by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Matthew 16:13-20<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. The world was fascinated with the process the Roman Catholic Church used to pick a new\npope.\n A. We were given detailed accounts of all the traditions surrounding a pope’s\nselection\n
B. We were shown the events step by step.<\/p>\n
C. But in all the hoopla, how many wondered where the papacy came from?<\/p>\n 1. It certainly wasn’t from the Bible because popes are not mentioned in the\ntext.\n 2. Nor can you find cardinals, let alone elections, or colored smoke and the\nlike.\n
D. The Roman Catholic Church bases it’s papacy on a set of beliefs<\/p>\n
1. That Peter was the rock on which the church was founded<\/p>\n
2. That Peter was the chief apostle<\/p>\n
3. That there has be a succession to the apostles<\/p>\n E. While other denominations reject the papacy, the Roman Catholic church is not\nalone in these basic tenets. \n 1. Several major denominations believe that their leaders are a in a succession\nof leaders dating back to the apostles: one leader being appointed by other\nleaders, who were in turn appointed, and so on back to the days of the\napostles.\n 2. The Episcopal Church and the Greek Orthodox Church are notable\nrepresentatives of this belief.\n
II. Was Peter the rock? – Matthew 16:18<\/p>\n
A. Much is made of the fact that Peter’s name means “stone” (Greek: petros<\/i>)<\/p>\n 1. What is glossed over is that Jesus said upon this rock (Greek: petra<\/i>) I will\nbuild my church. There is a change in terms.\n 2. To slide around the difficulty, you will find people saying that Matthew\nwas originally written in Aramaic, where the two words are the same. It is\nthen argued that the difference was introduced by the translator to bring\nstylistic variances so it would be easier to read in Greek.\n
a. But wait! No Aramaic version of Matthew exists!<\/p>\n b. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: “One thing which seems\ncertain is that whatever this Hebrew (Aramaic) document may have\nbeen, it was not an original form from which the present Greek\nGospel of Matthew was translated, either by the apostle himself, or\nby somebody else … Indeed, the Greek Matthew throughout bears\nthe impression of being not a translation at all, but as having been\noriginally written in Greek.”\n c. Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible: “It must be\nadmitted, however, that no fragment of an Aramaic Matthew has\never been found and a Greek edition is more plausible than a Greek\ntranslation. Matthew’s gospel does not give evidence of being a\ntranslation, which is one of the weak evidences for the Aramaic\ntheory.”\n d. What leads scholars to admit that Matthew was written in Greek\nand not Aramaic? \n (1) The little interpretations imbedded in the text – Matthew\n1:23\n (2) The smoothness of the word flow in Greek – especially\nidioms.\n e. Besides other know translations, such as the Latin Vulgate\npreserves the different genders of the two words, using petrus\n<\/i>(masculine) and petram<\/i> (feminine) in it’s translation.\n 3. Some will say, Jesus spoke<\/i> Aramaic and this was just translated by\nMatthew into Greek.\n a. If so, Matthew was guided by the Holy Spirit in his writing – I\nCorinthians 2:12-13\n
b. Therefore the difference was by the choice of God, not man<\/p>\n
B. Just who was the rock?<\/p>\n
1. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be the foundation – Isaiah 28:16<\/p>\n
2. Paul said Jesus was the Rock – I Corinthians 10:4<\/p>\n
3. Peter quotes Isaiah and applies it to Jesus – I Peter 2:4-8<\/p>\n
a. In this passage, Peter uses the Greek word lithos<\/i> for stone<\/p>\n b. But note verse 8, he also calls Jesus a rock (Greek: petra<\/i>) of\noffense – the same word Jesus used to say that upon this His church\nwould be built.\n
c. Peter is claimed to be the Rock, but Peter said the rock was Christ!<\/p>\n
4. The only foundation is Jesus Christ – I Corinthians 3:11<\/p>\n
C. What was the rock in Matthew 16:18?<\/p>\n
1. It was what Peter confessed, that Jesus was the Son of the Living God.<\/p>\n
2. The truth of who Jesus was, is the foundation of the church.<\/p>\n
III. Was Peter the chief apostle?<\/p>\n
A. One proof offered is that when apostles are named, Peter always comes first.<\/p>\n 1. While generally true, it is not always true – John 1:44; I Corinthians 3:22;\n9:5; Galatians 2:9\n
