We’ll look at a little Greek to prove the foundation of the church is not Peter. Jesus said “ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ”
(ep·i tau·tē tē pet·ra) which literally means “on this, the rock”.
"Peter" means "stone", but Christ did not say He was building His church on a stone, or even any rock, but The Rock, or Himself.
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The Facts About the Body of Christ
When He said “οἰκοδομήσω” (oi·ko·do·mē·sō), He was saying I will edify or I will confirm or I will build.
He finishes His statement, not by saying “Peter’s church” (because if He was building it on Peter, it would be Peter's church) but “My church”, because again, the Rock He was building it on was Himself.
He didn’t promise to start His church: He did that at the very beginning of His public ministry. What He promised to do was to complete it. His church is still being built today.
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The Facts About the Body of Christ
The Supposed Flock of the Body
Churches are everywhere these days, and that isn't necessarily a good thing. There is a belief out there: a heresy called the universal church.
This is the false belief that once someone is saved, they belong to "the church”; that all that are going to heaven belong to this same church.
So, if you're a Pentecostal, a Church of God, or an Anglican, you're somehow a member of the same church.
They claim to have scripture to back this claim up: Hebrews 12:23
To the general assembly and church of the
firstborn, which are written in heaven, and
to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of
just men made perfect,
Because this is taken out of context, too often this is treated as if it were a salutation; as if this is the beginning of a thought or statement.
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The Facts About the Body of Christ
They treat it as we would treat the statement: To my wife and best friend. Are we addressing one person or two?
Sure, your wife should be your best friend, but she doesn’t have to be.
What needs to be done here is to look at the context: this isn’t a salutation but a listing of those people you’ll see.
Think of this as a census; as a registry. And an accurate registry doesn’t go around counting the same people twice.
Begin reading at the previous verse:
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and
unto the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company
of angels, 23 To the general assembly and
church of the firstborn, which are written in
heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to
the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 And
to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant,
and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh
better things than that of Abel.
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The Facts About the Body of Christ
We find not one, not even two, but three different groups of people in heaven. The first group we'll cover is the last one mentioned.
Just men made perfect, or complete. This includes men like Job and Enoch of Old Testament faith.
The next gathering we'll examine is the first one mentioned, the πανηγύρει (pan·ē·gyr·ei), or general assembly. This group is comprised of New Testament saints, like the one thief on the cross; he was saved but was never baptized, nor was he ever a part of the New Testament church.
Yet he is here by Jesus' declaration on the cross, proving church membership isn’t a requirement for heaven.
Let’s elaborate on that word panēgyrei for just a moment. This is the only place in scripture that this word appears meaning it is describing something that isn’t mentioned anywhere else.
All the epistles recorded in the New Testament were to members of a scriptural New Testament church whether it was to an individual such as Philemon, or to a congregation such as the Philippians.
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The Facts About the Body of Christ
When the writer of Hebrews recorded Hebrews 12:23, he knew there would be those in heaven during the church age outside of New Testament church membership, including the aforementioned thief.
So, he intentionally used a new phrase “general assembly” to refer to them.
The third group, the smallest in size, is the church of the firstborn. Some might argue "We have proof we're in the body of Christ. Look at how God works through us."
To which scripture says:
Habakkuk 1
5 Behold ye among the heathen, and regard,
and wonder marvellously: For I will work a
work in your days, Which ye will not believe,
though it be told you. 6 For, lo, I raise up
the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation,
Which shall march through the breadth of
the land, To possess the dwellingplaces that