St. Peter’s Confession: The Church’s Bedrock of Faith
Today we remember and give thanks to God for the blessed confession of St. Peter. I can think of no better commentary on what Peter’s immortal words, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God” mean than those offered in the Lutheran Confessions, specifically, in the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope.
“The ministry of the New Testament is not bound to places and persons as the Levitical ministry, but it is dispersed throughout the whole world, and is there where God gives His gifts, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers; neither does this ministry avail on account of the authority of any person, but on account of the Word given by Christ. [Nor does the person of a teacher add anything to this word and office; it matters not who is preaching and teaching it; if there are hearts who receive and cling to it, to them it is done as they hear and believe.] And in this way, not as referring to the person of Peter, most of the holy Fathers, as Origen, Cyprian, Augustine, Hilary, and Bede, interpret this passage: Upon this rock. Chrysostom says thus: “Upon this rock,” not upon Peter. For He built His Church not upon man, but upon the faith of Peter. But what was his faith? “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Hilary says: To Peter the Father revealed that he should say, “Thou art the Son of the living God.” Therefore the building of the Church is upon this rock of confession; this faith is the foundation of the Church.” Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, par. 26-29.
And so, today we pray:
Heavenly Father, You revealed to the Apostle St. Peter the blessed truth that Your Son Jesus is the Christ. Strengthen us by the proclamation of this truth that we too may joyfully confess that there is salvation in no one else; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
What a great comment on this feast, rightly celebrated for what it is. It’s about the confession. How different what I grew up with, where this day is known as the Feast of St Peter’s Chair At Rome, which is no more what the day is about than the relics of a chair in the spectacular but miserable church in Rome named after him are the bleeding chair.
Indeed the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone (Psalm 118:22). Peter’s confession was spoken on behalf of all the disciples and to this day is the confession of the entire church.
“The ministry of the New Testament is not bound to places and persons as the Levitical ministry, but it is dispersed throughout the whole world, and is there where God gives His gifts, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers; neither does this ministry avail on account of the authority of any person, but on account of the Word given by Christ. [Nor does the person of a teacher add anything to this word and office; it matters not who is preaching and teaching it; if there are hearts who receive and cling to it, to them it is done as they hear and believe.]…”
I recently read a book somewhere which talks about how the Anabaptist took this understanding and carried it a bit too far. This lead to people publicly proclaiming God’s Word without a valid call.