Your explanation for Matt. 16:18 (“Bigger Than A Boulder”) says Peter is not the rock Jesus will use to begin building His church.  Isn't Jesus referred to as the rock (petra – feminine) in 1 Cor. 10:4?  Is Jesus a small rock?  Will the church be built on Him?  The fact that two different, but similar, words are used does not mean He is not talking about the same person.  When we let the Bible interpret itself, we see that, in the verses in question, Peter states something about Jesus' identity, and then Jesus states something about Peter's identity.  Peter tells Jesus that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus tells Peter that Peter got this from the Father – that it was a revelation.  Jesus then gives him more revelation by telling Peter something about Peter's identity.  He is Peter, a small stone, who, through the power of God, Jesus will be able to use as a massive stone to begin house-building His people whom He is calling out of this world to His assembly.

Sincerely,
Rocky

Dear Rocky,

You stated “the fact that two different, but similar words are used does not mean He is not talking about the same person.”… that is true, but it is also true that two different, but similar words doesn’t mean He is talking about the same person.  So now we are stuck; Matt 16:18 could be referring to Peter as the foundation for the church, or it could be referring to the Lordship of Christ as the foundation of the church.  When a verse could be interpreted two different ways, how do we find the truth?  God tells us that we find the truth by studying the sum of the Bible (Ps 119:160).  Is there any other verse in the Bible that talks about the foundation of the church?  YES!  In 1 Cor 3:9, Paul says that the church is God’s building, and then he says in 1 Cor 3:11, “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus.”  So what is the foundation that the church is built upon?  Jesus the Christ.  The dilemma is easily solved when we look at the sum of God’s teachings on the subject.  If you have further questions regarding this passage, please feel free to write back and include an e-mail address, so your question is sure to be answered.

Are we judging fallen angels?  Jesus said we will judge the angels.  Also, are we to be angels (I read we will be as angels)?

Sincerely,
Ready For Wings

Dear Ready For Wings,

Yes, christians will judge angels – the same way the Queen of the South judges spiritually lazy people.  The verse in question is 1 Cor 6:3.  We have to keep in mind that there are many ways to bring judgment on others.  In our case, we will bring judgment on others through our example.  God uses people’s examples to condemn others in similar circumstances.

1. The Queen of the South condemns those who won’t seek the truth (Matt 12:42).
2. The citizens of Nineveh will condemn those who won’t repent of their sins after hearing the gospel (Matt 12:42).
3. Christians will condemn those who have excuses for why they didn’t serve God (1 Cor 6:2).

Angels that denied God and went to serve Satan (Rev 12:9) will have no excuse for not having served God.  All christians will stand as a living example and condemnation against the angels that chose to deny God and turn to evil. I f we, having not seen God (Ex 33:20), can still serve Him… the angels who are ever before Him (Matt 18:10) are without excuse.

The Bible never says we will become angels when we get to heaven, but we will be like the angels in that we won’t marry (Matt 22:30).  That is the only similarity between the angels and us that the Bible ever gives us.  As far as we know, we will continue to be distinctly different creatures from them.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus tells Peter He is going to build His church on him.  Why would Jesus build His church on a man?  I know, in a sense, it also had to do with Peter's confession in the previous verses, but Jesus specifically says He will build His church on the apostle Peter.  Why was Peter given a higher level of authority?

Sincerely,
Building Inspector

Dear Building Inspector,

Jesus didn’t build His church on Peter; He built it upon a much sturdier foundation – Peter’s confession.  This is one of those times where what Jesus said can be a little confusing to us English-speaking folks because there is a little bit of color that the Greek text gives that makes the text a little clearer.  In Matt 16:18, when Jesus tells Peter, “You are Peter”, He uses the word ‘petros’, which means ‘a small stone, boulder, a detached stone’.  Then Jesus says, “Upon this rock I will build my church”.  The word used for ‘rock’ is ‘petra’ in this case.  ‘Petra’ means ‘a rock ledge, cliff’; ‘petra’ is the word used for a massive and immovable rock that is attached to the earth.  Jesus is making a play on words in Matt 16:18.  In essence, He is saying that even though Peter is a rock, Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Son of God is an even sturdier foundation than Peter is.  Peter is a small rock, but faith in Jesus as God’s Son is a massive, living rock that you can build the church upon.

What is faith?

Sincerely,
Faithful?

Dear Faithful,

Faith is belief, trust, and loyalty to something or someone.  If you have faith in your friend, you trust them and are loyal to them through thick and thin.  If you have faith in your car, you believe that it will run smoothly even though you aren’t a mechanic and aware of everything going on under the hood.  Faith always involves trusting something you can’t see or control (Heb 11:1).  You have faith in your friend’s judgment to give you directions; you place your faith in the author of a manual or instruction book to help you properly assemble a piece of furniture; you have faith in a traffic light to properly change colors and not direct you into cross-traffic.

In the case of God, our faith is built upon His Word (Rom 10:17).  We trust God’s Bible to guide our lives and direct our steps (Ps 119:105).  Our faith in God is shown in our actions – it is impossible to have faith without action (Jas 2:17).  If someone says they believe in God, but they don’t obey His Bible, they are no better off than the demons (Jas 2:19).  Faith in God is a lifestyle.  We hear what His Word says, and then we act upon that command.  After all, if we love God, we will keep His commandments (Jhn 14:15).

Is there a certain age to get baptized with the Holy Spirit?

Sincerely,
Eligible?

Dear Eligible,

You do not need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit in order to be saved.  In fact, the book of Acts gives a clear example of a group of people who were christians but hadn’t been baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:12-16).  The baptism of the Holy Spirit was a miraculous event that endowed people with the ability to perform miracles.  Holy Spirit baptism happened to the apostles on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), and it happened to Cornelius and his household when the first Gentiles were preached to (Acts 10:44-45).  Holy Spirit baptism doesn’t save you; water baptism is what saves you (1 Pet 3:21, Mk 16:16).  In fact, when Cornelius and his household were filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter said that they still needed to be baptized in water (Acts 10:46-48)!  Holy Spirit baptism was a temporary, miraculous gift used to spread the Gospel in the first century before we had the completed Bible, but now that we have a perfect Bible, there is no longer any need for miracles (1 Cor 13:8-10).  If you want to have your sins forgiven, you need to be baptized in water.  Read “What Must I Do To Be Saved” for further details.