Peter, the Rock, and the Keys

[Sower]

"He [Christ] saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
And simon Peter answered and said, THOU ART THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD.
And Jesus answered and said, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
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.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven:and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shlat loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."             Matthew 16:15-19

This is one of the most controversial passages of Scripture because the Church of Rome misappropriated this and applied the teaching contained herein as being applicable to the pope and ex cathedra papal infallibility.  However, when the Lord addressed this to Simon Peter, is that what He what meant?

PETER'S CONFESSION OF FAITH
Peter's confession of faith is the same as that of every believer, and is thus the bedrock of our salvation (Acts 8:37).   John tells us that the miracles of Christ which he recorded were for one purpose: "But these are written, THAT YE MIGHT BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD; and that believing, ye might have life through His name" (Jn. 20:30).  He then repeats this in his first epsitle:  "Whosoever shall CONFESS that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God...Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God... These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; THAT YE MAY KNOW THAT YE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE; and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God".  

PETER THE "LITTLE" ROCK
Peter's original name, Simon Bar Jona (Simon son of Jona)  was changed by Christ to Cephas [Kephas or "little rock"] since the Lord foreknew that Peter would be one of the pillars of the early church, and thus join the apostles as foundational "apostles and prophets" of the Church: "And [ye] are built upon THE FOUNDATION OF THE APOSTLES AND PROPHETS, JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF BEING THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE" (Eph. 2:20). This foundation for us is the New Testament, which was constructed by the apostles and prophets. Notice the contrast between "the foundation" and "the Chief Cornerstone". When Christ speaks of building our house upon the "rock" so that it can withstand the floods and storms of life, He explains that that means "His sayings" or the Word of God.

CHRIST THE BEDROCK FOUNDATION AND CHIEF CORNESTONE
Some say that the "rock" is Peter, others that the "rock" is that confession of faith which came out of Peter's mouth.  However, the Bible makes it clear that the true Rock is Christ: "FOR OTHER FOUNDATION CAN NO MAN LAY THAN THAT IS LAID, WHICH IS JESUS CHRIST... For they [Israel] drank of that SPIRITUAL ROCK that followed them: and THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST" (1 Cor.3:11; 10:4). This corresponds to Ps. 91: 2 -- "I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and MY FORTRESS; MY GOD, in Him will I trust". Christ is also the Stone which the builders of Israel rejected (Matt. 21:42-46).

The Church is built in and on Christ, since it is His Body, and He is the Head. He dwells within every believer, and every child of God is eternally joined to Him through the baptism by the Holy Spirit (Eph.4:4-16). "The gates of hell [Hades]" could not prevail against the Church, since on the third day after His crucifixion, He took all the saints in Hades with Him to Paradise (Eph. 4:8-10) after which He gave the Church apostles and prophets (Eph. 4:11-12). Every local assembly is built on Christ, and no pastor has the right to say that he is "the founder" of a local assembly.  Christ is the Founder, and God is the Builder and Maker of the Church -- whether the Body or the local body of believers.

THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM
If entrance into God's Kingdom is through the new birth (Jn. 3:1-21), then the Gospel itself is "the keys" of the kingdom, since the Word of God is "the seed" which produces the new birth by the power of the Holy Spirit ( 1 Pet. 1:22-25; Tit. 3:5). Thus Peter preached the Gospel on the day of Pentecost and about 3,000 souls were saved (Acts 2:14-41), and shortly thereafter, another 5,000 souls were saved. He also preached to the household of the Gentile Cornelius, and they were all saved (Acts 10:34-48). Today, the "keys of the kingdom" are committed to all those called and gifted by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel [evangelists, pastors, and teachers -- Eph. 4:11-12].

BINDING AND LOOSING ON EARTH AND IN HEAVEN
Christ delegated His authority to the apostles, and after that through the apostles to elders in every assembly, who were given "rule" by the Holy Spirit (Heb.13:7,17). However, to the extent that a local church is under the full authority of Christ and the leadership of the Holy Spirit, it becomes "THE PILLAR AND GROUND OF TRUTH" (1 Tim.3:15).  

