Some denominations in Christianity claim that Peter is the head of the Christian church & that their religious leader derives their authority directly from Peter who it is claimed received it from JESUS CHRIST. Matt C16 V18 is the one verse used to make this claim, just ignore verses 13 – 15 & 19 – 20 before & after V18. We will look at old testament verses and new testament verses that use rock or stone to see if this claim can be substantiated.

  1. Ex C17 V6, “Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.” Refer to 1 Cor C10 V4
  2. Nu C20 V8, “Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.” Refer to 1 Cor C10 V4
  3. Nu C20 V10-11, “And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.” Refer to 1 Cor C10 V4
  4. Duet C32 V3-4, “Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
  5. Duet C32 V17-18, “They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.”
  6. Duet C32 V30-31, “How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up? For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.”
  7. 2 Sam C22 V2-3, “And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.”
  8. 2 Sam C22 V32, “For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God?”
  9. 2 Sam C22 V47, “The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.”
  10. 2 Sam C23 V3, “The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.”
  11. Neh C9 V14 – 15, “And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant: And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.” Refer to 1 Cor C10 V4
  12. Ps C18 V2, “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”
  13. Ps C18 V31, “For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?”
  14. Ps C18 V46, “The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.”
  15. Ps C28 V1, “Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.”
  16. Ps C31 V3, “For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.”
  17. Ps C42 V9, “I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
  18. Ps C62 V2, “He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.”
  19. Ps C62 V6 – 7, “He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.”
  20. Ps C78 V35, “And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.”
  21. Ps C89 V26, “He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.”
  22. Ps C92 V15, “To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”
  23. Ps C94 V22, “But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.”
  24. Ps C95 V1, “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.”
  25. Isa C17 V10, “Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:”
  26. Ps C118 V22, “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.”
  27. Isa C28 V16, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”
  28. Dan C2 V34 – 35, “Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.”
  29. Dan C2 V45, “Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.”
  30. Matt C16 V18, “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.”
  31. Matt C21 V42, “Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?”
  32. Matt C21 V44, “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
  33. Mark C12 V10, “And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:”
  34. Luke C20 V17 – 18, “And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”
  35. John C1 V42, “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.”
  36. Acts C4 V10 – 11, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.”
  37. Rom C9 V33, “As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”
  38. 1 Cor C10 V4, “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
  39. Eph C2 V20, “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;”
  40. 1 Pet C2 V4, “To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,”
  41. 1 Pet C2 V6 – 8, “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, {precious: or, an honour} And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.”

Forty-one verses are listed above that have the word rock or stone in them when dealing with or referring to an individual.

  • Thirty Nine verses can only be about JESUS The CHRIST.
  • One verse, John C1 V42, can be said to only deal with Peter/Cephas whose name is interpreted rock.
  • One verse, Matt C16 V18, might be argued to state that Peter is the rock, but no other scripture supports this that Peter is the rock that JESUS CHRIST will build HIS church upon. Thirty nine verses support that JESUS is the CHRIST, the SON of the living GOD and upon this JESUS CHRIST will build HIS church. Matt C16 verses 13 through 23 must be read to get the context of V18. No one can conclude that Peter is the rock when in these verses it is revealed that JESUS is the MESSIAH, SON of the living GOD. 1 Corinth C3 V11 states that the only foundation to Christianity/the church is JESUS CHRIST.

Galatians C1 through C2 V10 we learn that Paul taught a gospel he received from the ascended JESUS CHRIST (Gal C1 V11-12) to teach to gentiles (Gal C1 V16). Galatians C2 V1 through V9 Paul writes that the gospel he received (gospel of grace) was from the ascended CHRIST and that Paul should preach to the uncircumcision/gentiles and the gospel Peter had (gospel of the kingdom), Peter should preach to circumcision/Israelis. James, the head of the Jerusalem church, Peter and John in V9 “gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship” signifying their agreement that Paul goes to gentiles & Peter goes to the Israelis. How could Peter than be the head of the Christian church if he is supposed to go to Israelis and Paul to gentiles