Christ the Rock and Foundation

The following is an excerpt from Christologia: Learning About Christ, by John Owen, (1616 – 24 August 1683):

“One or two more out of Augustine shall close these testimonies: ‘Upon this rock which thou hast confessed – upon myself, the Son of the living God – I will build my church. I will build thee upon myself, and not myself upon thee.’” (Italics mine).

Owen continues with Augustine:

“He (Christ) meant the universal church, which in this world is shaken with divers temptations, as with showers, floods, and tempests, yet falleth not, because it is built on the rock (Petra) from whence Peter took his name. For the rock is not called Petra from Peter, but Peter is so called from Petra the rock; as Christ is not so called from Christian, but Christian from Christ [these italics mine]. Therefore, said the Lord, ‘Upon this rock will I build my church’; because Peter said,

“‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

“Upon this rock, which thou hast confessed, will I build my church. For Christ himself was the rock on which foundation Peter himself was built. For no other foundation can no man lay, save that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ [1 Corinthians 3:11].”

I’ve chosen this passage from Owen’s preface in Christologia for a few reasons. The first is that it reminds us that Owen and other Puritans were well-versed in the Church Fathers. There are extensive Greek and Latin quotations, along with translations into English, in their writing – Christologia is an example of this – the above English translations are preceded by Latin quotations in Owen’s book.  Since this is the case, one wonders how we can talk of the Puritans, as well as the Reformers who were also well-versed in the Patristics, without also talking of their encounters with the Church Fathers.

In Christologia, Owen is building not only upon the Cornerstone of the Foundation, which is Christ; he is also building upon the initial courses of that Foundation – the Bible and the Church Fathers. Perhaps we can learn from Owen’s methodology?

Owen employs Augustine to demonstrate not only that Christ is the Rock and the one Foundation (in interpreting Matthew 16:13 – 20), but in engaging Augustine Owen is also appealing, I think, to those Church Fathers who were Christocentric and in submission to the Scriptures – he is demonstrating a line of Biblical understanding stretching back hundreds of years.

Also note that Augustine is quite clear about the Foundation Stone of the Church. Ponder Augustine’s words, “For the rock is not called Petra from Peter, but Peter is so called from Petra the rock; as Christ is not so called from Christian, but Christian from Christ [these italics mine].”

We find assurance in Christ’s words, and in Owen’s understanding of them, that Christ is the Builder, the Rock, the Foundation.

Consider these words of Jesus:

“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’” (Luke 14:28 – 30). While these words were directed to the people concerning discipleship, surely our Lord Jesus has counted the cost required to build His Church and surely He is able to complete it.

Or consider these words concerning Zerubbabel, who is a picture (type) of Jesus Christ:

“Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it.”” (Zechariah 4:9a).

We can have joyful confidence in Jesus Christ our Rock, our Foundation, our Builder – Jesus Christ is Everything.