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NASB | Matthew 16:18 "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 16:18 "And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades (death) will not overpower it [by preventing the resurrection of the Christ]. [Eph 1:22; 4:15; 5:23; Col 1:18] |
Bible Question:
Friends, Describe the church that Jesus is building. Are we there, yet? In Christ Jesus, charis |
Bible Answer: Charis, you answered your own question, my friend. If you (as your sign-off says) are 'in Christ,' then you are there. Ephesians 2:6 portrays a wonderful spiritual truth that is hard to understand because we are in the flesh and bound by time and space. But God's viewpoint is that we have been 'raised up with Him (Christ) and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.' The church "called-out ones," as I'm sure you know, is not a building or organization. It is an 'organism,' the body of Christ made up of believers. The foundation is the person of Jesus Christ and the building is the bride of Christ, His saints. Spiritually, our true identity, we are 'there,' because He is 'there' - see Hebrews 7:26. Because we are 'in Him' spiritually, we too are 'there.' It is interesting to note that Jesus said He would build His church. This is something He does. We get the privelege of participating in what He is doing but I'm not sure how fond He is of "church building programs." |