Bible Questions Answered:
“When did the disciples become Christians?”
Philip/ Stuttgart, Germany
Bible Answer:
One becomes a Christian when he recognizes who Christ is, and his personal need of him, and so confesses that belief.
The Apostles truly became Christian at....
Matthew 16:13-20 KJV
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
20 Then charged He His disciples that they should tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ.
Peter confessed that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
His confession was about the “Rock upon which the church stands.”
A great Bible study is to research all the times the word “Rock,” appears in the Old Testament (some 105 times), and yes Peter was not around!
Example: (Just a couple here but read them all.)
Psalm 18:2,3,46 KJV
2 The LORD is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my Strength, in whom I will trust; my Buckler, and the horn of my Salvation, and my High Tower.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies
31 For who is God save the LORD? or who is a Rock save our God?
46 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my Rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
Psalm 62:1-8 KJV:
1 Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation.
2 He only is my Rock and my Salvation; he is my Defense; I shall not be greatly moved.
5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.
6 He only is my Rock and my salvation: He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the Rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
New Testament verses concerning the “Rock.”
Romans 9:33 KJV
As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a Stumbling Stone and Rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.
I Corinthians 10:1-4 KJV
1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that Spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
I Peter 2:6-9 KJV
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a Chief Corner Stone, Elect, Precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therefore which believe He is Precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the Stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the Head of the Corner,
8 And a Stone of Stumbling, and a Rock of Offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
One cannot enter into this discussion without saying a word or two about some who have the misconception that Peter was the rock.
(Matthew 16:16 KJV)
Peter-Greek-Petros (Pet-ros): A piece of rock.
(Abingon's Strong's Concordance)
Now then let us look at the word rock in Matthew 16:18 KJV
“... upon this Rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
There we find....
Rock-Greek-Petra (Pet-ra): A mass of rock.
Christians are chips off the Rock. Little rocks, from the Massive Rock, Jesus Christ, He alone is the Petra!
But didn't the Lord give Peter the Keys of the Kingdom?
Yes, and He gave them to all the disciples, and the church, as well...
Matthew 18:1,18 KJV
1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus...
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye (Keys of the Kingdom, given to all the disciples.) shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
John 20:19-23 KJV (The Keys of the Kingdom given to ten of the Apostles.)
19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
20 And when He had so said, He shewed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the LORD.
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.
22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
And they were given to the churches:
Acts 16:4,5 NLT (Decrees of the Jerusalem Council, deliverd to all the churches.)
4 Then they went from town to town, instructing the believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.
5 So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew larger every day.
What are the Keys of the Kingdom? It is the preaching and teaching the Word of God, it is acceptance or rejection of the Word of God, that determines a persons sins forgiven or not.
CONFESSION:
Matthew 10:32,33 KJV
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.
Luke 12:8,9 KJV
8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God:
9 But he that denieth Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
Romans 10:9-11 KJV
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.
Philippians 2:9-11 KJV
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
I John 2:23 KJV
Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
Nathanael's confession:
John 1:49 KJV
Nathanael answered and saith unto Him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
Thomas' confession:
John 20:28 KJV
And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My LORD and my God.
Salvation Prayer
“When did the disciples become Christians?”
Philip/ Stuttgart, Germany
Bible Answer:
One becomes a Christian when he recognizes who Christ is, and his personal need of him, and so confesses that belief.
The Apostles truly became Christian at....
Matthew 16:13-20 KJV
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
20 Then charged He His disciples that they should tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ.
Peter confessed that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
His confession was about the “Rock upon which the church stands.”
A great Bible study is to research all the times the word “Rock,” appears in the Old Testament (some 105 times), and yes Peter was not around!
Example: (Just a couple here but read them all.)
Psalm 18:2,3,46 KJV
2 The LORD is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my Strength, in whom I will trust; my Buckler, and the horn of my Salvation, and my High Tower.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies
31 For who is God save the LORD? or who is a Rock save our God?
46 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my Rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
Psalm 62:1-8 KJV:
1 Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation.
2 He only is my Rock and my Salvation; he is my Defense; I shall not be greatly moved.
5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.
6 He only is my Rock and my salvation: He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the Rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
New Testament verses concerning the “Rock.”
Romans 9:33 KJV
As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a Stumbling Stone and Rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.
I Corinthians 10:1-4 KJV
1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that Spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
I Peter 2:6-9 KJV
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a Chief Corner Stone, Elect, Precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therefore which believe He is Precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the Stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the Head of the Corner,
8 And a Stone of Stumbling, and a Rock of Offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
One cannot enter into this discussion without saying a word or two about some who have the misconception that Peter was the rock.
(Matthew 16:16 KJV)
Peter-Greek-Petros (Pet-ros): A piece of rock.
(Abingon's Strong's Concordance)
Now then let us look at the word rock in Matthew 16:18 KJV
“... upon this Rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
There we find....
Rock-Greek-Petra (Pet-ra): A mass of rock.
Christians are chips off the Rock. Little rocks, from the Massive Rock, Jesus Christ, He alone is the Petra!
But didn't the Lord give Peter the Keys of the Kingdom?
Yes, and He gave them to all the disciples, and the church, as well...
Matthew 18:1,18 KJV
1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus...
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye (Keys of the Kingdom, given to all the disciples.) shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
John 20:19-23 KJV (The Keys of the Kingdom given to ten of the Apostles.)
19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
20 And when He had so said, He shewed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the LORD.
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.
22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
And they were given to the churches:
Acts 16:4,5 NLT (Decrees of the Jerusalem Council, deliverd to all the churches.)
4 Then they went from town to town, instructing the believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.
5 So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew larger every day.
What are the Keys of the Kingdom? It is the preaching and teaching the Word of God, it is acceptance or rejection of the Word of God, that determines a persons sins forgiven or not.
CONFESSION:
Matthew 10:32,33 KJV
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.
Luke 12:8,9 KJV
8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God:
9 But he that denieth Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
Romans 10:9-11 KJV
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.
Philippians 2:9-11 KJV
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
I John 2:23 KJV
Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
Nathanael's confession:
John 1:49 KJV
Nathanael answered and saith unto Him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
Thomas' confession:
John 20:28 KJV
And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My LORD and my God.
Salvation Prayer
