What is the only Valid Foundation for the Church?

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” – Matthew 16:15-19 ( See also Mark 14:61-65 &  Luke 5:17-24 )

It is so easy to quickly read over these few verses and miss the power of there truth.

The whole foundation of Christianity rises and falls on the belief (or lack of ) that Jesus is the Messiah (deliverer) the Son of God

In Matthew 16:13-19, Jesus asks his disciples, who do the people say I am? They respond many believe he is the return of one of the prophets. He then asks them the crucial question, who do they believe Him to be? Quickly Peter, the disciple who was often bull headed and known for rushing into situations, proclaims, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God!” Jesus responds that only God could have revealed this important fact and Peter would then be the foundation of the Church.

What lead Jesus to declare Peter the foundation of the Church?  The answer lies in Peter’s confession. If Jesus is not the Son of God, then the Gospels are a lie. There is no salvation and no eternal life in the presence of God. There is no God who loves us so much that he would willingly give his own son as a sacrifice for a debt we owe; a sacrifice that would restore us to an unhindered relationship with God.

Many religions will admit Jesus walked the earth. They will claim he was a great man or some great prophet. However, they stop short of confessing He is the Son of God. What is tragic, many churches and even whole denominations make light of this fact. They may believe Him to be God’s only son but they are more concerned about social justice and making people feel good about themselves. They have lost concern for eternity.

There is power in confession

• It is our confession that Jesus is the Son of God and He is our Lord that opens the door to salvation. It is a confession that should pass often across our lips.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. – Romans 10:9

• It is a confession that gives us power and authority. In Matthew 16:18-19, Jesus declares that the gates of Hell will not overcome the church. The church will also walk in a power of authority that anything we bind on earth will also be bound in heaven. – Our words do matter.

Thy Kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven Matthew 6:9-10

We must rise up and boldly proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. There is no other way to a restored relationship with the Father. It is not found in Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Zen or any other religion. There is only one way.

I pray I can show the love of Christ to all I meet but I am not called to “coexist.” Life in eternity is at stake.

 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6

I pray the church can return to its true foundation; a foundation that Peter first confessed, “You [Jesus] are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”

Who is Jesus? Is your life built on the confession that Jesus is the Son of God?

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About the Author: Jon Stallings

I am enthusiastic about helping others discover their purpose and grow into a deeper relationship with Jesus. It is great to see their eyes light up at their “Ah Ha!” moment when they discover they were created for something more. My hope is that this blog will help encourage and inspire you along your way. Join the conversation and take the time to share with me your own story. I have been married to my beautiful wife Janice for over 30 years. We currently live in McDonough Georgia with our daughter. Our two boys have left the nest and we have two wonderful grand kids. Of course we cannot forget about our dog Bear.