Manslick Road church of Christ

“Upon This Rock I Will Build My Church”

These well known words, recorded in Matthew 16:18 , were Jesus’ response to Peter’s great confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” What did the Lord mean by them? To answer that, we must answer three questions.

What is the rock? Because the name Peter (Greek form) or Cephas (Aramaic form) means a stone, some assert that Peter is the rock. No, Jesus is the rock. His identity was the subject of conversation: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Who do you say I am?” (vv. 13, 15). Scripture makes this point unmistakably clear when it says, “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11 ). Peter himself described Jesus as the stone which the builders rejected but it nevertheless became the cornerstone of God’s temple (1 Pet. 2:7 ). The fact that Jesus is the Son of God was the basis on which He would build.

What is the church? When people hear the word church, some think of ornate buildings with steeples and stained-glass windows. Others conjure up pictures of men wearing robes and funny hats. Just what did Jesus plan to build?

The word rendered church in our English Bibles is not an inherently religious term. It means an assembly; literally, the called out. A group of people is what Jesus had in mind to build.

Simply put, based on His identity as God the Son, Jesus planned to call men to follow Him, to become His disciples. Notice how the verses that follow our text talk about the cost (full surrender) and benefits (salvation) of following Jesus (vv. 24-27). “‘Come out from their midst and be separate,’ says the Lord” (2 Cor. 6:17 ). Coming out of the world includes leaving behind whatever religion we have been practicing. Those who answer Jesus’ call are the assembly or the church.

How did Jesus build it? On the day of Pentecost Jesus’ apostles began to extend the invitation: repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38 ). Three thousand gladly received that invitation, were baptized, and were added that day (v. 42).

The promise of Matthew 16:18 is not limited to the events of Pentecost, however. As the apostles continued to preach and people continued to obey the gospel, “the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47 ). He was still building His church. Nearly 2,000 years later, He is still at it. Whenever one hears the good news of salvation through Jesus’ death and accepts the invitation by faith and obedience, Christ adds one more to the assembly. Has He added you?