[Rico]

Originally Posted by Praxeas

that's just your assertion.

Jesus said on this rock I will build my church. The church he is speaking of is the church built on the rock. When it is built on the rock it is unmovable. That does not mean Jesus meant "There will be an unbroken chain of the church passed on from generation to generation and visible" etc etc...that's something Rome invented when it also invented Apostolic succession.

If this was true in the absolute sense, there should have still been churches of Jerusalem and other places that remained as they were in the first century to this day with NO false doctrine. IF this is true we should all have gone back and joined Rome and not argued with her over doctrine. There would have been a church like the modern Protestant, Trinitarian church, all through out history and not rather being recovered around the time of Luther. There never would be a Laodecian church in the bible that fell away.

Again, all this verse is stating very simply is that Christ's church would be the one that builds on the Rock. Any church that is NOT built on the rock would not prevail against the gates of hell.

That's far different from Christ saying "The gates of Hell will not prevail against my church"..so in context Jesus was not predicting His church would be a visible monolithic movement that continued to grow despite having false doctrines, starting wars, persecuting anyone that did not agree with them. selling indulgencies, having popes that were corrupt men (and women?).

That would mean "God is gonna have Himself a visible church organization no matter how corrupt and heretical they are"....

The church is the body of believers...they are believers in Him. The church is powerful so long as they rest in the Lord and not in man.

Good post.