Whereas Christ is the title of the Lord according to His commission, the Son of the living God is His title according to His person. His commission is a matter of God’s work, and His person is a matter of God’s life. The Lord’s person embodies the Father and issues in the Spirit for a full expression of the Triune God.
The Lord’s person as the Son of God is for the producing of the many sons of God to be members of the church. Christ is the One to accomplish God’s purpose to have the church. The Son of God is the One who produces many sons of God to be the many members formed into the church as the one Body. It is in this way that God has the church.
The church is built upon this revelation of the Christ and the Son of the living God. Immediately after Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Lord said, “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church” (v. 18a). This rock refers not only to Christ Himself but also to the revelation of the Christ and the Son of the living God which Peter received from the Father. First, the rock refers to the wonderful person of Christ, the Son of the living God. Second, the rock refers to the revelation of this person. When we see this revelation, it becomes the rock upon which the church is built. Wherever we go, we must preach and teach the Christ and the Son of the living God so that many more sons may be produced to be the members of the church, the Body of Christ.
The church built upon the revelation of the Christ and the Son of the living God deals with the gates of Hades and establishes the kingdom of the heavens. In verse 18b, the Lord, speaking of the church, says, “The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” The gates of Hades refers to Satan’s authority or power of darkness. Because Satan’s power of darkness attacks the church, there is spiritual warfare between Satan’s power, which is his kingdom (12:26) and the church, which is God’s kingdom. The gates of Hades cannot prevail against the church built upon the revelation of the Christ and the Son of the living God. God wants to have the church with the intention, the goal, to deal with His enemy Satan and his power.
Such a church not only deals with the gates of Hades but also establishes the kingdom of the heavens. This is indicated by the Lord’s word in 16:19: “I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in the heavens.” The kingdom of the heavens here is used interchangeably for church in verse 18. This proves that the genuine church is the kingdom of the heavens in this age.
These verses reveal that the church has a twofold purpose. On the negative side, the church deals with the power of Satan. On the positive side, the church establishes the kingdom of the heavens.
The church is built upon the revelation of the Christ and of the Son of God through our following Him. “Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (v. 24). Before the Lord’s crucifixion the disciples followed Him in an outward way. But after His resurrection we follow Him in an inward way. Because in resurrection He has become the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45) dwelling in our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22), we follow Him in our spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25).
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