You’re correct. And that foundation - Christ - said that Peter would be the visible foundation of Christ’s Church.
IMO, no Protestant can seriously say that Christ is the foundation of the Church, except perhaps in some symbolic, figurehead sense. For they believe that the Church fell into serious heresy for some 1,000+ years.
Catholics, on the otherhand, take Christ as foundation realistically. It is the basis for our Church’s infallability.
Allow me Brother SPH…
1 Cor 3:10-11
“According to the grace of God which was given to me,
as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation,
and another builds on it.
But let each one take heed how he builds on it.
For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
That scripture taken in context (notice how Protestants never include verse 10 with verse 11) is literally stating that Paul has laid a foundation and that others (Apostles or Church leaders who are the only ones to build upon what Paul lays down) build upon it (Apostolic Succession, The Magistarium, etc…).
Now, in verse 11, he states that Jesus “laid” the foundation, not that Jesus “is” the foundation. In fact, no where in The Holy Bible does it state that Jesus is the foundation. Jesus laid the foundation initially (which are The Apostles). The Apostles continued to build upon what Jesus laid initially (He transferred His ministry to them).
So, here Paul isn’t saying that Jesus is the foundation, but that He Paul laid his foundation (of Ecclesiastical Knowledge and teaching) upon the foundation that Jesus planted and on what The Apostles built up before him.
Now, if Paul had meant that only Jesus could have laid any foundation or that Jesus Himself was the foundation, then that would totally undo verse 11. It’s impossibe for Jesus to be the foundation and for The Apostles to be the foundation at the same time.
Jesus is the cornerstone. Now, anybody who knows anything about a cornerstone knows that it is the stone that is “first” laid and it leads the other stones of the foundation that fall in line right behind it.
Jesus is the chief stone, the Apostles the foundation stones that follow it, and as The Church grows, more foundation is layed to accomodate the expansion of The Church.
Also, the Church is built upon the foundation.
The Church is not “on top” of Jesus.
Jesus is the cap, the top stone, the last piece in it’s construction that is engraved with the structure’s name and the date it was built.
The foundation is buried under the construction (the greatest becoming the least).
The Capstone (Jesus) is visible so that every body knows what the structure is.