Day 27 – The Word of God Brings Salvation
(Mat 16:14-18 ) And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. (14) He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? (15) And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. (16) 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. (17) 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. (18 )
The rock referred to in Mat 16:18 could not be referring to Peter because the Greek word for Peter was Petrus, derived from petros, meaning a piece of rock. The Apostles were merely a piece of the Rock, Jesus Christ and His Gospel message.
G4074
Πέτρος
Petros
pet’-ros
Apparently a primary word; a (piece of) rock(larger than G3037); as a name, Petrus, an apostle: – Peter
The Greek word for the rock that Christ built His Church on is petra which is a mass of rock. Christ is the very foundation of Christianity. It isn’t Peter as is taught by the catholic church. Peter, like the Apostles, was a piece of the rock of the Foundation of Jesus Christ based on the Gospel. The Apostles were charged with spreading the message that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Messiah that was prophesied in the Old Testament. That is the Gospel – the Good News.
G4073
πέτρα
petra
pet’-ra
Feminine of the same as G4074; a (mass of) rock (literally or figuratively): – rock.
This is not the only place that Christ is referred to as the Rock. (1 Cor 10:4) And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. The Greek word for Rock is the same Greek word in Matt 16:18, Petra! Peter could not be the “rock” that was spoken of in Mat 16:18. Anyone who studies the Bible is taught that every verse has a “sister” verse in Scripture that supports it. No where in Scriptures does the Greek word for Peter (Petrus / petros) appear in conjunction to the church or its foundation! It is not on the catholic church that Christ built His church but on the Gospel.
So what exactly is the Gospel? It was stated in the previous verse: (Mat 16:16) And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. The Gospel is that mankind needed a Messiah, a Saviour, the Christ and that the Son of God, Jesus is the Christ. A Saviour from what? Man could not get to heaven by his own merit or by offering sacrifices. A perfect and sinless sacrifice had to be offered for our sins. The only One who is perfect is God. So God sent His own Son to be that perfect sacrifice. Former catholic priest, Richard Bennett, says it better than anyone I have ever read after:
“The Lord Jesus Christ is personally All Holy; yet as the substitute for the believer’s sin, He rendered Himself legally responsible to the wrath of God. The consequence of Christ’s faithfulness in all that He did, culminating in His death on the cross, is that His righteousness is credited to the believer. It was God who legally constituted Christ to be “sin for us.” He was “made sin” because the sins of His people were transferred to Him, and in like manner, the believer is made “the righteousness of God in Him” by God’s crediting to the believer Christ’s faithfulness to the precepts of the law. Quite clearly, therefore, justification is a judicial and gracious act of God whereby a believing sinner has legal right standing in Christ. Without this perfect righteousness of Christ Jesus credited to you, you are spiritually “dead in trespasses and sins.” (Ephesians 2:1) This – the Gospel of Christ Jesus… “
Peter stated this exact Gospel in a nut shell in his statement in Mat 16:18. It was not Peter that the church was to be founded on but Christ and His Gospel. In the next few verses, Christ told His disciples that He would have to die. Peter stated: (Mat 16:22) Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. Without Christ’s death, man’s salvation could not happen. This is exactly what the devil wanted and the devil was working through Peter, one of Christ’s twelve chosen Apostles, to convince Him not to go forward with the cross. But what did Jesus do? He turned right around and rebuked Peter. (Mat 16:23) But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. Why would Christ leave the very foundation of the church in a sinful man’s hands? He wouldn’t!
Catholics state that verse 19 of the same Chapter support catholic doctrine of popedom: (Mat 16:19) And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Keys are used to open doors. Peter’s job was to join the Jew with the Gentile with the same Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Jews had always been the bearer of salvation. (Joh 4:22b) …for salvation is of the Jews. The Jews would not be so easy to convince that the Gentiles could receive their Messiah and be saved. The keys given to Peter were the keys to opening the door of faith in Jesus Christ to the Jew first and then to the Gentiles. These were not keys given to a pope and to the catholic church. Christ is the very foundation of Christianity, not the catholic church.