"Binding" and "loosing" would appear to be a general delegation of authority, but could more particularly apply to church discipline, in which case the WHOLE CHURCH is involved: "For what have I to do to judge them also that are without [outside the church]? DO NOT YE JUDGE THEM THAT ARE WITHIN? But them that are without God judgeth.  Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.  Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust [the worldly or secular courts], and not before the saints? Do ye not know that THE SAINTS SHALL JUDGE THE WORLD? and if the world shall be judged by you, ARE YE UNWORTHY TO JUDGE THE SMALLEST MATTERS? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, SET THEM TO JUDGE WHO ARE LEAST ESTEEMED IN THE CHURCH (1 Cor. 5:12-6:4).  What would the pope say to this Scripture?

[Petro]

Amen, Sower good post I appreciate it much..

God Bless,
Petro

[Sower]

Amen, Sower good post I appreciate it much..

God Bless,
Petro

Thanks, Bro:

Continue to "fight the good fight of faith" as you do in your posts.

Sower

[bluelake]

I agree with your post.
God hasn't given the authority of his church over to anyone, including the Pope or Peter. God is still in charge.
Praise the Lord.

God bless,
bluelake  

[Petro]

The teaching that Peter is the "rock" on which Jesus is building His church has absolutely no scritural basis to it.

The Araimaic word Cephas is inserted and used to replce "rock" at Mat 16:18.

Yet the very Word of God interprets the Aramaic word Cephas for us, we do not even have to go elsewqhere to refute the argument raised by RCC adherents.

Notice;

Jhn 1

42  And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.


So there you have it..


Blessings, Petro

[Sower]

I agree with your post.
God hasn't given the authority of his church over to anyone, including the Pope or Peter. God is still in charge.
Praise the Lord.

God bless,
bluelake  

Amen, Bluelake -- excellent point!  GOD IS STILL IN CHARGE. The Lord God Almighty controls every atom of the universe, how much more the leadership of His own Church.  Christ is the HEAD of the Church, and no man can usurp that position.

Sower.

[serapha]

"He [Christ] saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
And simon Peter answered and said, THOU ART THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD.
And Jesus answered and said, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
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.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven:and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shlat loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."             Matthew 16:15-19

Hello Sower,

That is a good posting....

May I add to your information?  

For this particular passage, context and location is important.  In the previous verses, it is identified that Jesus is walking along the coast of Caesarea Philippi (present-day Banias) with His disciples when He turns to them and asks them, "Who do men say that I am?"


Now, in the background as the disciple look at Jesus, they would be seeing the temple to the Greek god "Pan" to the left and behind Jesus, and on the right, they would see the monumental temple to King Herod.   And who do men say that Christ is?  Is Christ a Greek god deserving of temple worship?  Or worthy of worship because He is an earthly king?

Neither.  When Peter is asked who Christ is, he replies, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

Peter knew that Christ was not a man-made god like Pan, or a governing ruler like Herod, but the actual Son of God.

And in looking further at the text you cited.... concerning Peter the "rock".  It isn't a coincidence that Christ has a reference to "rock" in the region of Caesarea Philippi, for in the rock face of the palace area, there are niches carved out of the stone where rock idols are placed to be view from the distance as one approaches Caesarea Philippi.

And it isn't coincidence that Christ would speak of the gates of hell, for Greek mythology teaches that when the water flow from the cave of Pan is lowered, mythology teaches that the actual "gates of hell" are opened and it is thought that demons come through the gates of hell to walk on the earth.  


It wasn't a coincidence that Jesus spoke the words that He did in the area where He was teaching His disciples.   Each phrase represented something from the history of Caesarea Philippi.  

The "keys to the kingdom"... that's the true teachings of salvation through Jesus Christ and not the teaching of Greek mythology or of King Herod.   He gave His disciples the truth.  


