Later on He took Peter, James, and John up into a mount apart, and there Peter received the keys of the priesthood (see Matthew 17:1–9; see also 16:18–19). Peter became the one responsible for holding all the keys on earth in leading the Church after the departure of the Savior…” – L. Tom Perry
Matthew 16:18-19; “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.”
1.Peter did not hold the priesthood because he wasn’t qualified. The Bible clearly states the sons of Aaron held this position – Leviticus chapters 8-10 tells us how God commanded Aaron and his sons to take over duties of sacrifices and rituals. In fact, in Lev. 10:1-2 we see that God reigned down fire on Aaron’s own sons (Nadab & Abihu) because of their disobedience in how they handled their priestly duties.
2.If Peter was handed all the keys of salvation and the priesthood, why didn’t the priests recognize the transfer? As Ed Decker wrote in our Mentoring Handbook the priests knew nothing of John the Baptist’s calling into the priesthood either.
3.Peter’s life is a great example of even through our ups and downs in life, Jesus is the mainstay.
The Lord promised him that he’d be instrumental in establishing the church, and he was. He introduced Christianity to the Jews (Acts 2), the Samaritans (Acts 8), and the Gentiles (Acts 10) and it’s through these examples we see where he played an integral role in early Christianity.
The Lord also chastised Peter numerous times, not because He had it out for Peter, but because of His love for him. Peter’s comment while at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:4) that he’d build three tabernacles wasn’t the wisest thing to say and Jesus put him in his place. This obviously had nothing to do with receiving a priesthood calling.
Pray for those who read Mr. Perry’s message. It’ll probably be read by many in the Church because it was his last talk for a General Conference before his death in late May 2015. Pray they see how the references they gave to prove their point are totally incorrect and have nothing to do with a priesthood.