We Believe In The Church

Who believes in the church? In many parts of the world the church is growing very rapidly. As Jesus says in this passage we're looking at tonight:

I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Yet in the UK visible church attendance fell dramatically in the 1990's - the supposed decade of evangelism.

Often when I do a funeral visit the bereaved relatives will say, she was a Christian - but she never went to church. Although church attendance is declining apparently the 'virtual' church is growing - apparently religion comes 3rd after sex and medicine in the number of sites and visits on the web. In the 1960's the placards of various student Jesus groups used to say: "Jesus - Yes, Church - No!" Lenny Bruce, an American commentator, said at the time, "Every day people are turning away from the church and going back to God."

Today the placards of young people in this country might say: 'Jesus - who?, Church - what?' Many of them perceive church to be dull and irrelevant even though many of them have never been to a Sunday service. It was Kierkegaard who said: "Whereas Christ turned water into wine, the visible church has succeeded in doing something more difficult; it has turned wine into water."

Some wayward church leaders and bishops have discouraged people, such as the Bishop of Oxford who said the other week that if you can't accept the claims of Christ then go and try Judaism! Or the new Primate of Australia who is causing uproar there by preaching a metaphorical resurrection of Jesus.

Yes there is no perfect church on earth but it is in need of reform and renewal. Error demands correction. The visible church should be where there is, to quote the 39 Articles of the Church of England, "the preaching of the pure Word of God and the sacraments duly administered according to Christ's ordinance."

'God's new society' should be evident to all too. Many are put off by disunity. Do we believe in the church? We stand and say so most Sundays when we declare our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed: "We believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church."

Some people still ask me can I be a Christian without going to church? Well going to church by itself doesn't make you a Christian just as going to Macdonald's doesn't make you a hamburger! Only by putting our faith in Christ as we saw last week can we become a Christian and then we become a member of Christ's Church, the community of all true believers for all time. And then we need to become part of a local church which preaches the gospel. The New Testament, while stressing the importance of personal faith in Christ, "knows nothing of solitary religion", as John Wesley put it, but today one danger is that Christians like society around them can be very individualistic and self sufficient.

But here we're concentrating on the Church which Jesus promises to build upon a rock which is the whole body of believers of all time, tongue and people rather than the visible church of any one nation or place. The church which is composed of all who are washed in Christ's blood and joined to Christ by faith. The New Testament makes it very plain that when we put our faith in Jesus Christ we are not only brought into an individual relationship with him but we are also incorporated into a body of believers, of which Christ is the head, and every true believer is a member. As the Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2:22:

And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

This is the church and it is of central importance in the New Testament. To believe in Jesus Christ is to believe in and belong to the church, the body of Christ, a dynamic community which spans the centuries.

You see the word used in the New Testament to refer to the church, the word ekklesia, does not denote a building, but a group of people. The word literally means 'those who are called out'. The church, then, consists of those who God has "called out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9). The church is the body of Christ and his bride. In Ephesians 5:25 we read that "husbands are to love their wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her". However the word 'church' was only used on two occasions by Jesus in all four gospels. Both are only recorded in Matthew. In chapter 16 Jesus speaks about the church which comprises all believers at all times when, as we shall see, he said to Peter : "You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church" (16:18). In chapter 18:17 Jesus speaks of the local church - the local congregation in any one geographical location - in the context of speaking about the way to deal with a brother who has sinned against another. So most of what Jesus said directly about his church is contained in this passage in Mt 16 and therefore must include the fundamental purpose of Jesus for his church. He talked about two things which are my two headings: The Foundation of the Church and The Function of the Church.


First, THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH

The context for Jesus' words about the church is Peter's confession of Christ in the region of Caesarea Philippi, a region which was especially pagan. Look at v13-17:

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?' They replied, 'Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' 'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I am?' Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.' Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.'

In a region which was reputed to be the birthplace of the god Pan, the most famous fertility symbol in ancient paganism, and where all around were temples of classical pagan religion and the new temple to the Roman Emperor Jesus chose to ask his disciples if they understood him, the only Saviour, the way, the truth, the life; the only one through whom people can come to the Father. "Who do you say I am?"