~serapha~

[Lance]

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 [Matt. 16:18].

Let us look at this verse carefully. On what rock did Jesus build His church? There are those who say that it was built on Simon Peter. Well, obviously it was not, because there is a play upon words here. In the original Greek it is, “Thou art Petros [a little piece of rock], and upon this petra [bedrock] I will build my church.” There are others who hold that Christ is building His church upon the confession that Simon Peter made. I don’t agree with that at all.
Who is the Rock? The Rock is Christ. The church is built upon Christ. We have Simon Peter’s own explanation of this. In 1 Peter 2:4, referring to Christ, he writes, “To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious.” And he remembers Isaiah 28:16, “… Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded” (1 Pet. 2:6). The church is built upon Christ; He is the foundation. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11). Christ is the stone, and He says on this rock He will build His church. The church was still future when the Lord made this statement. And please don’t tell me there was a church in the Old Testament because the church did not come into existence until after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, and the sending of the Holy Spirit. There could not have been a church until all of these things had taken place. “I will build my church”—this was future.
The “gates of hell” refers to death. The word used for hell is the Greek word hades, the sheol of the Old Testament, which refers to the unseen world and means “death.” The gates of death shall not prevail against Christ’s church. One of these days the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout. That shout will be like the voice of an archangel and like a trumpet because the dead in Christ are to be raised. The gates of death shall not prevail against His church.

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven [Matt. 16:19].

What are the keys of the kingdom of heaven? Were they given only to Simon Peter? No, Jesus gives them to those who make the same confession made by Peter, those who know Christ as Savior. If you are a child of God, you have the keys as well as any person has the keys. The keys were the badge of authority of the office of the scribes who interpreted the Scriptures to the people (see Neh. 8:2–8). Every Christian today has the Scriptures and, therefore, the keys. If we withhold the Word, we “bind on earth”; if we give the Word, we “loose on earth.” No man or individual church has the keys—to the exclusion of all other believers. We have a responsibility today to give out the gospel because it is the only thing that can save people. This is a tremendous revelation. Who is sufficient for these things? You and I have a responsibility that is awesome indeed!

Taken from : McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (Vol. 4, Page 92). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

It looks like the RC's got it wrong !

[Sower]

This is a tremendous revelation. Who is sufficient for these things? You and I have a responsibility that is awesome indeed!

Taken from : McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (Vol. 4, Page 92). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

It looks like the RC's got it wrong !

Lance:

Thanks for posting that from Brother McGee's commentary.  The amazing thing is that this is the first time I have seen this, yet it closely matches what I posted! That confirms that the Holy Spirit is our Teacher and has led us both to the same understanding. And certainly, the RCC has perverted these truths, as they have all others.

[Lance]

Yes I was thinking that when I posted it Sower.  

[michael_legna]

PETER'S CONFESSION OF FAITH
Peter's confession of faith is the same as that of every believer, and is thus the bedrock of our salvation (Acts 8:37).  

Jesus is talking about the Church and the rock it will be built on.  Jesus isn’t talking about the bedrock of our salvation.    

Acts 8:37 but it does not apply because it does not use the term rock anywhere.

Acts 8:37 reads 37And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Jesus is not referring to Peter’s faith when He says rock.  The grammar is all wrong for that interpretation.  He says - “thou art Peter and upon this rock” - what rock?  - well the subject of the sentence has to be the rock – Peter is the subject of the sentence.

But since we are doing a Bible study here lets go on to look at your other errors in analysis.

PETER THE "LITTLE" ROCK
Peter's original name, Simon Bar Jona (Simon son of Jona)  was changed by Christ to Cephas [Kephas or "little rock"]

Actually, Simon bar Jona means in Aramaic (grain of sand son of the dove).  This was changed by Jesus to Kephas, which in Aramaic means "rock", not “little rock” as your erroneously claim.  In Aramaic “little rock” is  kevna.  If Jesus had wanted to call Peter “little rock” He would have used that term but He didn’t.
 
