Abstract
The foundation of the Church is not a man, but the divine revelation and confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Upon this unshakeable Rock, Christ builds His church. The authority given to believers, symbolized by the keys of the kingdom, is the commission to proclaim the Gospel—the knowledge of salvation—and to apply its truths on earth with the full backing of heaven.
Introduction
When Jesus declared He would build His church “upon this rock,” what did He truly mean? Was this unshakeable foundation a fallible man, or the divine truth that man had just confessed? This study explores the biblical identity of the Rock, the meaning of the “keys of the kingdom,” and the source of the Church’s true authority, revealing that all find their source and substance in Jesus Christ Himself.
The Foundation of the Church
The conversation begins with a pivotal question from Jesus, leading to a foundational declaration by Peter.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Jesus affirms that Peter’s insight is not of human origin but a divine revelation. It is upon this revealed truth that Jesus makes a promise concerning His church.
18 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.
The immediate question is, what is “this rock”? Is it Peter himself, or the truth he just confessed? Let the Scripture itself remove every doubt. Throughout the Scriptures the term “rock” is consistently used as a title for God Himself.
2 He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.
The Apostle Paul removes any ambiguity, explicitly identifying this spiritual Rock.
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
Peter, in his own epistle, clarifies his role. He does not point to himself as the foundation, but to Christ as the “chief corner stone” and believers as “lively stones” built upon Him.
4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
The unified testimony of the apostles is that the Church is built upon their witness to Christ, with Christ Himself being the immovable cornerstone.
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Peter’s own fallibility, demonstrated when Paul later had to correct him publicly, shows that the Church’s unshakable foundation must be the perfect Christ, not any imperfect man.
11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
The Keys of the Kingdom
Jesus continues his commission to Peter with a second promise.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven…
What is this “key”? Jesus elsewhere rebukes the religious lawyers for having “taken away the key of knowledge,” thereby hindering those who were trying to enter the kingdom.
52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.
This key of knowledge is explicitly defined as the message of the Gospel itself: the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins in Christ.
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
The “keys,” therefore, represent the authority to proclaim the Gospel, which is the means by which the door to the Kingdom of Heaven is opened to all who believe.
Binding and Loosing
The third part of the commission is the authority to bind and loose.
19 …and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
This great authority was not given to Peter alone. Jesus gave this same charge to all His disciples in the context of church discipline and dealing with sin.
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
This authority is directly connected to the forgiveness of sins through the Gospel. Jesus commissions His disciples, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to declare sins remitted or retained based on a person’s acceptance or rejection of Christ.
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
To bind and loose, therefore, is the authority of the Church to apply the “key of knowledge”—the Gospel. It is to declare, based on the unchanging Word of God, what is forbidden (bound) and what is permitted (loosed), and to affirm the forgiveness of sins for the repentant and the retaining of sins for the unrepentant, with the full backing of heaven.
Conclusion
The Church is not built on the shifting sands of human authority but on the eternal Rock of who Jesus is: “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” He alone is the foundation. The power He gives His people is not for earthly dominion but for spiritual proclamation—the authority to wield the “key” of the Gospel, opening the door of salvation for all who will believe.