Today we too are surrounded by paganism and multi-faithism as we consider that question. But he first asked them "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied with various contemporary views. "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

Who do people say Jesus is today? Some say a good teacher, followers of some other religions still say a prophet. As we learn from Jesus in v17 they need God to reveal the truth to them. How we therefore need to pray for them and help them to have access to and understand the Bible. "But what about you?" Jesus asked, "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered correctly, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." You are the Messiah, the anointed one, the perfect prophet, priest and King who perfectly showed people what God was like, put people in touch with God and exercised rule over God's people, the Son of the living God. What a contrast to the pagan deities all around them! The Son of the living God, the one true God.

But look, v17, no human insight gave Peter this knowledge. Nobody can pierce through to Jesus' identity by his own cleverness. That insight must be given by God himself, today - through his Word and by his Spirit. "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven."

And what about us? Who do we say Jesus is? Some of us will have already answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" and believed and trusted in Christ as Saviour and Lord. (cf 1 Jn 5:1; Rom 10:9-10) Perhaps others here are still not sure - well why not get hold of and read a Gospel and ask God to help. If you have believed and trusted in Christ then you are part of his church, if you haven't yet you are obviously still very welcome to attend the local church here. Christ wants you to come and see and hear and believe!

But Jesus' reply to Simon Peter doesn't end at v17. Look at v17-19 which are Jesus' whole response to Peter's confession:

Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades or hell will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

So as we consider the foundation of the church in the context of Peter's confession what does v18a mean? What is the rock on which Christ will build his Church?

The Roman Catholic Church sees the rock as Peter. And, from v19, that he is empowered to control entrance into heaven and to forgive sins. The Roman Catholics see Peter as the first Bishop of Rome and his authority transferred to succeeding Popes.

Protestants have maintained that the rock is not Peter but Peter's faith. JC Ryle, for example, asks why didn't Jesus say "I will build my church on you" if he meant Peter rather than saying, "I will build my church on this rock"? He argues that the true meaning of the rock in this passage appears to be the truth of Jesus' Messiahship and Divinity, which Peter had just confessed. It is as though Jesus had said: "You are rightly called Peter or stone, for you have confessed that mighty truth, on which, as on a rock, I will build my Church". Other Protestants such as Charles Price, a well known Keswick speaker and Principal of Capernwray Bible College, argue that the rock is not Peter but Christ.

Certainly the Roman Catholic Church is wrong to see Peter being empowered in this passage to control entrance into heaven and to forgive sins, something we'll come back to later. And the passage contains no hint that Peter's role as the church's rock man should devolve on any successors in Rome or anywhere else. However it is probable that Peter (which is Petros in Greek) is the rock (which is petra in Greek) on which the church is to be built. The word play is irresistible as it is in the original Aramaic where Cephas would have appeared as Peter's name and as the rock. The word play and the whole structure of the passage seems to suggest that this verse is every bit as much Jesus' declaration about Peter as v16 was Peter's declaration about Jesus.

But it is not just Peter. It is Peter in his 'confessional capacity', Peter full of trust in the Son of the living God, is the one who will become the rock man for the early church. It is on the basis of Peter's confession that Jesus declares Peter's role as the rock on which the church is to be built. And it is historical fact that Peter was the acknowledged leader of the group of disciples and of the developing church in its early years, as the book of Acts reveals. It is Peter who preaches the first evangelistic sermon, but, as Michael Green points out, Peter as representative of the twelve. Is therefore this the point - that Jesus had found in Peter a believer, and on that foundation he could build his church?

Now the foundation stone image is applied primarily to Christ himself in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 3:11 Paul writes that no-one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. And in 1 Peter 2:6, Peter himself refers to Christ as the "precious cornerstone", the most significant stone in the structure. But this is not inconsistent with what Jesus says here in Matthew. In Ephesians 2:20-21 Paul speaks of the church of Jew and Gentile built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

Peter here is one of the apostles who together with prophets form foundation stones, but the chief cornerstone from whom the whole building derives its security is Christ. Is the picture here something like Christ as the long serving football manager who builds his team on a particular player? Christ is still building his church.

