Note 3 at Mt. 16:18: Some people have mistakenly interpreted this passage to say that Peter was the foundation on which Christ would build His church. However, that would violate many scriptures that state that Jesus is the "chief cornerstone" (see ref. j at this verse; notice especially 1 Cor. 3:10-11). Ephesians 2:20 does mention the apostles as being part of the foundation stones of Christ's church, but it doesn't single Peter out above any of the other apostles and this same scripture once again mentions Jesus as the "chief cornerstone." It is implied that the apostle, James, the brother of our Lord (see note 2 at John 2:12, p. 45) was actually the head of the Jerusalem church (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; Gal. 2:9,12).

There are two different Greek words used for "Peter" and "rock" respectively in verse 18 (see refs. i and j, this verse). The word used for "Peter" means "rock" but signifies a piece of rock like a pebble. In contrast, the word translated as "rock" signifies a massive rock which certainly refers to Jesus, the "chief cornerstone."

Some have suggested that the foundation rock referred to was this confession that Peter made that Jesus was "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt. 16:16). Although it is true that to enter God's kingdom, we do have to confess that Jesus is Lord (Rom. 10:9-10), in light of the Old Testament prophecies and New Testament references to Jesus being the "chief cornerstone," this passage of scripture must be referring directly to Jesus as this "rock" upon which He will build His church. Compare this with other statements Jesus made about Himself as though it were a third person speaking (Jn. 2:19; 6:32-33,50,58).

Note 4 at Mt. 16:18: This statement about the gates of hell not prevailing against us shows that the church is supposed to be on the offensive--not the defensive in our spiritual warfare. We shouldn't be just trying to "hold out" behind our own defenses until Jesus comes to rescue us, but we should be pressing the battle to the very gates of hell itself. It should be the devil and his "imps" who are in retreat and hiding behind their walls--not the church.