1. i.e., the kingdom church, not the church of this dispensation. This is clear from the fact that in the next verse Peter is given the keys of "the kingdom of heaven" and also from the fact that "the church which is His body" was then still a mystery "hid in God" (Eph. 3:1-11).

2. Though "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ," rather than His kingdom, is God's message for today, we too must, of course, believe that He is the rightful King and the Son of God.

3. Gr. chief architect; however, the chief architects of those days were apparently also in charge of the building, so that Master-builder is a fair translation.