Matthew 16:18

Status
Not open for further replies.

Kassie_Blair

Puritan Board Freshman
I am studying covenant vs dispensational theology at the moment. Many Dispensationalists use this verse to say that the Church did not exist in the OT. I was wondering what the greek tense is for the "will build". That and if you can maybe expound even on your understanding of this passage in regards to the subject, it will be greatly appreciated!

On a side note, does anyone feel as though dispensationalist resemble the first century Jews? :bueller:

Thanks!!! :cool:
 
The future tense, however that fact could not possibly tell us when construction began. What it can tell us is that Christ promises to do [more?] construction work as the future unfolds. That's the sum of the promise.

Act.7:37-40
37This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. 38This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: 39To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, 40Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

Here's Scripture identifying the people of God come out of Egypt as "the church in the wilderness." (τη εκκλησια [ekklesia] εν τη ερημω )
 
It is in the future tense, and the metaphor of the πετρα (a foundation layer or bedrock, not just a stone) indicates that Jesus is building or about to build something new. There are metaphors in the New Testament both of continuity and discontinuity; I think this is one of discontinuity. Jesus is building something new in the world - not a theocratic nation but a transnational community of believers. It may be relevant that the Qumran sect (and possibly others at the time) were referring to Abraham as the rock upon which God had built Israel. Jesus in Matthew 16:18 is informing Peter that his role in salvation-history is like that of Abraham - upon him, but not by him, a new form of God's people will be founded.

Check John Broadus' Matthew commentary for some good discussion.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top