Which FoundationThe Pope
WHICH FOUNDATION? “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” – Matthew 16:18 Upon the misinterpretation of this passage an entire church has been constructed – the Catholic church. According to their
interpretation Jesus is telling Peter that Peter is the “rock” upon which Jesus will build his church. Thus, Peter was declared by the Catholic church to be the first “pope” in a long succession of “popes”. So the present-day “pope” is considered by the Catholic church to be Peter’s successor – the one man alive today through whom God will continue to build his church. All that constitutes the Catholic church today has resulted from the many decisions made by the “popes” throughout the years. Therefore, if the concept of a “pope” is removed from the Catholic church then the entire Catholic church system must be removed along with it.
The question at hand is, “Is Jesus really saying that Peter is that rock upon which he intends to build his church?” What better source of the truth than the Truth itself. So, let’s look at God’s word to clarify this. Isaiah states in chapter 44, verse 8: “You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”
There never was, nor will there ever be, a spiritual “rock” besides the Rock, Jesus Christ. No man can ever take his place.
Catholicism upholds the notion that Jesus was calling Peter to be the rock, the foundation upon which Jesus would build his church. Does the rest of scripture uphold this assumption? Take hold of what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:11 through the inspiration of God: “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Jesus could not possibly have meant for
Peter to be the rock, the foundation upon which he would build his church, unless, of course, Jesus would cease to be that foundation. Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter, which certainly means “rock”. Peter certainly thought of himself as having it all together, as being a “rock” in the Lord, yet Jesus knew as he gave him a name which means “rock” that he would, just a few short verses later, need to rebuke Peter for thinking of himself as such a “rock”. “Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Out of my sight, SATAN! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men’.” -Matthew 16:23 What a comment to make to the “rock” who
had just been elected the “first pope” a few minutes earlier! Do you think Peter felt very “infallible” at this point? I think not. And if that wasn’t enough to humble him, the “first pope” denied Jesus three times, only five chapters later. Jesus gave him the name “Peter” only because he knew that later on Peter would learn to stand firm in the truth, just as all who follow him must. “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you.” -1 Corinthians 15:58
We should all be “rocks” in the Lord, not able to be moved from our firm positions.
So what is Jesus saying? He is saying, “Yes, Peter, you are now called ‘rock’ because later you truly will stand firm in your faith.” For Jesus “calls things that are not as though they were.” (Romans 4:17) He goes on to say, “And on this rock,” (referring to himself, the true foundation) “I will build my church.” Jesus is the only rock on which the church is built. No other foundation can possibly be laid! The truth is made very clear.
Furthermore, Jesus makes absolutely no reference here to such a word as “pope” – nor does he make any reference to such an idea of the “succession of popes”. Nowhere in scripture is the word “pope” to be found because God never intended there to be such a term, nor such a person within his church.
So we see that, according to the truth of God’s word, Peter was not the “first pope”, nor should there be a “pope” today. Scripture also declares that Peter was certainly not infallible, nor was he unmarried! The “first pope” had a wife (Matthew 8:14)! Why, then, are “popes” forbidden to marry today? Why not follow the example of the model “pope”? “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow DECEIVING spirits and things taught by DEMONS. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. THEY FORBID PEOPLE TO MARRY and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who KNOW THE TRUTH.” -1 Timothy 4:1-3 God knew long ago that such false
teachings would arise. He warns us over and over not to fall prey to such traditions of men: “Jesus replied, ‘And why to you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? … Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but RULES TAUGHT BY MEN.” ‘ ” -Matthew 15:3,6-9 Jesus COMMANDS us in plain, unalterable
terms what to do if we find ourselves involved in such a “church”: “LEAVE THEM; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” -Matthew 15:14 These are just a few of the many false
teachings that you will find within the Catholic church if you will but ask God to open the eyes and ears of your heart to the Truth found in his Word, the Bible. Is your salvation founded on the Rock, Jesus Christ, or on the ever-changing, unstable rules instituted by a succession of “popes”? With the greatest of love God is calling you today “out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9) – out of the traditions of men that bind you, into a living relationship with the God of the Truth that will set you free. Won’t you humble yourself before him and accept his invitation? I did.
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