2. Nor was Peter always first, such as at the foot washing – John 13:6<\/p>\n B. Another proof is the claim that Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom –\nMatthew 16:19\n\n \t 1. Yet it is ignored that Jesus repeated this in Matthew 18:18-20 to all the\napostles.<\/font>\n 2. When the church was founded, Peter was the main speaker, but notice –\nActs 2:14\n 3. The foundation was laid on all the apostles – Ephesians 2:19-21<\/p>\n C. A few Catholics will claim that Peter was head of the council in Jerusalem,\ndemonstrating his headship\n 1. However, Acts 15 shows that Peter testified at the council as had Paul and\nBarnabas – Acts 15:7, 12\n 2. But it was James who summed up the findings – Acts 15:13<\/p>\n 3. And it was James who made the recommendation on how to solve the\nproblem – Acts 15:19-20\n 4. The letter came from the group, not Peter – Acts 15:23<\/p>\n D. Paul said he was not inferior to the other apostles – II Corinthians 11:5; 12:11<\/p>\n E. Peter refused homage – Acts 10:26, something the popes have never refused.<\/p>\n F. Peter saw himself as a fellow elder, one of many – I Peter 5:1<\/p>\n G. Paul properly rebuked Peter for following James’ lead – Galatians 2:11-12<\/p>\n H. The closest claim is that James, Peter, and John seemed<\/i> to be pillars in the church –\nGalatians 2:9. No where is there a claim that any single man was the pillar of the\nchurch.\n I. Odd that when the apostles argued about who would be first, that Jesus rebuked\nthem – Luke 9:46-48; 22:24-27\n 1. It was this desire for pre-eminence that Jesus condemned in the Jews –\nMatthew 23:6-11\n 2. This is why Jesus commanded no titles, such as “father.” <\/p>\n a. Yet Catholics call their priests “father”<\/p>\n b. The word “pope” is Latin for “father”<\/p>\n c. The very establishment of the pope is contrary to the wishes of the\nchurch’s founder, Jesus Christ.\n 3. Pope’s title: Bishop of Rome and Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of Saint\nPeter, Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church,\nPatriarch of the West, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the\nRoman Province, Sovereign of Vatican City State\n IV. Was Peter succeeded?<\/p>\n A. A Catechism of Christian Doctrine:<\/i> “Did Christ intend that the special power of\nchief teacher and ruler of the entire church should be exercised by Saint Peter\nalone? Christ did not intend that the special power of chief teacher and ruler of the\nentire church should be exercised by Saint Peter alone, but intended that this\npower should be passed down to his successor, the Pope, the Bishop of Rome,\nwho is the Vicar of Christ on earth and the visible head of the Church. (a) A\nsuccessor to Saint Peter, the first Bishop of Rome, was required for the same\nreason that successors were required for the other apostles. From the very\nbeginning it was acknowledged by the Church that the successor of Saint Peter as\nBishop of Rome was at the same time head of the entire Church. This successor of\nSaint Peter is called the Pope.”\n B. The claim is flawed on many levels.<\/p>\n 1. There is no proof that Peter was bishop in Rome. <\/p>\n a. The claim is based on a Roman Catholic tradition.<\/p>\n b. It is not found in the Bible<\/p>\n c. Nor is there historical evidence that I am aware of.<\/p>\n 2. The first claim for succession of authority from Peter that we have\nrecorded is by Stephen I in 250 AD; long after Peter’s death.\n 3. The claim that it has always been so is historically false<\/p>\n a. Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, 248-258 AD, “None of us has ever\ndared to proclaim himself bishop of bishops, forcing with tyrannical\nterror the obedience of his colleagues …”\n b. It was Leo I (440-461 AD) who got the Roman Emperor,\nValentinian III, to issue an edict declaring the Roman See as the\nsupreme court of appeal for all bishops. The fact that such as\ndeclaration was necessary indicates it was in dispute.\n c. And it was Augustine in Carthage who wrote in 430 AD, “Anyone\nwho appeals to those overseas [i.e. Rome] shall not be received by\nthe communion of the bishops of Africa.”\n 4. Interestingly, the first person to claim the title of pope was the bishop of\nConstantinople in 588 AD. \n a. In response, the bishop of Rome, Gregory I, wrote: “You know it,\nmy brother; had not the venerable council fo Chalcedon conferred\nthe honorary title of universal upon the bishop of this apostolic See,\nwhereof I am, by God’s Will, the servant, And yet none of us hath\npermitted this title to be given him; none has assumed this bold title,\nlest by assuming a special episcopate, we should seem to refuse it\nto all other brethren … But far from Christians be this blasphemous\nname by which all honor is taken from all other priests, while it is\nfoolishly arrogated by one.”\n b. Gregory I also wrote: “I am bold to say, that whosoever adopts or\naffects the title of universal bishop has the pride and character of\nanti-Christ, and is in some manner his forerunner in this haughty\nquality of elevating himself above the rest of his order.”\n c. In 604 AD, the emperor Phocas tried to give the title to Gregory I,\nbut he refused it. However, his successor, Boniface III, accepted\nthe title in 607 AD.