John Gill’s Expository on the Entire Bible has an excellent explanation for these keys and binding and loosing:
“But Christ gave a greater power of binding and loosing, to his disciples, than these men had, and which they used to better purpose. The sense of the words is this, that Peter, and so the rest of the apostles, should be empowered with authority from him, and so directed by his Holy Spirit, that whatever they bound, that is, declared to be forbidden, and unlawful, should be so: and that whatever they loosed, that is, declared to be lawful, and free of use, should be so; and accordingly they bound some things which before were loosed, and loosed some things which before were bound; for instance, they bound, that is, prohibited, or declared unlawful, the use of circumcision, which before, and until the death of Christ, was enjoined the natural seed of Abraham; but that, and all ceremonies, being abolished by the death of Christ, they declared it to be nothing, and of no avail, yea, hurtful and pernicious; that whoever was circumcised, Christ profited him nothing, and that he was a debtor to do the whole law: they affirmed, that the believing Gentiles were not to be troubled with it; that it was a yoke not fit to be put upon their necks, which they, and their fathers, were not able to bear, Gal_5:1. They bound, or forbid the observance of days, months, times, and years; the keeping holy days, new moons, and sabbaths, which had been used in the Jewish church for ages past; such as the first day of the new year, and of every month, the day of atonement, the feasts of the passover, pentecost, and tabernacles, the jubilee year, the sabbatical year, and seventh day sabbath, Gal_4:9. They loosed, or declared lawful and free, both civil and religious conversation between Jews and Gentiles; whereas, before, the Jews had no dealings with the Gentiles, nor would not enter into their houses, nor keep company with them, would have no conversation with them; neither eat, nor drink with them; but now it was determined and declared, that no man should be called common, or unclean; and that in Christ Jesus, and in his church, there is no distinction of Jew and Gentile, Act_10:28. They also loosed, or pronounced lawful, the eating of any sort of food, without distinction, even that which was before counted common and unclean, being persuaded by the Lord Jesus Christ, by the words he said, Mat_15:11. They asserted, that there is nothing unclean of itself; and that the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; or that true religion does not lie in the observance of those things; that every creature of God is good, and fit for food, and nothing to be refused, or abstained from, on a religious account, provided it be received with thanksgiving, Rom_14:14. And these things now being by them bound or loosed, pronounced unlawful or lawful, are confirmed as such by the authority of God, and are so to be considered by us.”
Note that the Apostles were not given the go ahead to bind and loose added and new doctrine. What they bound and loosed were Old Testament laws that were fulfilled through Christ. The doctrines that the catholic church claims as dogma and law today by the pope, magisterium and traditions are “new” and not found in Scriptures (i.e., Mary being sinless at birth, Mary remaining a virgin after Christ’s birth, Mary not dying but ascending into heaven, the hierarchy of the catholic church, etc.). If you disagree with the dogmas mentioned, show me proof as to where those specific dogmas can be found in the Bible.
The Jews were not happy when the Gentiles started getting saved. They questioned that the Gentiles received the same Holy Spirit as they did at the time of conversion. That is why Peter was the one that baptized the first Gentiles so the Jews would see that Peter was baptizing with the same Holy Spirit. After the Gospel spread like wild fire and the Word was documented, there was no need for the office of Apostles as their job was done.
1 Cor 13:8-10 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. (8 ) For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. (9) But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. (10) The word “perfect” here means
G5046
τέλειος
teleios
tel’-i-os
From G5056; complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc.); neuter (as noun, with G3588 ) completeness:
What was to be complete? What needed completing? Paul said that it would prophecies, witnessing in languages and knowledge. Notice Paul says that they “knew in part and prophesied in part.” But when that complete and perfect prophesy and knowledge came the “part would be done away with.” God’s Word, the Holy Bible, was complete after John penned Revelation. Many state that the “perfect” cannot be the Bible but it refers to Christ. However, the word is in the “neuter” gender so it cannot be referring to the person of Jesus Christ. It does, however, refer to His Word!
We have the Word of God today my friend. We have it without additions, without deletions, without changes. The very oracles of God have been penned by the Holy Spirit of God Himself and is preserved for mankind. Is it any wonder that the devil is trying so hard to destroy it? Christ said that the gates of hell would not prevail because His Word is for ever! It is not the catholic church that brings the Gospel, it is the Word of God in its completeness and perfection.
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