Note that the whole play on words Jesus is using for emphasis is based on the idea that he changing Peter’s name to match his position.  From a grain of sand to a rock.  The contrast of the grain of sand being changed to a rock expresses the change that Christ is making in Peter as he makes him the head of the Church on earth.  It was Peter who Jesus told to feed his sheep three times for emphasis at the end of the Gospel of John.  Also note that Jesus never told the sheep to feed themselves.

God has only changed someone's name three times in the whole bible - twice in the OT - and once now with Peter in the NT (Cf. John 1:42). In the case of the OT instances, the position of Abraham and Jacob was elevated to Patriarch of the Nation Israel, just like Peter is the head of the New Israel, the Church in the NT.

This foundation for us is the New Testament, which was constructed by the apostles and prophets.

Perhaps you could try to provide a verse to support the idea that the New Testament is the foundation.  I know you can’t though because the New Testament writings weren’t even considered, by those who would eventually write them, until after the fact.   But the foundation and the rock are two different things anyway so it really doesn’t matter that you got this wrong too.

Notice the contrast between "the foundation" and "the Chief Cornerstone". When Christ speaks of building our house upon the "rock" so that it can withstand the floods and storms of life, He explains that that means "His sayings" or the Word of God.

CHRIST THE BEDROCK FOUNDATION AND CHIEF CORNESTONE  

Once again these references to rock and cornerstone and foundation are throughout the scriptures and refer varyingly to the Prophets, Apostles, Jesus Christ and God the Father.  They do not all refer to the same thing so they cannot be contrasted or made to contradict each other as you are trying to do.

But if you have it right, the grammar required is almost comical.  You would have Christ saying “thou art Peter and upon this rock (He says thumping His own chest), I will build my Church”.  I am sorry the scriptures just don’t support this bizarre view of the event.

It is interesting to note here that the idea that the rock (that Moses struck so the Israelite could drink) followed the Israelites through the desert, is found nowhere in Old Testament scripture.  It comes from Rabbinic Tradition, so it seems even Paul relied on Tradition.

END PART 1

[michael_legna]

The Church is built in and on Christ, since it is His Body, and He is the Head. He dwells within every believer, and every child of God is eternally joined to Him through the baptism by the Holy Spirit (Eph.4:4-16).

None of this is contrary to the idea of Jesus establishing a leader on earth for His Church.

But you do skim right over one of the more important points being made here.  Christ is establishing His Church at this moment.  Any other claims by bodies or assemblies claiming to be His Church had better be able to show a connection to this event.  If just anyone can be led by the spirit to form a Church there would have been no need for Christ to have designated this moment in time when His Church came into existence.

"The gates of hell [Hades]" could not prevail against the Church, since on the third day after His crucifixion, He took all the saints in Hades with Him to Paradise (Eph. 4:8-10) after which He gave the Church apostles and prophets (Eph. 4:11-12).

The gates of hell were a direct reference to the idea that the Church Christ was establishing on earth could not fail.  His Church would not cease to exist or fall into error.  Your interpretation is more about Christ overcoming the gates of hell, it is not about His Church surviving the attacks of Satan upon it.

Every local assembly is built on Christ, and no pastor has the right to say that he is "the founder" of a local assembly.  Christ is the Founder, and God is the Builder and Maker of the Church -- whether the Body or the local body of believers.

Certainly you can’t believe this, some local assemblies aren’t even true Churches as they don’t have the basic doctrines correct, Jehovah Witness for example.   Would you claim they were founded by Christ?  The question of course is where do you draw the line.  Your position has to be that men can only start assemblies that are in error and all others were Founded by Christ.  In that case you can only have one Church because Christ only founded one Church and all these local assemblies as you call them disagree over some point or other, that is why they are separated by name.  This one Church is exactly the position of the Catholic Church, it is the one true assembly and it was founded by Christ on Peter as it’s first head on earth.  No other on earth can do anything but claim Christ as their head, the Catholic Church can show a direct lineage to this event recorded in the scriptures.

THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM
If entrance into God's Kingdom is through the new birth (Jn. 3:1-21), then the Gospel itself is "the keys" of the kingdom, since the Word of God is "the seed" which produces the new birth by the power of the Holy Spirit ( 1 Pet. 1:22-25; Tit. 3:5).

Keys in scripture represent authority as in Isaiah 22 where the servant Eliakim, who is a archetype of Peter, receives both the keys and the power to open and shut.  It is this scripture Christ is directly, purposefully paralleling in Matthew 16.  The keys to the kingdom of heaven represent the authority Christ gave Peter to act in His stead leading His Church on earth.

Today, the "keys of the kingdom" are committed to all those called and gifted by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel [evangelists, pastors, and teachers -- Eph. 4:11-12].

In the case we are reviewing within Matthew 16 it is important to note that the keys are only given to Peter.  When the power to bind and loose is given to the other Apostles, as Bishops of the Church, in Matthew 18, the other Apostles do not receive the keys.  If the other Apostles did not receive them why do you think that evangelists, pastors and teachers would get them?

BINDING AND LOOSING ON EARTH AND IN HEAVEN
Christ delegated His authority to the apostles, and after that through the apostles to elders in every assembly, who were given "rule" by the Holy Spirit (Heb.13:7,17).

Not to the elders but to the Bishops only.  That is why elders answered to and submitted to Bishops.  The keys stayed with the Apostles and their successors the Bishops.  There is a distinct hierarchy established in the Bible, one that you should not ignore.

However, to the extent that a local church is under the full authority of Christ and the leadership of the Holy Spirit, it becomes "THE PILLAR AND GROUND OF TRUTH" (1 Tim.3:15).  

This approach is a correct one, but only if there is one Church not many.   For there is one spirit not many.  But again which Church – they are all so different.  Are there different truths?  No.  There can be only one true Church the one Christ established in Matthew 16.

"Binding" and "loosing" would appear to be a general delegation of authority, but could more particularly apply to church discipline, in which case the WHOLE CHURCH is involved: "For what have I to do to judge them also that are without [outside the church]? DO NOT YE JUDGE THEM THAT ARE WITHIN? But them that are without God judgeth.  Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.  Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust [the worldly or secular courts], and not before the saints? Do ye not know that THE SAINTS SHALL JUDGE THE WORLD? and if the world shall be judged by you, ARE YE UNWORTHY TO JUDGE THE SMALLEST MATTERS? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, SET THEM TO JUDGE WHO ARE LEAST ESTEEMED IN THE CHURCH (1 Cor. 5:12-6:4).  What would the pope say to this Scripture?

It only appears as a general delegation of authority if you don’t understand the significance of Apostles and Bishops.  Not everyone in the early Church was given this authority and not everyone holds it now.  If everyone held it who would you submit to, you can’t have it both ways.  Which of your personal theories do you want to go with that the Church leadership has the power to bind and loose or does everyone have it?

This verse isn’t discussing binding and loosing because it is discussing issues of a material and/or carnal nature, the kind you would go to law over.  Binding and loosing are about authority over spiritual and doctrinal issues.  I can’t speak for the Pope but I suspect he has no problem letting those who are least esteemed in the Church judge matters pertaining to this life.  He doesn’t focus on matters of this life, He is concern with shepherding the souls of the members of Christ’s Church.

[Petro]

PETER THE "LITTLE" ROCK
Peter's original name, Simon Bar Jona (Simon son of Jona)  was changed by Christ to Cephas [Kephas or "little rock"]

END PART 1

michael,
 


From this point on nothing you write adds anything to this  bible study, since your interpretation of Cephas is not biblical.

You don't have to interpret it for us since the bible interprets it for us itself, and here it is;

John 1
42  And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.  KJV

You being an RCC adherent no doubt use the NAB, translated from the Original Languages with Critical Use of All Ancient Sources, and believe it.

