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Challenge
Some say the church is built on Peter, the rock who was also
the first Pope.
Defense
The church was built on the rock of Peter's confession that Jesus
was the Son of God, not Peter himself.
"'But what
about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I am?' Simon Peter answered,
'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus replied,
'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to
you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 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. I will give you the keys of the kingdom
of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and
whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.'"
(Matthew 16:15-19)
Peter's original name was Simon. Jesus
changed his name to Peter (petros)...which means a small rock or
stone that can be easily moved. In this text Peter was petros.
The word rock used when Jesus said "on this rock I
will build my church" is petra...a rock ledge that
cannot be moved.
The church was build on the foundation rock that was revealed to
Peter in his answer..."You are the Christ, the
Son of the living God."
The position of Pope was
created in the mind of men (for political reasons), not in the mind
of God. It is not a Biblical concept. There is no Biblical or
historical evidence that Peter was ever exalted to such a position
as pope. Peter would not have allowed himself to be elevated to a
position of earthly head of the church. Peter knew elders were to be
under-shepherds over local churches.
"To
the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness
of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to
be revealed: Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care,
serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are
willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to
serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being
examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will
receive the crown of glory that will never fade away."
(I Peter 5:5-7)
Since Peter wrote that there was no
private interpretation of scripture, it would have been against his
personal conviction for one man to make decisions for the church.
"Above all, you
must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the
prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin
in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried
along by the Holy Spirit."
(II Peter 1:;20,21)
Jesus is the head of the church, which
is His body. A body with 2 heads is unnatural.
If you have other objections,
send them to
cvalentine@childrensbiblestudy.com. |