In Matthew 16:18, is the rock Peter or Christ?
The rock in Matthew 16:18 is Christ Himself, not Peter. Scripture consistently presents Christ as the rock, and the text says upon this rock He will build His church in the future tense. Peter is named Peter, but the rock is the only rock of Scripture, Christ.
Les explains that Matthew 16:18 is a perfect example of using a term symbolically. He asks, "Who is the rock, Peter or Christ?" and answers that Christ is the rock all the way through Scripture, so it cannot suddenly break and make Peter the rock. The rock referred to here, upon which Christ will build His church in the future tense, is the only rock of Scripture, Christ Himself. Les then connects this to Exodus 17, where the rock was smitten, and to the work of the cross—His death, burial, and resurrection—which believers appropriate by faith.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
More Questions
Does "upon this rock" in Matthew 16 refer to Peter or to Christ?
In Matthew 16, "Thou art Peter" means a stone, but the "rock" in the next phrase refers to Christ himself, the rock on which He would found the Church.
Who is the rock Jesus refers to when He says 'upon this rock'?
In Matthew, Jesus' phrase 'upon this rock' refers to Himself, not to Peter; Peter's name means a stone, but the rock is Christ, and upon Christ He would found the Church.