The Identity of the Church

The word church in the Greek is the word ekklesia (ἐκκλησία) which can mean assembly or church. It is used to describe the entirety of those who make up the Body of Christ. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus says, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The debate revolves around the phrase “this rock.” Is the rock Peter himself or the confession he just made. Peter had just said in verse 16, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Grammatically the sentence can read either way and it appears that the two are linked intentionally. First, it is true that no one can be part of the church without also confessing that Jesus is Lord. Jesus is called the head of the church (Eph 5:23). In this sense, our faith in Christ, and in fact Christ himself, is the rock and foundation upon which the church is built. With this understanding Peter is an archetype of every believer who puts their faith in Christ. But there is also a historical reading of the text wherein we see the role Peter played in the establishment of the church. God used Peter to preach at Pentecost resulting in 3,000 new believers in one day (Acts 2:41). And later, Peter was the first one to bring the gospel to the gentiles (Acts 10:34-44). So in this sense Peter’s ministry was a big part of the foundation of the church. But even so, it was not Peter himself, but the good news that Peter preached that formed the church. Where Catholics have gone wrong, is in building up Peter as the first of many leaders in the papacy.