“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in temples made with hands.” (Acts 17:24, NKJV)
The thought system of the New Testament concerning the concept of church was formed and perverted at a very early stage. In Matt 16 Christ asks his disciples – “But who do you say that I am?” (verse 15), to which Simon Peter answered: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (verse 16). Hearing this, Christ says to him “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (verses 17-19). Based on this statement the Roman Catholic Church derived their dogma which considers the Pope as the head of the Church (sanctioned by the mantle of Peter, whom they consider the first Pope and the one who awaits you at the pearly gates, which has no basis in Scripture), and as the authority and power of the church (which has gathered a very local colour with the passing of time).
The misinterpretation is clear – Peter’s name means rock, and the fact that Christ said he will build his church “on this rock” could create the impression that Peter is the corner stone, or foundation. This cannot be – only Christ has this position (Acts 4:11), no man can fill it. This rock on which the church is built, has three possible meanings – firstly it points to Christ, the Rock (1 Cor 10:4). Secondly it points to Peter as prototype of the apostles and prophets who lay the foundation of the building of God. Eph 2:20 spells it out beautifully – “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone”. (Also see Rev 21:14, where all the names of the apostles form part of the foundation of the New Jerusalem.) Thirdly it could point to the revelation that Peter received about who Christ is (which is actually what the question was about, and is also what is used to end the discourse in verses 16-20). The church is built on the revelation of who Christ truly is. All three possibilities dovetail, instead of being mutually exclusive.
This is the important principle underlying the dispensation of the New Testament – in the Old Testament man approached God by nearing the tabernacle or temple. In the New Covenant THIS IS REPLACED by the temples of our bodies (1 Cor 16:9). Paul clearly spells it out in Acts 17:24 – “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.”
Peter and the apostles had to learn, like us, what God explains in Isa 51:1 – “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.” We are the ekklesia, chiseled from the Rock, the temple of God (1 Cor 3:9).
- Sela: Read David Orton’s article: The architecture of the spirit at elijahafrica.com.
- Read: 2 Kings 9; Jer 10; 1 Cor 9
- Memorise: 1 Cor 9:26
- For a deeper understanding: Read Ray Ciervo’s book The local church with a discerning eye.
