As recorded in the sixteenth chapter of the NT Gospel of Matthew, was the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ referring to Peter in speaking of the "rock" upon which the Christian Church is built? This is the Catholic teaching, based on this passage of Scripture:
Matthew 16:13-18
13 ¶ When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
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.
The debate is longstanding and really needs little in way of introduction. Peter the "rock", as interpreted by Catholic doctrine, and this thereby signifying him as the "first pope", according to Catholic reasoning, and in that, making then the office of the pope out to be the foundation and absolute authority of the 'Christian Church' - is any of this even close to the truth of Scripture? Unfortunately for multitudes of Catholics who have been taught this as an unquestionable fact, and despite the reality that the Catholic Church can never concede this point because without it the entire system of Catholicism must fall to the ground, Peter as the 'petra' (rock), becoming the "first pope", leading to papal succession from the first century to the present day, simply has no scriptural basis whatsoever:
From: Update #2 On "3D Pope Ritual And Will There Be A 'Sign'?" - Tornado Devastates "Little Rock" aka "Petros" The Pope 4-28-14: "The claim that Peter is the rock on which the Church is built is based on a passage in Matthew 16:18. After Peter has confessed: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God", Jesus said to him: "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [petros], and upon this rock [petra] I will build my church." On this verse Rome [Catholicism] bases her whole doctrine; but Christ would never have built His Church on a human being...It was not upon Peter that the church was to be built, but upon "this rock" - Christ Himself. The word for "Peter" in the Greek is 'petros', which means 'a little stone', but Christ said He would build His Church upon another rock - in the Greek 'petra', a large rock. What Jesus meant by the contrast between the large and small rock was that Peter was one of the stones in the church - (1 Peter 2:3-5), but that Christ Himself was the Foundation Stone - (1 Corinthians 3:11)." [note: the distinction between "petros" and petra" is ignored by the Catholic Doctrine, which is how they make Peter the "first pope" and the icon of Catholicism]
The above quote gives a basic understanding of the issues in question. The explanation given there of Christ himself being the "rock" (petra), while of course true on the simplest level, stops well short of making clear the very profound meaning to be derived from a correct and full understanding of what exactly "this rock" is that the true Christian Church - the very body of Christ - is in fact built upon. This full and correct understanding is the general subject of the audio Youtube below. The sermon does not directly address the Catholic teaching, rather it merely presents the scriptural truth of the issue. When this truth is grasped, the Catholic teaching of the "pope" is clearly seen to be wholly without merit - for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see...that is [Matt. 13:15-16]. The remaining portion of the sermon expands upon the teaching. The preacher is Paris Reidhead (1919-1992), known by most, and widely regarded. Well worth a 38:00 minute investment of time of careful undistracted listening:
Paris Reidhead on "this rock": [9:30] "Those to whom the Spirit comes in revealing grace and work, see that their deliverance and their salvation is in Christ and their lives also are abandoned to him. This is the work, the supernatural work of the Spirit of God. It is by revelation. But it is not only the revelation of the person of Christ, but is the revelation of the purpose of Christ. When it was clearly understood that he was indeed the Son of the Living God, then he said on this rock, upon this truth, that I Am the Son of the Living God and that this revelation will be made to those my Father brings to that point, then upon this rock, upon this truth, upon this breaking, upon this bending, will be built my church. Not simply upon the historical fact, yes indeed that is a not-without-which, but the significant thing about this is that the foundation of the church is indeed the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, but as he said subsequently, this rock is here, it is a stone cut out of the mountain, and if a man falls upon this rock he will be broken. Then he proceeded to say that if he refuses to fall upon the rock and be broken, the rock will fall upon him and he will be crushed and ground to powder [Luke 20:17-18]. But this is the touchstone, this is the point where the church is to be built: That Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God, that no one knows this but by revelation of the Father, that accompanying this revelation that Christ is the son of God is the revelation that our proper response to him is one of abandonment and submission, and that those thus that have had this revelation that he is the Son of God, and have fallen before him, and have broken before him...this...this company constitute the church. And thus we see that the ground of the church is established once and for all in what is the response that is made to Jesus Christ - not the fact. The fact, yes, but it is the response to the fact - the personal heart response to this revelation of Christ..."
