Was Peter Really the Rock?
This has been the topic of so many discussions in the long history of the Catholic Church. The authorities of the Catholic Church from the pope to the clergy claim that they derived their power from the Apostle Peter, allegedly the first pope and the successor of Christ in the overall administration of the Christian Church. They based their claim on what is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew.
MATTHEW 16:18-19 (Douay-Rheims Version)
18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give to thee the keys of the bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.
Their claim and explanation about these verses is printed hereunder from the Modern Catholic Dictionary.
The claim that Peter was the first pope and the rock whereupon the church was built is erroneous and can not be substantiated, either by history or by the Bible. The word pope was first used by an alleged saint, Saint Ennodius, in the year 521, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia. (Photocopied below)
And also, from the Modern Catholic Dictionary, it states:
How can Peter be a pope when such title was first used 400 years after the death of Peter?
Biblically, Peter can not be a pope! It was prohibited by Christ to the original twelve disciples to be called ‘rabbi’ or teacher because their only teacher was Jesus Christ.
MATTHEW 23:8
But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren.
They were also forbidden to address anybody on earth their father because, religiously speaking, they have only one Father, which is the Father in heaven.
MATTHEW 23:9
And call none your father upon earth; for one is your father, who is in heaven.
Peter would definitely not allow anybody to call him pope because that word means Father, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia cited afore.
So, we can safely conclude that Peter did not ever hold the position of papacy, biblically and historically, according to the Bible, and to official documents from the Catholic Church itself.
But was he the rock upon which the Church was built?
Peter, an Apostle first to be called, is part of the Church.
1 CORINTHIANS 12:28
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
He is not the rock or the foundation, but was only among those who were founded upon the real rock or ‘petra’, or foundation.
πέτρα
petra
pet’-ra
Feminine of the same as G4074; a (mass of) rock (literally or figuratively): – rock.
Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
Dictionaries of Hebrew and Greek Words taken from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D., 1890.
Note that the Church was founded on a ‘petra’ — in the feminine gender, and not on a ‘petros’ (a stone), the name ascribed to Peter.
JOHN 1:42
And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
It was not only Peter that was called a stone, because Peter himself called the members of the first century Church as “lively stones.”
1 PETER 2:5
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Members of the first century Church were called by Peter as ‘lively stones’ or ‘lithos’ in the original Greek tongue.
λίθος
lithos
Thayer Definition:
1) a stone
1a) of small stones
1b) of building stones
1c) metaphorically of Christ
Peter, the other apostles, and the members, altogether formed the edifice founded on the rock or ‘petra’.
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.
The rock mentioned is ‘petra’ and not ‘petros’.
EPHESIANS 2:20
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone…
Note that the apostles (including Peter) and prophets are built upon the foundation (they are not the foundation); the chief cornerstone is Jesus Christ our Lord.
Is there anybody else qualified to be the foundation of the true Church in the Bible?
1 CORINTHIANS 3:11
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Anybody who will build a church, and make Peter or any other man its foundation is rejecting Christ, and is building it in vain. Peter said:
ACTS 4:10-12 (Douay-Rheims Version)
10 Be it known to you all and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God hath raised from the dead, even by him, this man standeth here before you, whole.
11 This is the stone which was rejected by you the builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved.
The house or the building founded or built upon the ‘petra’ or the foundation rock (which is Christ), is the Church of God.
1 TIMOTHY 3:15
But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
God built it upon Christ — the real foundation.
HEBREWS 3:4
For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.
PSALMS 127:1
Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
To Kay, I hope you will consider these things in your search for the truth.
God Bless.
The house or the building founded or built upon the ‘petra’ or the foundation rock (which is Christ), is the Church of God.
ReplyDelete1 TIMOTHY 3:15
But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
God built it upon Christ — the real foundation.
this is one of countless teaching that attracts my attention to listen to Bro Eli, thanks be to God.
To God be the glory forever for such a beautiful wisdom revealed by God to our preachers
ReplyDeleteThanks be to God and to our Jesus Christ
Salamat sa Dios mas lalo ko naintindihan.
ReplyDeleteAnother very interesting blog. Which we never heared.
ReplyDeleteAmen!
ReplyDeleteIt's an overwhelming truth because it's biblical.
ReplyDeletePeter is not the rock. Not learning from the way of the bible is a dangerous things. Thanks GOD for MrControversy's Exposition.
Father Peter is the 'rock' idol statue worshipped by Catholics
ReplyDeleteTo God be the Glory.. Thanks be to God for teaching us this wisdom.
ReplyDeleteTo God be the Glory!
ReplyDeleteThe biblical truth here as presented by Bro. Eli is final and non debatable...To God Be The Glory!
ReplyDeleteWake up my relatives and friends who are catholic believers. As you can observe, nobody in the whole world could explain biblically and clearly about this truth except he is spiritually guided by our God in the bible like our preachers.
ReplyDeleteYou should have started seeking the truth of the real salvation.
We praise our God. Amen...
Amen... trully indeed... TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOREVER AND EVER....
ReplyDeleteAmen
ReplyDeleteSalamat sa Dios..
ReplyDeleteBeing able to read the bible properly is a gift of God to bro. Eli for people like me to understand the biblical truth...
ReplyDeleteThanks be to God Mr. Controversy extraordinary..for the Biblical truths
ReplyDeleteThere is joy being fed of the biblical truth...Thank's God for Bro. Eli...
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a child, I always hear this verse and my wrong beliefs influenced how I interpret this, I was given a false hope and misdirected to a man made idol and icon my previous leaders instilled in me. Until Bro. Eli Soriano, using the Bible, identified the real speakers and significant elements with proper context and right perspective for salvation from sin and death and from the coming wrath of God. For example, other sects use pebbles, stones and rocks, as though they can hold it in their hands as personal things, and some don't even know Cephas and Peter of the Bible, unknowingly or disregarding how wonderful that foundation of the Church is and magnificent the owner is! May I say it was difficult for me to let the false hope go. But I believe I am on the right track now on my journey with the rest of the brethren around the world and trust the Lord God Almighty continue lifting the veil on this verse with the influence and passion of our overall servants Members Church of God International guided the Holy Spirit to study and understand the wisdom in the word of God. This controversial verse became plain and powerful to uplift our whole being even in this trying times of the Covid-19 Pandemic. This reveals the promise of the God Almighty by His son, the Lord Jesus Christ! We pray that we shall not be moved, remaining in the fold doing good deeds and steadfast, holding on to the good faith until our vessel reached the apex of its purpose on earth — "For to us to live in Christ and to die is gain"!
ReplyDeleteI'am a converted Catholic from a protestant and I am surprise why protestant consider Catholic as founded by St. Peter. Where as the teaching that I received from the church is that Catholic Church's Foundation is Jesus Christ who save and gave His life for us to be save who follow the will of the Father. St. Peter is an instrument of the institution of the Church which Jesus built on Rock means a solid foundation that no Man can change.
ReplyDeleteAs Catholic also i disagree that we are thought to worship a statue and it was not even thought in our teachings. We believed in one God the Father Almighty who is the source of all creation.
God bless you all Brothers and Sisters. Just my sharing hoping for your respect.
Thank Bro. Romeo Osorio Ang who share this to me.