Is "The Church" Founded On Solid Ground?

Question

Please Please, I must state first that this is not an attempt to bash individual Catholics, but rather pose some critical questions that need to be considered.

Is "The Church" founded on solid precepts? I'd have to say no. Let’s start with Peter. Let’s say Peter is the Head of the Church and was in Rome. What Biblical evidence is there that Peter left the Authority of the Church in Rome? Peter was a devout Jew, knew that "Salvation is to the Jew First", and that ALL Promises to the Nation of Israel Would be Fulfilled, so why would he give the Authority of the Church over to Gentiles? Not saying that Peter did not accept Gentiles. I know he did, but he knew the prominence of the Nation of Israel. Has there ever been a Jewish Pope?

Is it not true that John was the last of Jesus' Apostles to die? If this is the case, certainly the Authority of the Church would have been passed to him after Peter's death. There is NO Biblical Support that John gave authority to Rome...

Answer 1

The first thing to remember is that even Apostles in the early church would recoil from the thought of carrying "the authority of the church". They would tell you that the only one who can claim that authority is Jesus Christ.

The "Church" (Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian, Baptist, Pentecostal, etc.) can NEVER claim to be based on solid ground if that ground is a place like Rome or even an Apostle like Peter, John, or even Paul (who wrote most of the New Testament).

Not only is there no biblical support that John gave authority to Rome. There is no biblical support for religion, based in Rome or anywhere else. Look at Jesus attitude toward religion. He told the religious people of that day that they were like white-washed graves, beautiful on the outside and dead and decaying on the inside. He said that people who outwardly practice religion through extravagant prayers or even extravagant giving were missing the whole point of their relationship to God.

So, we need to go back to what the New Testament teaches that the "church" really is. It is the body of Christ who is the head. It is not contained in ANY religious organization, building, temple, or authority.

Has there been a Jewish pope? Well, Catholics will tell you that Peter is the first Pope and he was definitely a Jew! If by Pope you mean the true "Head" of the Church then I would have to say that the "Pope" is a Jew even as we speak because Jesus Christ, himself, was a Jew.

If we really want to have a relationship with God, religion is not where it's at. Meeting together to worship and encourage each other is what "Church" should be about. Someone said it very well when they said that Church should be a hospital for sinners rather than a mausoleum for saints.

Religion is man's feeble attempt to usurp God's authority. God doesn't want us to practice religion, He wants us to have a relationship with Him.

Those true men and women of God who have gone before us would be appalled at the way we worship them instead of Christ by assigning ANY authority to them. Instead they would only want us to view their tradition this way in the light of the authority of Jesus Christ.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne." Hebrews 12:1,2

Only Jesus is the champion of our faith. Another translation says that He is the Author and the Finisher of our faith. I would say that this means that he is the only one who started it and can finish it.

The New Testament also tells us that,

"There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." 1 Timothy 2:5

Answer 2

Your question is a very important one because a Christian needs to know his beliefs and faith rest on solid ground.

All Christians, even Catholics like myself, say that Christ is the head of the Church. However, there is more to it than that. Why?

1. Jesus Himself promised us in Scripture that "there shall be one fold and one shepherd." Obviously, He forsaw unity in belief, not 20,000 denominations teaching different things about Him.

2. Jesus promised in Scripture that the Church would be "the pillar and foundation of truth." Ok, if every man can read the bible and form his own interpreations then how is that safeguarding truth? It's not, even though all these men claim to be led by the Spirit. Obviously, a visible teaching authority is needed.

3. History proves that there has been an unbroken succession of Popes following Saint Peter, and it continues to this day. These Pope have consistently taught the same doctrine and not one has ever formally taught heresy. Only divine institution could have a record like this. Only an institution that is TRULY guided by the Holy Spirit.

4. The Bible is clear that Peter had primacy among the apostles. In fact, even most serious Protestant scholars will grant this. So it was natural that authority would pass to him and his successors. Remember it was Peter's confession of the true faith in the Gospel of Matthew that warranted this response from Jesus "Man has not revealed this to you but GOD." This was the first exampleo of how God speaks through the teaching authority of the Church.

There is much more....too much to type here. Read "Jesus, Peter and the Keys" for a thorough treatment of this subject.

Pax Vobiscum+

Answer 3

"The Church" is not an organization but an organism. It is an organism of people who trust in the Lord Jesus to save them from their sins. the First Church were Jews and and God is not done with israel yet (read Romans 9-11). The Scriptures are our final authority and all our doctrine should come from diligent study of the scriptures

Answer 4

Paul on many activities condemned divisions. He additionally reported there became "one" church interior the "one" verses. Ephesians 4:3 "Make each attempt to maintain yourselves united interior the Spirit, binding yourselves which includes peace. 4 For there is one physique and one Spirit, merely as you have been observed as to one excellent wish for the destiny. 5 there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father, who's over all and in all and residing by way of all." we discover the observe "physique" right this is likewise observed as the physique of Christ that's the church. interior the actual Lord's prayer, He prayed to God that we would all be one. that would not recommend Jesus is the top and has many bodies (church homes) dangling from His head, yet ONE physique with many members, which means many members of His physique, the church.

Answer 5

Any church using the cross as their symbol is probably making a SERIOUS error. The Mistake is in the Sacrifice for Sins, on which so many churches are based... that idea comes from Paul and an the unknown author of Hebrews.

Jesus Preached the Kingdom Gospel, which has nothing at all to do with sacrifice for sins.

If you doubt what I am saying, read this free online book. It's entertaining and EYE OPENING.