Christology & Ecclesiology
Matthew 16:13-18
Different theologians or scholars have made the point that when it comes to the Bible, it's about Christ, first and foremost. Here's a wonderful way it's been described,
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 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.”
Different theologians or scholars have made the point that when it comes to the Bible, it's about Christ, first and foremost. Here's a wonderful way it's been described,
"The Old Testament is the anticipation of Christ; the gospels are the arrival of Christ; the epistles, the explanation of Christ; and then the book of Revelation, the consummation by Christ."
That is a nice way to shape your Bible. I have a book on my shelf by Dr. David Murray, it's titled, Christ on Every Page. Martin Luther said,
"All Scriptures point to Christ alone, Christ is a sender, not merely the subject."
But not only does the Bible point us to Christ, first and foremost, but every major doctrine, I would argue, was taught by Christ.
The doctrine of Christology, which is the doctrine of Christ, Christ preaches Himself; all of those great ‘I am’ statements He's preaching Himself. The doctrine of Soteriology, or the doctrine of Salvation is taught by Christ. The doctrine of the Trinity, you just go to the upper room, is taught by Christ. The doctrine of Eschatology, the end times, it's taught by Christ. And He also taught the doctrine of Ecclesiology, the doctrine of the church. He taught that doctrine right here. If you look at Matthew 16 again, you have two doctrines here that come together, Christology, and Ecclesiology. And if you have a good Christology, I think you could argue, I think I would always argue, you should have a good ecclesiology. If you have a good understanding of who Christ is, you will also have a good understanding of what the church is. Remember, the church is the body of Christ, the church is the bride of Christ.
And here in Matthew 16, Jesus wants His disciples to grasp both doctrines. And that's why He raises the question. If you look at the text again, “Who do men say that I am?” And His disciples give an answer, it puts Christ in a very unique category. They compare Him to the greatest of prophets, and then Jesus obviously wasn't satisfied with the answer. He fires the question at them, “But who do you say I am?” And Peter being Peter, blurts out an answer, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And that is the finest, the most definitive Christological statement in the Gospels. You could say that's Christology at its best. He hits a home run, great answer, and I'm sure Jesus was smiling and acknowledges that this was not revealed by flesh and blood, but by the Father in Heaven. But then Jesus begins to talk about the church. He takes on Peter's confession, verse 18, and He says, “I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock, I will build My church.” Now, there's all kinds of questions and interpretations as to what that means. I don't believe the rock is Peter, but the rock is Peter's truth confession. And if it's a true church, it will always have a strong, clear, Christological confession.
And then Jesus makes one of the clearest statements right here about the church, and His relationship to the church. Look what He says, “I will build My church and the gates of Hell, or Hades shall not prevail against it.” And then He identifies Himself here as the builder of the church, but also the preserver, and the protector of the church. And it mentions here again the gates of hell, and again, there's interpretation as to what that refers to. Does it refer to the power of the devil? Does it refer to death itself? It could be both. But Jesus knows better than anyone, the church will always be under attack. I think Paul has that in mind when he tells those Ephesian elders in Acts chapter 20 about savage wolves, or false teachers who will attack the flock, and he also warns about dangers from within their own ranks, men will rise up, speaking perverse things to lead disciples astray.
But we could argue this, as the world becomes more and more anti-God, anti-Christ, it will become more and more anti-church. You can't separate those two things. And without His protection and preservation, the gates of hell will prevail. But Christian be assured, the church is a forever institution. It will never, never cease to be because Christ is the preserver and the keeper and the builder of His church. He never drops the trowel or the sword. The church is the only institution that will be forever. Marriage won't, the nuclear family won't, civil government won't, but the church will. It's His forever family, it's His forever marriage. Christ, the architect and the builder, is going to keep on building, building, building, until He comes back again, and all the while, He'll be protecting, maturing and strengthening the church. And the primary way He builds the church is by the gospel, gospel preaching and gospel praying. And that's why we never, never must stop either one of those corporate disciplines of preaching and praying.
The doctrine of Christology, which is the doctrine of Christ, Christ preaches Himself; all of those great ‘I am’ statements He's preaching Himself. The doctrine of Soteriology, or the doctrine of Salvation is taught by Christ. The doctrine of the Trinity, you just go to the upper room, is taught by Christ. The doctrine of Eschatology, the end times, it's taught by Christ. And He also taught the doctrine of Ecclesiology, the doctrine of the church. He taught that doctrine right here. If you look at Matthew 16 again, you have two doctrines here that come together, Christology, and Ecclesiology. And if you have a good Christology, I think you could argue, I think I would always argue, you should have a good ecclesiology. If you have a good understanding of who Christ is, you will also have a good understanding of what the church is. Remember, the church is the body of Christ, the church is the bride of Christ.
And here in Matthew 16, Jesus wants His disciples to grasp both doctrines. And that's why He raises the question. If you look at the text again, “Who do men say that I am?” And His disciples give an answer, it puts Christ in a very unique category. They compare Him to the greatest of prophets, and then Jesus obviously wasn't satisfied with the answer. He fires the question at them, “But who do you say I am?” And Peter being Peter, blurts out an answer, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And that is the finest, the most definitive Christological statement in the Gospels. You could say that's Christology at its best. He hits a home run, great answer, and I'm sure Jesus was smiling and acknowledges that this was not revealed by flesh and blood, but by the Father in Heaven. But then Jesus begins to talk about the church. He takes on Peter's confession, verse 18, and He says, “I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock, I will build My church.” Now, there's all kinds of questions and interpretations as to what that means. I don't believe the rock is Peter, but the rock is Peter's truth confession. And if it's a true church, it will always have a strong, clear, Christological confession.
And then Jesus makes one of the clearest statements right here about the church, and His relationship to the church. Look what He says, “I will build My church and the gates of Hell, or Hades shall not prevail against it.” And then He identifies Himself here as the builder of the church, but also the preserver, and the protector of the church. And it mentions here again the gates of hell, and again, there's interpretation as to what that refers to. Does it refer to the power of the devil? Does it refer to death itself? It could be both. But Jesus knows better than anyone, the church will always be under attack. I think Paul has that in mind when he tells those Ephesian elders in Acts chapter 20 about savage wolves, or false teachers who will attack the flock, and he also warns about dangers from within their own ranks, men will rise up, speaking perverse things to lead disciples astray.
But we could argue this, as the world becomes more and more anti-God, anti-Christ, it will become more and more anti-church. You can't separate those two things. And without His protection and preservation, the gates of hell will prevail. But Christian be assured, the church is a forever institution. It will never, never cease to be because Christ is the preserver and the keeper and the builder of His church. He never drops the trowel or the sword. The church is the only institution that will be forever. Marriage won't, the nuclear family won't, civil government won't, but the church will. It's His forever family, it's His forever marriage. Christ, the architect and the builder, is going to keep on building, building, building, until He comes back again, and all the while, He'll be protecting, maturing and strengthening the church. And the primary way He builds the church is by the gospel, gospel preaching and gospel praying. And that's why we never, never must stop either one of those corporate disciplines of preaching and praying.
Posted in Pastor Devotional