The Protestants believe Jesus was referring to the affirmation that Peter had just made, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," [Matthew 16:16] as the foundation stone to which Jesus would build His church, not Peter as a person. Apostle John would write, "But as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." [John 1:12] Apostle Peter even wrote that Jesus was the chief cornerstone upon which God is building His spiritual house.
"Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 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. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believes on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." [1 Peter 2:1-9]
Apostle Paul uses the same imagery saying, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." [1 Corinthians 3:11] Ephesus 2:19-20 express the same idea. "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone." We who are Christ's are building our lives upon Him who is the Rock of our salvation by obeying His words.
"Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that hears these sayings of mine, and does them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." [Matthew 7:24-27]
Jesus is the cornerstone of Isaiah 28:16 to which Peter refers in his letter. "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believes shall not make haste."
In Luke 20:17-18, Jesus implies to Himself as being the cornerstone mentioned in Isaiah and goes on to say, "Whosoever shall fall upon that stone, (upon Jesus) shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder " We either fall upon Jesus and He makes our brokenness whole, or we reject Jesus and put ourselves in line for God’s wrath. Therefore, Dr. Marshall, I think a thorough study of God’s word without assuming the doctrine of the Catholic Church and the interpretation that Jesus was referring to Peter, seems to reinforce the idea that Jesus was referring to the statement of faith that Peter made and which all truly born again Christians confess, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
It is upon Jesus that the true church is found, not a building or a denomination, but true followers of Christ scattered throughout "Christendom." "For the time has come and now is that the true followers of God shall worship Him in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship Him." [John 4:23] There is always a small remnant of true believers who are believing in Jesus, obeying His word and His voice. They are following His, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."[ Matthew 25:40] And the rest of that passage you quoted goes along with Matthew 7:21, "Not every one that says unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven (It’s not just confessing with the mouth if the life is not transformed. Or for the Catholic, it's not just taking the sacraments, if the life is not transformed and walking in obedience to God’s word.)
Jesus Himself warned the religious leaders, "Your TRADITIONS have made the word of God without effect." [Mark 7:13] Be careful that our religious traditions no matter where they come from don't put us into a false sense of security that we are being obedient to God. Get out your Bible and read and let God's word speak to your heart. I think Jesus may have had Isaiah 58 in mind when speaking that passage in Matthew 25. Like Apostle James wrote, "Be ye doers of the word, not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." [James 1:21]
1 Corinthians 10:4 is another verse that shows that the "church," the called-out ones, the separated believers, are founded upon the "Rock," Jesus Christ, and not Apostle Peter. "And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." Also, in Daniel 2:45, the rock that is cut out without hands and comes and destroys the empires of this world, is not Apostle Peter or the Church, but Christ at His coming.
Apostle Peter confesses himself in Acts 4:11-12, "This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is their salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Peter indeed was a little stone, but Jesus was saying that upon this stone, upon Himself and the truth that He is indeed the Messiah, He would build His group of believers, His called-out ones, His Ecclesia. God's word seems to verify that Peter, which means stone, was a little stone, but God’s church was and is being built on Jesus Himself, a big stone, a Rock. Jesus is the solid foundation stone that cannot be shaken.
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