\nV. The claim for a universal head of the church, resting upon a man living upon the earth is\nclearly a man-made doctrine that took centuries to develop\n A. There is no support for the office, the nature of the office, or even a remote\nconcept within the Scriptures.\n B. Why modify the truth? Why follow a religion that is the figment of man’s\nimagination?\n C. Come to Christ, the true head of His church.<\/p>\n<\/font>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 16:13-20 I. The world was fascinated with the process the Roman Catholic Church used to pick a new pope. A. We were given detailed accounts of all the traditions surrounding a pope’s selection B. We were shown the events step by step. C. But in all the hoopla, how many wondered where…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[1599],"class_list":["post-26766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon","tag-roman-catholic-church"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":68731,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-bible-on-roman-catholicism\/","url_meta":{"origin":26766,"position":0},"title":"The Bible on Roman Catholicism","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores A while back, I read a shared post by a Catholic priest. He was angered by \"a sea of stupid articles, idiotic commentary and boneheaded op-eds about the Catholic Church, by people who have no clue what they're talking about.\" He went on to rant about \"the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18875,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/commenting-on-the-catholic-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":26766,"position":1},"title":"Commenting on the Catholic Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores I recently read a shared post on Facebook written by a Catholic priest who is angered by \"a sea of stupid articles, idiotic commentary and boneheaded op-eds about the Catholic Church, by people who have no clue what they're talking about.\" He goes on to rant about\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Second_Vatican_Council_by_Lothar_Wolleh_005-300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":63045,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-development-of-papal-power\/","url_meta":{"origin":26766,"position":2},"title":"The Development of Papal Power","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 2, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"By Andy Sochor Unmasking Sophistry, October-December, 2023, Vol. 3, No. 4 The pope is arguably the most influential religious figure in the world today. Yet there was a time when the one who occupied this office was even more powerful than the current pope. He would not only be the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14927,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-the-jesuits-develop-preterism-and-futurism\/","url_meta":{"origin":26766,"position":3},"title":"Did the Jesuits develop preterism and futurism?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 15, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is it true that 'preterism' and 'futurism' were Jesuit interpretations of prophecy that were contrived during the counter-reformation? I've read that in a couple of places and wondered what your study has led you to about that. Thank you. Answer: Preterism is the view that the prophecies concerning destruction,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":26764,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-realize-how-uneducated-your-explanation-of-roman-catholicism-sounds\/","url_meta":{"origin":26766,"position":4},"title":"Do you realize how uneducated your explanation of Roman Catholicism sounds?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 21, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: The Bible says that the church is the pillar of truth. Since your church has a lot of different ideas than the Catholic Church that Jesus made Peter the head of. Is the Bible referring to the La Vista church? If so when did the La Vista church start?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":26822,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-are-you-bashing-the-roman-catholic-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":26766,"position":5},"title":"Why are you bashing the Roman Catholic Church?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 23, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I just had a question for you. I was browsing your web site (which is very nicely made, I might add) and I saw a question and it was answered about\u00a0what is wrong with the Catholic Church. 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