Recently in a sermon Pastor Pauley cited Matthew 16:16-18 and then declared Jesus Christ is the foundation of the church. I could not say “amen” fast enough! I contemplated on how powerful and indispensable the Bible is to Christians. For in the Bible, the only Word of God, we have a sure foundation of God’s revelation. I was particularly enthralled by v. 18a, where Christ declared “…on this rock I will build My church…” For centuries this verse has been interpreted in a variety of ways, even by Christians. The nature of the ambiguity stems from the possible references to the meaning of the word “rock”. Who or what did Christ mean when He said “rock”? Perhaps the “rock” is a reference to Peter’s divinely inspired confession…“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” in v.16, or to Christ Himself, or to Peter in a general sense as the man used by God to have early prominence in the Church. But, in any case, we know that Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Church. And we also know that Jesus was not establishing the office of “pope” for the Body of Christ. Roman Catholic interpretation and explanation of this passage leads them to the inordinate and false assumption that Peter was the head of the entire church and passed along this assumed authority to successive leaders whom we now know as “popes.”
Scripture indubitably states that Jesus Christ is the foundation and head of the church (Acts 4:11-12; 1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18).
Over the years, the pope’s power has continued to evolve and change. For example, in the year 1870, papal infallibility was declared to be official Roman Catholic dogma by The First Vatican Council of Rome. Infallibility means, when a pope speaks Ex Cathedra (from the chair) on faith and morals, he cannot err. Therefore, when a pope speaks Ex Cathedra his proclamation is equivalent to Scripture! Incidentally, no one knows for certain when the pope is speaking Ex Cathedra, even the pope himself is unsure! Roman Catholic theologians do not agree on how many times their popes have spoken infallibly.
Reformer John Calvin wrote: …I wish to make this point only that they (Roman Catholic apologists) argue very ineffectively when they wish to establish upon the sole name of Peter sovereignty over the whole church. For those old follies with which they attempted at the beginning to deceive are unworthy of mention, much less of refutation…
The Reformers disagreed with Rome’s understanding of Matthew 16:18 as well as a myriad of other errors of Rome. It is imperative for today’s Christian church to understand that the pope is the head and chief ambassador of the entire anti-biblical Roman Catholic system. For instance, Roman Catholicism teaches her “tradition” is Scripture’s equivalent in authority and must be given equal credence. This contradicts the one of the core beliefs of Christianity, which is Sola Scriptura or Bible authority alone! If you ever happen to attend a Roman Catholic mass, you will most likely experience considerable amounts of emphasis placed on “tradition” rather than the Lord Jesus Christ.
In essence, the Roman Catholic interpretation of Matthew 16:18 perverts the beauty, power and truth that this verse was meant to convey. Christians confess with Peter that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God. Christians also confess that Christ is the “rock” of the Church. But the Roman Catholic abuses both Peter’s prominence and Christ’s intentions.
In short, there is absolutely no biblical basis to validate the pope, let alone make him head of Christ’s Church! Deceptively, Roman Catholicism claims that Jesus Christ is the head of their system. But, in all actuality the pope is Rome’s supreme and sovereign king, not Jesus Christ! The role of head over the Christian church is reserved for Jesus Christ alone! It is very foolish to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ would entrust and ordain Peter, a mere mortal, to be head of His church! As Christians, we can be assured and comforted by Jesus’ words; “…and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18b)
Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon wrote: …popery is the master-piece of Satan…
I encourage all of us to authenticate our calling and regeneration by contending for the faith (Jude 4), to proclaim Jesus Christ alone as head of the church! And, also pray for those who are sadly deceived and ensnared by a false system. Pray that they will believe solely in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior which will indeed set them free (John 8:32)! Amen!
Posted on June 1st, 2010 by Robert
Filed under: Elim Refresher Newsletter, From the Pew