Upon This Rock - Matthew 16:18

"And I say unto you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overpower it."

These famous words of Christ have been examined many times, and I am not thinking that I have anything original to say about them. But I do want to state what I believe Jesus is saying here is about the Church.

First, when Christ refers to the 'rock' upon which He is going to build His church, that rock is not primarily or exclusively Peter. The word 'rock' here is feminine, not masculine, and coupled with the use of the term 'this' instead of something personal, our Lord is making it quite clear that the 'rock' is not Peter. Peter did play an important part in the building of the church, but he was not the foundation of the entire Church. The 'rock' is also not a direct reference to Christ, although ultimately Christ is foundation of the church (I Cor. 3:11). Rather, Christ is pointing  to Peter's statement that Jesus is "...the Christ, the Son of the living God" (v. 17). It is this truth that forms the foundation for building the Church, which Christ refers to as His own.

This brings me to the second critical truth about the Church found in this verse. The Church is referred to in the future tense. At this point it had not yet come into existence. Yes, I know that this Greek word basically means "assembly" and was used of Israel in the Old Testament, and other "assembles" in the New Testament. But this is a special assembly. Our Lord says it is "My church". It will be distinct and different from the Old Testament assembly because it is a 'new man' (see Ephesians 2:13-22). Jews and Gentiles will come together on the day of Pentecost to form a new assembly called the Church, the Body of Christ, and Christ Himself declares that He will build it, and the gates of hell (or hades) will not overpower it.

This is the third crucial point about the Church. The Church will never be overcome by the gates of hell. But what does this mean and not mean? It means that either the Church will never die, that is, the power of hell cannot overcome it and kill it. Or it means that the gates of hades cannot contain those that die and fall into it's grasp. Those who are believers in Christ, and thus members of the Church, will certainly someday be resurrected as our Lord was. I prefer the first view, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was the second. Either way, this verse does not teach us that the church will triumph over all evil or bring in the kingdom or accomplish all that we have been given to do by Christ (i.e., Matthew 28:19-20). The Church will grow because Christ said, 'I will build' it. The Church will never die, because Christ said 'the gates of hell will not overpower it'. The Church will accomplish a great deal, spiritually-speaking, because Christ gave men the 'keys of the kingdom of heaven' to do the work of God here on earth (v. 19).

But the Church in a certain sense will ultimately fail. That is why Christ must and will return to finish what the Father decreed in eternity past. Only He can usher in the millennial kingdom. Only He can defeat all the armies of this world. Only He can bring in righteousness and eliminate evil. We as the Church are the visible manifestation of Christ here and now. But only the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Himself can finish what the Father desires. But we will be with Him! Thank you, Lord!