Unfortunately this false version of the teaching would have, one believe the explanation of 1 Peter 2:4, has Jesus Himself, being built on top of this Peter the "rock", which you say is the foundation to the church; but unfortunately their own marginal explanation does not agree with the teaching,

Why because it is false...

Note:

1 Pet 2
4  Come to him, a living stone rejected by men but approved nonetheless, and precious in God's eyes. 5  You to are living stones, built as a edifice of spirit into a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  6  For the Scripture has it:

"see, I am laying a cornerstone in Zion an approved stone, and precious.  He who puts his faith in it shall not be shaken." NAB

In the margins this is what the RCC claims;  

"2,4-6:  Come to him to Christ a living stone, rejected by men but approved by God because of his death and resurrection (v4). Beleievers joined by the Spirit (1 Cor 3,16) to Christ the cornerstone (v7), themselves becoming living stones and constitute the spiritual edifice of the Chritians community.  They are a holy priesthood whose function is to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (5f).  To unbelievers, Christ is an obstacle and a stumbling stone on which they are destined to fall (v60; cf Rom 11,11.  

You can see from this explanantion that the RCC understands from these verses that beleivers of which is one numbered who is called Peter the Stone, who is joined to Christ together with all other believers constituting the edifice, known as the Chruch.  It is clear from verse verse 7, that Peter is just another stone, and not the chief conerstone (the bedrock to the foundation).


The version of the teaching is not the same thing, but is Peter being the "rock" foundation on which Jesus together with other all other believer's being stones making up the edifice.  

Notice that even their teaching of the priesthood within the institution is not in accordance with their understanding of these verse 7, since the priesthood is grounded in Peters popehood, and not the Head of the Chruch (Col1:12-18) who is Christ, as taught by scripture which brings up the fact that according to the RCC not all believers are priests of God.

Jesus is the foundational ROCK on which His Church is being, built Peter is one of the stones, he makes this perfectly clear.

1 Cor 3
11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

He is the foundation, not just a stone on a foundation.

You are wrong..


Blessings,

Petro

[michael_legna]

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 [Matt. 16:18].

Let us look at this verse carefully. On what rock did Jesus build His church? There are those who say that it was built on Simon Peter. Well, obviously it was not, because there is a play upon words here. In the original Greek it is, “Thou art Petros [a little piece of rock], and upon this petra [bedrock] I will build my church.”

If you look at the verse carefully which you claim to want to do you won't fall into this well known error.  Petros is used because Greek has masculine and feminine forms of the word rock.  It was used because it would have been inappropriate for Peter to have been referred to by a feminine name.  It was not used to contrast Peter to the large rock - Petra.  You would know this because you would know that Christ didn't speak Greek He spoke Aramaic so the terms he used were Kephas which is translated "rock".  The whole point to the verse is a play on words changing Simon's name (which means grain of sand) into Kephas (which means rock) showing how Christ was to build the Church on Peter the head of the Church on earth.

The rest of what follows I have covered else where so I won't repeat it here except to say that the terms foundation, rock, and stone are used throughout scripture and not exclusively refering to Christ so your examples prove nothing.

What are the keys of the kingdom of heaven? Were they given only to Simon Peter? No, Jesus gives them to those who make the same confession made by Peter, those who know Christ as Savior. If you are a child of God, you have the keys as well as any person has the keys.

Actually Christ did give them to Peter alone, in fact when the other Apostles were given the power to bind and loose they were not even given the keys.

The keys were the badge of authority of the office of the scribes who interpreted the Scriptures to the people (see Neh. 8:2–8). Every Christian today has the Scriptures and, therefore, the keys.

Every Christian today does not have a proper interpretation of the scriptures.  They do not have authority to interpret scripture for themselves.  Peter was told to feed His sheep the sheep were not told to feed themselves.

Looks like McGee got it wrong.

[Lance]

It would appear that there is a difference of opinion.  Well I'll put my money on Sower "for better or worse."
You're all quite frisky on this forum.  I have got used to a sedate existence.  LOL