Clearing the Air Part IV

Catholics. Referring to the book of Matthew, chapter 16, verse 18, we read, "And I say 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." Now, it's understandable how a scripture like this one can be misunderstood, as many are. People of the Catholic "faith" believe that it was here that Peter was ordained as the first "Pope" of the "church." This simple discrepancy was made by not reading the scripture in its proper context. According to the scriptures prior to this one, Peter was asked who he thought the Christ was. Peter proclaimed Jesus as the Christ, hence, the reason for the reply we've just read. Translated in context to the subject, what Jesus was saying was simple. It can and should be understood, "And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter," translated "rock," "and upon this rock," meaning, upon the faith shown by Peter, confessing that Jesus is the Messiah without being convinced by no man, "[Jesus] will build [his] church.