The Confession of St. Peter

Today we remember the confession of St. Peter. It is described in the three Synoptic Gospels: Matthew 16:13-20, Mark 8:27–30 and Luke 9:18–20. Specifically, Peter declares, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Later in the same passage, Jesus states: "Upon this rock I will build my church". While some churches interpret this as Peter being the rock the church is built on, others interpret the confession as the rock that the church is built on. While the Roman Catholics take this verse as the basis for having Popes, other denomination say that Peter was the rock or cornerstone the modern church was built on because of his faith and the that true church are those that have his faith. He was also instrumental in the early church after Jesus' death and ascension. The passage also goes on to explain that this was a revelation from God, not from man, emphasizing that faith comes from God, not a choice we make.