The doctrine of a "pope"? Found nowhere in the Holy Bible. Rev. 18:4
***
See also: Catholic Doctrines Not Found In The Holy Bible I: The Immaculate Conception, The Assumption Of Mary 1-31-14
Matthew 16:13-18
13 ¶ When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
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.
The debate is longstanding and really needs little in way of introduction. Peter the "rock", as interpreted by Catholic doctrine, and this thereby signifying him as the "first pope", according to Catholic reasoning, and in that, making then the office of the pope out to be the foundation and absolute authority of the 'Christian Church' - is any of this even close to the truth of Scripture? Unfortunately for multitudes of Catholics who have been taught this as an unquestionable fact, and despite the reality that the Catholic Church can never concede this point because without it the entire system of Catholicism must fall to the ground, Peter as the 'petra' (rock), becoming the "first pope", leading to papal succession from the first century to the present day, simply has no scriptural basis whatsoever:
From: Update #2 On "3D Pope Ritual And Will There Be A 'Sign'?" - Tornado Devastates "Little Rock" aka "Petros" The Pope 4-28-14: "The claim that Peter is the rock on which the Church is built is based on a passage in Matthew 16:18. After Peter has confessed: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God", Jesus said to him: "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [petros], and upon this rock [petra] I will build my church." On this verse Rome [Catholicism] bases her whole doctrine; but Christ would never have built His Church on a human being...It was not upon Peter that the church was to be built, but upon "this rock" - Christ Himself. The word for "Peter" in the Greek is 'petros', which means 'a little stone', but Christ said He would build His Church upon another rock - in the Greek 'petra', a large rock. What Jesus meant by the contrast between the large and small rock was that Peter was one of the stones in the church - (1 Peter 2:3-5), but that Christ Himself was the Foundation Stone - (1 Corinthians 3:11)." [note: the distinction between "petros" and petra" is ignored by the Catholic Doctrine, which is how they make Peter the "first pope" and the icon of Catholicism]
The above quote gives a basic understanding of the issues in question. The explanation given there of Christ himself being the "rock" (petra), while of course true on the simplest level, stops well short of making clear the very profound meaning to be derived from a correct and full understanding of what exactly "this rock" is that the true Christian Church - the very body of Christ - is in fact built upon. This full and correct understanding is the general subject of the audio Youtube below. The sermon does not directly address the Catholic teaching, rather it merely presents the scriptural truth of the issue. When this truth is grasped, the Catholic teaching of the "pope" is clearly seen to be wholly without merit - for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see...that is [Matt. 13:15-16]. The remaining portion of the sermon expands upon the teaching. The preacher is Paris Reidhead (1919-1992), known by most, and widely regarded. Well worth a 38:00 minute investment of time of careful undistracted listening:
Paris Reidhead on "this rock": [9:30] "Those to whom the Spirit comes in revealing grace and work, see that their deliverance and their salvation is in Christ and their lives also are abandoned to him. This is the work, the supernatural work of the Spirit of God. It is by revelation. But it is not only the revelation of the person of Christ, but is the revelation of the purpose of Christ. When it was clearly understood that he was indeed the Son of the Living God, then he said on this rock, upon this truth, that I Am the Son of the Living God and that this revelation will be made to those my Father brings to that point, then upon this rock, upon this truth, upon this breaking, upon this bending, will be built my church. Not simply upon the historical fact, yes indeed that is a not-without-which, but the significant thing about this is that the foundation of the church is indeed the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, but as he said subsequently, this rock is here, it is a stone cut out of the mountain, and if a man falls upon this rock he will be broken. Then he proceeded to say that if he refuses to fall upon the rock and be broken, the rock will fall upon him and he will be crushed and ground to powder [Luke 20:17-18]. But this is the touchstone, this is the point where the church is to be built: That Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God, that no one knows this but by revelation of the Father, that accompanying this revelation that Christ is the son of God is the revelation that our proper response to him is one of abandonment and submission, and that those thus that have had this revelation that he is the Son of God, and have fallen before him, and have broken before him...this...this company constitute the church. And thus we see that the ground of the church is established once and for all in what is the response that is made to Jesus Christ - not the fact. The fact, yes, but it is the response to the fact - the personal heart response to this revelation of Christ..."
The doctrine of a "pope"? Found nowhere in the Holy Bible. Rev. 18:4
***
See also: Catholic Doctrines Not Found In The Holy Bible I: The Immaculate Conception, The Assumption Of Mary 1-31-14
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