “This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the comer. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Could Peter possibly mean himself? No, he is speaking of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, “whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead.” (Acts 4:10-1210Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:10‑12).)
Not a word did he preach about himself, on the day of Pentecost; but, “God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” And were they to repent, and be baptized in the name of Peter? No, but “in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins.”
And when he turned the key to open the door to the Gentiles, did he present himself as the foundation? No, it is again Jesus, whom God has raised from the dead. “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” And to this truth God gave witness, by the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 10:4343To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43).)
Did Peter, after this, invite men to come to him or to Christ? Read his own words: thus he speaks, “To whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious, ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house.....Behold I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.” &c. (1 Pet. 2:4-84To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 7Unto 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 2:4‑8).) Clearly, Peter never dreamed that he was the rock or that chief corner stone.
Did Paul ever say that Peter was the rock, the foundation on which Christ built His church?’ Ask him, and hear his reply: “For other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 3:1111For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11).) And, speaking of believers, he says, “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner. In. whom all the building fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord,” &c. (Eph. 2:20, 2120And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: (Ephesians 2:20‑21).)
Let us not then dishonor the Son of the living God, whom Peter confessed, by putting Peter in His place, as the rock on which Christ builds His church. But let us hear what all your companions can say in the workroom.