Directions to Georgia Ave coC
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ADDRESS
3609 Georgia Avenue
Suite 100
Washington, DC 20010
METRO
We are conveniently located two city blocks from Georgia Avenue Petworth Station on the Green Line.
DRIVING
From Baltimore (about 50 minutes)
- Take I-95 S via the exit on the LEFT toward WASHINGTON .
- Take I-495 W / CAPITAL BELTWAY via EXIT 27 toward SILVER SPRING.
- Merge onto NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE NE via EXIT 28B toward TAKOMA PARK
(Crossing into DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ). - Turn LEFT onto N CAPITOL ST NW / N CAPITOL ST NE.
- Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto ROCK CREEK CHURCH RD NW.
- Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto PARK PL NW
- Turn RIGHT onto OTIS PL NW .
- Turn RIGHT to stay on OTIS PL NW .
- Turn LEFT on Georgia Avenue 3609 Georgia Avenue
From Virginia (about 30 minutes)
- Take I-395 N toward WASHINGTON (Crossing into DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ).
- Take the exit toward MASSACHUSETTS AVE.
- Stay STRAIGHT to go onto 2ND ST NW .
- Turn LEFT onto MASSACHUSETTS AVE NW .
- Turn RIGHT onto 7TH ST NW .
- 7TH ST NW becomes GEORGIA AVE NW / US-29.
- End at 3609 Georgia Ave Nw
Washington , DC 20010-1634 , US
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“UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH”
Melvin L. Otey
Albert Barnes, noted Presbyterian preacher and theologian, correctly observes in his Notes on the New Testament that Jesus' statement in Matthew 16:18, “upon this rock I will build my church,” has given rise to many different interpretations. Some contend that “this rock” refers to Peter's confession in verse sixteen that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Others have thought that Jesus was referring generally to Himself. While Barnes described each of these views as “plausible,” he adopted a third view, that the rock upon which Jesus promised to build the New Testament church is the apostle Peter. He says that this is “the obvious meaning of the passage.”
Of course, Barnes is not alone in his understanding. His view is the one upon which the Catholic church erroneously claims that Peter was the first pope. While acknowledging that his view has been consistently abused and misapplied by the Roman Catholic church, Barnes posits that, but for this abuse, men would never have sought an alternative understanding. To his credit, Barnes unambiguously denounces the Roman Catholic position. “Christ did not mean, as the Roman Catholics say he did, to exalt Peter to supreme authority above all other apostles, or to say that he was the only one on whom he would rear his church,” laments Barnes. “[I]t is not said here, or anywhere else in the Bible, that Peter should have infallible successors who would be the viceregents of Christ and the head of the church.” Still, Barnes is incorrect in his assertion that “this rock” in verse eighteen refers to Peter.
In reality, the most natural meaning of “this rock” in Matthew 16:18 is that the term refers to Peter's confession. When one considers the construction of Jesus' statement, it is obvious that He was addressing Peter directly, for He said, “thou art Peter.” Therefore, it would have been unnatural to address to him in the third person as “this rock” in the same statement. The reference clearly alludes to something outside of the two persons, Jesus and Peter, who were speaking. The immediately preceding object is Peter's confession in Matthew 16:16.
Notably, while Barnes explains that the Greek term ( petros ) translated Peter means rock or stone, he makes absolutely no reference in his commentary to the Greek term that is rendered “rock” in this passage. The word petra , which is used in Matthew 16:18 , “denotes a mass of rock, as distinct from petros , a detached stone or boulder, or a stone that might be thrown or easily moved.” According to Vine's Expository Dictionary, petra is used metaphorically in Matthew 16:18, “of Christ and the testimony concerning Him.” There is a clear distinction in Jesus' statement between His reference to Peter, a stone, and His reference to the mass of rock that would provide a foundation upon which He would build His church. That foundational rock is the truth of Jesus' deity.
While it is somewhat difficult to imagine, Barnes may have been honestly mistaken in his understanding about Jesus' reference to “this rock” in Matthew 16:18. If he was, he has had plenty of company over the years. It is conceivable that those who have not researched the terms employed by the Lord in the verse could miss the subtle, yet crucial, distinction that He made between His disciple and Himself. Others, having closely studied this matter, understand the distinction fully, but ignore it to pursue their own traditions (cf. Mark 7:8-9). This errant view that the church of Christ is built upon Peter leads to the Catholic doctrine that a mortal man is head of the Lord's church. However, the scriptures teach that Jesus Christ, not his student Peter, is the mass upon which the New Testament church stands (Eph. 2:20 ; 1 Pet. 2:6). There is only one head of the church, and that head is the Lord in heaven (Eph. 5:23 ; Col. 1:18).
Copyright 2007, Georgia Avenue Church of Christ , Washington , DC
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Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament ( Grand Rapids , MI : Baker Books, 2005), 170. Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament ( Grand Rapids , MI : Baker Books, 2005), 170. Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament ( Grand Rapids , MI : Baker Books, 2005), 170. W.E. Vine, Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), 974.
W.E. Vine, Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), 974.