The above question has come to me recently, and with absolutely no intention of being critical of anyone’s beliefs or any denomination, but, since the question has been raised, I will answer it on Scriptural grounds only.
In Matthews 16:18 Jesus said to Peter, “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church.” The Roman Catholic church, which began as the “catholic” church (universal), became the Roman Catholic Church at the end of the 5th century with Pope Gregory VI, holds the view that the church is built on Peter, who became the first Pope – infallible when speaking ex-cathedra (from the chair) in all matters of faith and doctrine. Furthermore, the Roman Catholic Church claims that there has been an unbroken succession of Popes down to the present Pope.The question is simply this: Do the Holy Scriptures, which are inerrant, teach this? I simply answer “Let the Scriptures speak for themselves.” I would say this to any denomination. Some have claimed and even written that Baptists began with John the Baptist, but you cannot find this taught in the Scriptures. Baptist principles, many believe, go back to the apostles, but there was no Baptist Church formed until the 17th century in England. Now let us put the teaching that Peter is the Rock upon which the church is built and the first people under the search light of Scripture and see what we find:
First, we find that Peter identifies himself as an “elder” among the other elders. (1 Peter 5:1). Peter claimed no other distinction. If Peter was the Pope, he himself did not know so.
Second, Peter was not infallible on his views on the Christian life. The apostle Paul has to rebuke him for his hypocrisy, because he was not “straight forward about the truth of the gospel.” (Gal. 2:14)
Third, Peter was married (Matthews 8:14) and writes in his first epistle a definitive word concerning the relationship between husband and wives. (1 Peter 3:1-7) If the first Pope did marry, why did the church later pronounce that no Pope or Priest can marry?
Fourth, Peter was not the head of the first church in Jerusalem. At the first Ecumenical Council, (Acts 15) Peter played only “an introductory role” (Geisler, pg. 348) (Acts 15:6-11). James took the leading role, summing up the conference and making the final pronouncements to the Gentiles churches (Acts 15:13-21)
Fifth, the apostle Paul identifies the ‘pillars” of the church, but Peter is not even mentioned as a “pillar.” (Gal. 2:9)
Sixth, the Bible clearly declares that Christ is the foundation of the Christian church. 1 Cor. 3:11 “No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Paul further asserted that the church is “built upon the foundations of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.” (Ephes. 2:20)
Seventh, Acts 2:42 declare that the first church, formed on the Day of Pentecost, “continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine.” (Not just Peter’s)
Eight, the “keys of the kingdom were given to all the apostles (Matt. 18:18, not just to Peter.
Ninth, Even Peter Himself admitted that Jesus Christ is the chief rock. (cornerstone, 1 Peter 2:7)
Tenth, Paul notes that the other apostles are all part of the “foundation” of the church. (Ephes. 2:20)
What, then, did Jesus mean when he said to Peter, “Upon this rock I will build my church?” To quote the famous Christian apologist, Dr. Norman L. Geisler, “…Even if this rock has reference to Peter, he was only a rock in the apostolic foundation of the church (Matt. 16:18), not the ROCK, nor is he the only apostolic rock.” (Geisler, The Big Book of Bible Difficulties, pg. 348)
If one read Matthew 16:18 in the English translation, he might think the word “rock” appears twice and is the same rock. Not so according to the Greek, which reads, “Thou are Peter (Petros) and upon this rock (Petra) I will build my church.” The word used for Peter, Petros, means “little rock,” while the second reference to rock is Petra, which means “Big Rock.” Thus there are contrasts in the two rocks mentioned; the “little rock” refers to Peter; the “Big Rock” points to Jesus.
Furthermore, a basic rule in biblical interpretation is never build a doctrine on one verse of Scripture, but consult corresponding verses to see what they say. When this rule is applied to Matthew 16:18 one sees clearly that all other Scriptures referring to the church make it very clear that Peter is not the Rock upon which the church is built, but that Jesus Christ is that Rock.
In closing, I quote the word of the prominent apologists, Dr. Norman L. Geisler, “But if even this rock has reference to Peter (Petros, rock) which is certainly a possible interpretation, he was only a rock in the apostolic foundation of the church (Matthew 16:18), not the Rock nor is he the only apostolic rock. Even Peter admitted that Christ is the chief rock (cornerstone) – 1 Peter2:7.[1]
Note: Not only do Roman Catholics insist that Peter was the first Pope, but that there has been succession of Popes from Peter to the present. But such a claim cannot be documented. One of the foremost historians of our time was Dr. LaPrade, head of the history department in Duke University, said in effect these words in a class I was taking under him, “The succession of the popes is non-existent in the historical record, and it is “idiotic” to teach such.
The eminent Bible expositor, Dr. John MacArthur, interprets Matthew 16:18 as follows: “The word for Peter, Petros, means a small stone (John 1:42). John uses a play on words here with Petra which means a foundation boulder (cf. 7:24-25). Since the New Testament makes it abundantly clear that Christ is both the foundation (Acts 4:11); 1 Cor. 3:11) and the head (Ephesians 5:23) of the church, it is a mistake to think that here He is giving either of these roles to Peter. There is a sense in which the apostles played a foundational role in the building of the church (Ephesians 2:20), but the role of primacy is reserved to Christ alone, not assigned to Peter. So Jesus’ words here are best interpreted as a simple play on words in that a boulder-like truth comes from the mouth of one who was called a small stone. Peter himself explains the imagery in his first epistle: the church is built of “living stones” (1 Peter 1:5) who, like Peter, confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Christ Himself is the “chief cornerstone.” (1 Peter 2:6-7).
William Barclay, renown Bible expositor, concludes that Matthew 16:18 simply means this: “Peter, you are the first man to grasp who I am; you are therefore the first stone, the foundation stone, the very beginning of the church which I am founding”[2]
St. Augustine, the theologian par excellence of the church for 1000 years, gave this explanation of Matthew 16:18: “You are Peter; and on Myself as rock I will found my church…”[3]
A number of historians believe that the “Catholic” church, wanting to become the “Roman Catholic Church” and to elevate the Bishop of Rome as Pope, read into the Scripture a meaning to confirm their viewpoint – a view not known in the earlier days of the “catholic” church with a little “c,” simply meaning universal.
[1] Norman Geisler, The Big Book of Bible Difficulties, p. 348.
[2] Barclay, Gospel of Matthew, vol. 2, p. 155.
[3] Ibid, p. 154.