Note he says I will build my church. Again he's claiming to be God. He is the Builder, he is the head, he is the chief cornerstone, he is the living Stone. And we, as we come to Jesus the living Stone, the life giving Stone,

like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5)

The holy priesthood being the whole body of believers and as priests Christian believers are to do at least 4 things.

First we are to reflect the holiness of God and that of our high priest, Jesus Christ himself. Second we are to offer spiritual sacrifices - our bodies, our money, sacrifices of praise to God and sacrifices of doing good. (Heb 13:15-16). Third we are to intercede for men and women before God and fourth we are to represent God before men and women. What a privilege and what a responsibility! And, v18b, the Church founded on confession of Jesus as Son of God and Christ will never be destroyed. All the forces of evil and destruction or the gates of Hades will not be able to prevail against it or overcome it. So it has proved down two thousand years. Literally this verse means it will not die and be shut in by the gates of death. There will be persecutions. Some visible churches such as at Ephesus may come to nothing but the true church never dies.


Secondly, THE FUNCTION OF THE CHURCH

Look at v19. Jesus continues: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

What did Jesus mean? Well as we've seen Peter is to have a leading role and this role involves a degree of authority. But it's not an authority which Peter carries alone as Mt 18:18 makes clear with its reference to the disciples as a whole.

So authority to do what? "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven." Did this mean that Peter was given the power to admit people into heaven? No! Only Christ can do that. (Rev 1:18) And therefore all those jokes about Peter at the pearly gates are obviously totally unfounded! But it seems the keys of the kingdom do represent the authority to preach the gospel of Christ and thus allowing people to believe and enter the kingdom. Peter was to have the special privilege of first opening the door of salvation both to Jews and Gentiles when he preached on the day of Pentecost to the Jews and when he visited the Gentile Cornelius. In Acts 15:7 Peter said to the apostles:

God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.

Other apostles were also given this authority in a primary sense (they wrote the gospel in the NT) and all believers have this key in a secondary sense, for we can all share the gospel with others.

Finally look at v19 again.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Having the keys also appears to mean that Peter and the other apostles would have the authority of the 'steward', whose keys symbolised his responsibility to regulate the affairs of the household. Peter would exercise his leadership by his authority to declare what is and what is not permissible (loosing and binding mean permit and forbid). But the words 'will be bound' and 'will be loosed' actually mean 'will have been bound and loosed', ie Peter was to pass on decisions already made in heaven. So this is not an authority to determine but rather to announce.

The authority to define right and wrong, for example, belongs to God alone. The church can only declare and teach what God has already commanded in his Word. Nor can the authority of the keys involve authority to forgive sins in any absolute sense because this can be done only by God himself (1 Jn 1:9). Therefore the authority to carry out discipline in the church is an authority that must be carried out in accordance with the standards of Scripture. Binding and loosing and the power of the keys were well understood among the rabbis of Jesus' day. It meant legislating and excommunicating.

An early example of this legislative authority was when Peter was chosen to pioneer and authorise the church's acceptance of Gentile converts. And the authority of the keys does also seem to include the authority to exercise discipline within the church within the limits outlined above. The passage in Mt 18 in which binding and loosing mean placing under church discipline and releasing from church discipline is very similar to Mt 16.

Does this apply today? Here in Mt 16 Jesus doesn't indicate whether the authority of the keys will later be given to others. But the authority to preach the gospel is given to others at a later time and in the Mt 18 passage Jesus does say that the authority to exercise church discipline is given to the local church. "In preaching the gospel and in exercising discipline the church now exercises the authority of the keys of the kingdom." (Grudem) Verse 19 of Matthew 16 and verses 18-19 of Matthew 18 have been interpreted by some as relating to prayer - Jesus repeats binding and loosing on earth and in heaven but extends it to asking on earth and being given from heaven.

Let's be praying and working to see Christ's Church grow and be built up; all of us, young and old, working with the builder with faith in him - for apart from him we can do nothing.