Rock: The Unshakeable Foundation of God and Faith

Because of its hardness, rock is a symbol of stability, dependability and security—an unmoveable tower of strength and a solid foundation without which whatever is relying on it is in danger of being dislodged and destroyed by the forces coming against it. Throughout Scripture, rock imagery points us to God's eternal strength, to Christ as the foundation of the Church, and to the transforming work of the Spirit in human hearts (Ps 40:2; Mt 7:24-25).

God Our Eternal Rock

God is referred to as the eternal rock of our salvation (Ps 18:2, 28:1, 31:2,3; Isa 26:4). He alone provides the sure foundation we need to survive the catastrophes this world is beginning to experience and which will increase in intensity, besides the personal storms and challenges we all experience. When everything around us shakes, the One who is our Rock remains unmovable, faithful and strong.

Is my life firmly built on the Rock? – Matthew 7:24-25

Christ the Cornerstone

Christ is called the corner stone [the crucial part of a building] and we are being carefully joined together around Him as 'living stones' to make God's Church (Eph 2:20,21; 1 Pet 2:4-7). It was after Peter confessed, "You are the Christ, the son of the living God" that Christ said, "You are a stone, and upon this rock I will build my Church" (Mt 16:16-18). By this He was referring either to Peter's confession of faith—subsequently made by all believers—or to Himself and His work of salvation.

Am I being built into God's spiritual house?

Some traditions, notably the Roman Catholic Church, have taken these words further and understand Peter himself to be the rock on which the Church is built, deriving from this the authority of the papacy. Yet the immediate context and the original Greek point in a different direction. Jesus uses a deliberate wordplay: Peter's name is Petros (a movable stone), while the rock upon which the Church is built is petra (a massive rock or bedrock). The focus falls on Peter's confession as the foundational truth confessed by every believer. Moreover, Scripture declares that no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Cor 3:11), and that believers are living stones built upon Christ, the chosen and precious cornerstone (1 Pet 2:4-7). Therefore the rock is properly understood as Peter's confession and Christ Himself, not an institutional office vested in a single man.

A Rock of Offence and a Heart Renewed

In Scripture Jesus is also called 'a rock of offence' or 'an occasion for stumbling' – the reason why many Jews rejected Him (Isa 8:14,15; Rom 9:33; 1 Pet 2:8). However, He Himself said, "Blessed are those who are not offended and do not fall away because of my teaching" because He recognized that there will come times of testing and opportunity to turn from the closeness of relationship to Christ, with a souring of the intimacy and a cooling of the intensity in our devotion (Mt 11:6, 13:21; Jn 6:60-66).

Am I clinging to Christ or stumbling over Him?

Likewise, the image is also applied to hard, uncaring, self-centred humans whom God can renew. He [God] says, I will take your hard, unresponsive heart of stone and give you a pliable heart of flesh that can respond to me (Ezek 36:26). He can do the impossible!

Reflection and Application:

In what areas of my life do I need to rely more on God as my unshakeable rock?
How does seeing Christ as the cornerstone shape my place in His Church?
What causes me to stumble over Christ's teaching rather than cling to Him?
Where do I need God to replace a heart of stone with a responsive heart of flesh?

See also: foundation, hardhearted, stone.