A Brief Exposition of Matthew 16:18
"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."
St. Peter, the first Rock star, as declared by our Lord.
One of the key proof texts that Romanists use to support Papal claims is Matthew 16:18. This verse is part of a greater section—relayed in all three of the Synoptics, yet fleshed out the most in St. Matthew’s Gospel—in which St. Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ, the son of the Living God, the full section being Matthew 16:13-20:
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 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. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
How are we to understand this passage? Does this make St. Peter the Head of the Earthly Church, who received the Keys of the Kingdom in a unique way distinct from the other Apostles, and give him supreme authority over the Church as the Papists confess? Heaven forbid! With the whole of Scriptural witness as our key and the Spirit as our Guide, the meaning of this passage can be unlocked.
This passage can be divided into four key assertions:
You are Peter
Christ attaches a new name to Peter, from Cephas to Peter, or, petros, meaning little stone. The renaming of St. Peter follows after his confession that Jesus is the Christ, so, whatever it means for Cephas to be a little stone follows from his confession, not anything inherent or unique to Cephas. Cephas is declared to be petros because he proclaims Christ to be who He is.
On this Rock
Much ink has been spilled over the meaning of “this rock.” Rock is the word petra, a clear play on words with the declaration of Cephas as petros, but who/what is the rock in this? Throughout the debates on this passage, three common views have emerged, the rock as understood to be St. Peter, the rock as understood to be St. Peter’s confession, and the rock as understood to be Christ. Often, Romanists (in the pop-apologetic sphere) will argue for the first view while Protestants will retreat to views two or three, however—in line with many Fathers—this verse is best understood with a threefold significance. All three of these answers are correct.
St. Peter, the Rock
First, the rock is understood to be Cephas, but, not Cephas uniquely. For St. Peter alone is not the rock upon which the Church is built, but St. Peter representatively for the Apostles and the Prophets, hence, St. Peter, St. James, and St. John are called "pillars" (Galatians 2:9) and along with the Apostles and the Prophets, is called a foundation (Eph 2:20). St. Peter is called a "rock" in regards to His Apostolic office, being a key figure in the laying of the true foundation, which is Christ (more on this in Christ, the Rock). Furthermore, this extends not only to St. Peter as an Apostle, but to St. Peter as a believer, hence, all Christians are called "living stones" (1 Peter 2:4-6). Just as St. Peter is the little stone from the Rock, so too are Christians living stones from the Living Stone, being the ministerial means by which the Temple of God is constructed and built up (Eph 2:11-22).
Therefore, when we consider St. Peter as the Rock, this must be understood with St. Peter representatively amongst the Apostles, who were the ministerial means by which the Church of God is built up (John 17:20). Any power that is given to St. Peter in the next verse is explicitly given to all the Apostles later on (Matthew 18:15-20). St. Peter is given no unique power when considered a rock, he is a rock as the rest of the apostles are rocks, and as every believer are rocks.
Faith, the Rock
Secondly, the Rock is to be understood as St. Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ. It is because of this Confession that Cephas is named petros; faith is the instrument and conduit of blessings in the Covenant of Grace. Just as by Cephas’ confession he is declared under a new name, so too by our confession are we declared under a new name, we apprehend that we are in Christ as opposed to Adam. It is by faith that the Church walks and follows after Her Head; it is the only means by which the Church can please God (Hebrews 11:6). Hence, the Church is built upon faith and trust in Christ, as a rock and foundation for which the Church is united together into one body (Eph 2).
Christ, the Rock
Thirdly, and properly, the True Rock, upon which the Church is built, is Christ Himself. He is the True Foundation, He is the True Rock, the Church is not built off fallible, fallen men, but the unshakable Rock and Foundation of our Lord and our God. The Apostles and Prophets are only foundations ministerially—as St. Gill puts it—they lay down the true foundation, which is Christ (1 Cor 3:7-15). Hence, this is why Cephas is called petros, for by His confession, He has come to model the true petra, that is Jesus Christ, so that by His faith—and the faith of all members of the Church—God may build his Church. We are “living stones” after the Rock of Christ, and it is Him—as St. Moses sings—whose work is perfect (Deut. 32:4).
There is no Earthly head of the Church, as the Papists, claim, but rather, “The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, in whom, by the appointment of the Father, all power for the calling, institution, order or government of the church, is invested in a supreme and sovereign manner…” (1689, 26.4).
I will build my Church
Hence, upon the Rock, which is Christ, the living stones (all Christians everywhere, but, contextually, the Apostles)—through their Ministry by the power of the Spirit—as a result of their faith, are united into one Body, a Church for the Living God, Jesus who is the Christ. A People of God shall be built, a Holy Temple, signifying this is a Work that will take time to be completed. Hence, it will not be completed immediately as soon as Christ dies, but, as Christ prays for in John 17, it will take many years of perseverance and strength through the work of those under the Apostolic Ministry that Christ's Church may be built so that the Temple of God may be spread, returning man to their priestly function lost in the Garden, and using man to bring about the subjugation of the whole Earth to be built into a Holy Temple and Dwelling for God (Matthew 28:18-20, Eph. 2:11-22). Whatever it means for the Apostles to aid in the building of the Church of Christ is clarified in the next verses, when He gives to all the Apostles and all Christians (as confirmed in Matthew 18:15-20) the power to bind and loose, or, primarily, the power to bring into the church and the power to excommunicate, as well as the power to teach the people of God1. The Church is built up through binding and loosing, that is, the building up of local congregations, little Gardens (Song of Solomon 4:12), by which the people of God may have a refuge on this Earth where God dwells with them (Eph 2:22). The power of the keys given to St. Peter—as an Apostle, Elder, and believer—is the instrument by which God’s Church is built up.
The Gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
There are two senses in which this assertion is to be taken.
Gates as Defensive
Gates are an object which defend, in this sense, the Gates of Hell protect Hell from destruction. The Gates of Hell shall not prevail against the Church because the Church shall prevail against the Gates of Hell. By the Building up of God's Church, we wage war against the Spiritual Forces, overcoming and destroying the Gates of Hell as we subjugate the World to the Kingdom of God by the power of the Spirit (Eph 6:12).
Gates as Offensive
Gates also, in Jewish literature, signify the offensive power of an enemy. Hence, it is also to be understood as the Church withstanding the attacks of Hell, for the Church to stand firm in all eras and all days in accordance with Christ and His Promise by the Spirit. Hence the Church can never and will never die, because the Spirit continues to guide it and be with it (John 16:13). The Church will prevail, and the whole Earth shall be a dwelling for God (Rev 21:1-10).
It is in this sense that St. Gill understands our Lord’s words—Gates as Offensive—hence he says in his commentaries, “Our Lord may allude to these notions of the Jews, and his sense be, that all the infernal principalities and powers, with all their united cunning and strength, will never be able to extirpate his Gospel, to destroy his interest, to demolish his church in general, or ruin anyone particular soul that is built upon him.”2
Conclusions
Therefore, this passage—against the views of the Papists—has been exposited. What a beautiful Promise by our Lord! For in it, He establishes His Church, sets forward the power of the keys that His Church may be visibly manifested, and assures us that, unlike the other two Temples, this one shall not be destroyed, for Christ the Rock shall prevail. Trust in the Promise of God and go forth, build up His Church!
May that which I have written that is not in accordance with the Word of God be burned up.
All Glory be to God.
I do not intend to give a defense for this understanding of the keys in this article, see St. Cotton’s Keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven for a historical defense of Congregationalism.
St. John Gill, Commentaries on Matthew 16:18