Page 474 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

POPE

mention of Peter. This is a strange omission if Peter had and all ye are brethren. AND CALL NO MAN YOUR
indeed been bishop there. FATHER UPON THE EARTH: for one is your Father,
“Paul’s letter to the Colossians was written from Rome which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for
about A.D. 64. At the end of chapter 4 he sends one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest
greetings from several people including ‘Luke the among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall
beloved physician.’ In verse 10, Aristarchus ‘my fellow exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble
prisoner’ sends greetings to Marcus (Mark). In verse himself shall be exalted.’
11, Paul writes, ‘These only are my fellow workers,’ but “The above Scripture does not mean that you cannot
makes no mention of Peter among them.” call the one who begat you ‘father.’ This is done over
Was Peter in Rome? “In A.D. 41 Peter was at Joppa and over in Scriptures. It does mean that no one
where he had a vision of the unclean animals (Acts 11). should call a man ‘father’ as is done in Catholicism. A
In A.D. 44 he was imprisoned by Herod and man who assumes this title arrogates to himself the
miraculously set free (Acts 12). In A.D. 52 he was at title and prerogative of God. It is not the title itself that
is of supreme importance. The Lord is forbidding the
Jerusalem disputing against circumcision (Acts 15). He recognition of any man’s power to impart by ceremony
wrote his first Epistle from Babylonia about A.D. 60 (1 or in any other way, spiritual life to any fellow man.
Pe. 5:13), the same verse stating that Mark was with “The father is the one who begets, the one from whom
him at that time. In Paul’s letter to Timothy from Rome, life comes. You should never recognize any man who
A.D. 66, shortly before his execution (2 Ti. 4:7-8), he claims to be able by sacramentarian grace, or any other
writes in verse 11 ‘only Luke is with me.’ Timothy was thing, to communicate life to your soul. The life of God
the first [pastor at] Ephesus and Mark was with him (2 in the soul of a man must come by the begetting of
Ti. 4:11), confirming Col. 4:10. Peter was therefore with God. We must be careful not to give to any man place
Timothy and Mark in Asia Minor and Babylonia, but and honor which does not belong to him.
never at Rome with Paul. His mission was to the “We must not allow any man to come between
circumcision (Ga. 2:7-9)—the Jews and the other 10 ourselves and Christ. There are no priests who can
tribes whose location he referred to in 1 Pe. 1:1. So we atone for us. There are no mediators who can
see that the man that the Catholic Church says was the undertake to manage our souls with God.
first Roman pope never ministered at Rome!” “Acts 15 reports a church council in Jerusalem
7. There is no record in the new testament that Peter’s discussing the relation of the Gentiles to the law, to
circumcision, etc. In this council, Peter, Barnabas and
apostolic office was passed on to another at his death. The Paul gave reports. Then James rather than Peter
RC idea of apostolic succession is purely human rendered the final decision. Read Acts 15:13-20. ‘And
conjecture. There were only 12 Apostles in the special after they had held their peace, James answered,
sense and that is all there ever will be. In the wall of the saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon
eternal city of the redeemed there are twelve [Peter] hath declared how God at the first did visit the
foundations—only twelve—and in these foundations are Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. ...
written the names of the twelve Apostles—only twelve! Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them,
“And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in which from among the Gentiles are turned to God.’ (vv.
them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” Re. 14, 19).
21:14. “Again in Ga. 2:11 Paul rebukes Peter openly because
of blameworthy actions. Certainly Paul took a privilege
8. Peter was a married man. Roman Catholic popes which no one would take toward the pope today.
are not allowed to be married, but Peter definitely had a “In Ga. 2:8-10 Peter is named with others as a pillar of
wife. This becomes an important fact when we consider the church, but no supremacy.
that the Roman popes claim to be successors, followers, “In Ac. 8:14 we are told that PETER WAS SENT BY
of Peter. Consider the following passages of Holy OTHERS to preach and help in the work of the Lord.
Scripture: Mt. 8:14; Mk. 1:30; 1 Co. 9:5. Regarding the “M.D. Forrest [Roman Catholic writer] in Who is the
pope’s celibacy, we see again Rome’s deadly habit of Pope? emphasizes the primacy of Peter in Jn. 21:15-17,
changing the pattern of the early church and thereby saying that Christ addressed only Peter when He said,
rendering the Scripture ineffective by its traditions. [See ‘Lovest thou me more than these? Feed my lambs.’ The
Tradition.] reason Christ addressed Peter only, though, is not the
9. Peter’s supremacy is contrary to the evidence of the supremacy of Peter but the fact that Peter alone denied
Scripture. The following is taken from the book, his Lord! Over against his three-fold denial we have
Protestants, Catholics and the Word of God, pp. 41-42— the Lord’s three-fold question concerning the love
which Peter declared to be greater than that of the
“Peter had certain characteristics which made him a other disciples. We repeat that this is not a question of
leader, true enough, but Jesus refused to recognize any primacy but one of confession in light of Peter’s awful
pope among His disciples. Mt. 23:8-12 says, ‘But be not
ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ;

474 Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity