17-18 Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.

19 “And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.”

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17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood,(A) but by my Father in heaven.(B) 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[a](C) and on this rock I will build my church,(D) and the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys(E) of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[d] loosed in heaven.”(F)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 16:18 The Greek word for Peter means rock.
  2. Matthew 16:18 That is, the realm of the dead
  3. Matthew 16:19 Or will have been
  4. Matthew 16:19 Or will have been