____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ June 22, 1997 ____________________________________________________ Was The Apostle Peter A Pope? by David J. Riggs In the books of men, the following titles are commonly used with reference to a man: ``Pope,'' ``Holy Father,'' ``Vicar of Christ,'' ``Sovereign Pontiff.'' All of these are titles that rightly belong only to the Lord Jesus Christ and to God the Father. There is not a single instance in the Scriptures where any of the above titles are applied to a man. The term ``Holy Father'' is used only once in the entire Bible, and it is used by Jesus in addressing God the Father (John 17:11) Among the above titles is the bold assertion that the Pope is the ``Vicar of Christ.'' A ``vicar'' is ``One serving as a substitute or agent; one authorized to perform the functions of another in higher office'' (Webster). When one searches the Bible from cover to cover, he finds only one passage which gives an indication of a vicar of Christ or God. It is 2 Thess. 2:3-4; it is worded as follows: ``Let no one deceive you in any way, for the day of the Lord will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and is exalted above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he sits in the temple of God and gives himself out as if he were God.'' Some religionists today advocate that man is saved by faith only. However, there is only one passage in the entire Bible that has the words ``faith'' and ``only'' together; and it says, ``not by faith only'' (James 2:24). The Catholics today speak of the Pope as vicar, taking the place of God (Christ Himself is God, Matt. 1:23; John 1:1), yet there is only one passage in the entire Bible which speaks of a man doing such and it calls him ``the man of sin.'' James Cardinal Gibbons, a Catholic Archbishop said, ``Jesus our Lord, founded but one Church, which He was pleased to build on Peter. Therefore, any church that does not recognize Peter as its foundation stone is not the Church of Christ, and therefore cannot stand, for it is not the work of God'' (The Faith of Our Fathers, p. 82). The apostle Paul said, ``For other foundation no one can lay, but that which has been laid, which is Christ Jesus'' (1 Cor. 3:11). There is no other foundation but Christ! Therefore, any church which does not recognize Christ alone as the foundation stone cannot be the church of Christ. Catholic writers often speak of ``the primacy of Peter'' and ``the primacy of the Pope.'' However, Col. 1:18, speaking of Christ, says, ``And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; that in all things he may hold the primacy...'' Thus, with reference to the authority in the church, the Lord Jesus Christ holds the primacy in all things. This leaves nothing for the Pope! Catholics claim that the Pope is the visible head of the church. Please notice the following from Catholic sources: ``The Pope, therefore, as vicar of Christ, is the visible head of Christ's kingdom on earth, the Church, of which Christ Himself is the invisible head'' (Answer Wisely, by Martin J. Scott, p. 49). ``According to the will of Christ, all its members profess the same faith, have the same worship and Sacraments, and are united under the one and same visible head, the Pope'' (Father Smith Instructs Jackson, by John F. Noll and Lester J. Fallon, p. 42). Catholic officials always use the word ``visible'' no doubt thinking that it removes the thought of the Pope standing in opposition to the headship of Christ, and removes the apparent problem of having a church with two heads. Nonetheless, the Scriptures nowhere teach the idea of a visible and invisible head. Jesus said, ``All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me'' (Matt. 28:18; Emp. mine D.R.). Luke 17:20-21 says, ``And on being asked by the Pharisees, `When is the kingdom of God coming?' he answered and said to them, The kingdom of God comes unawares. Neither will they say, `Behold, here it is,' or `Behold, there it is.' For behold the kingdom of God is within you.'' The kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom and therefore needs only a spiritual head or king. Eph. 5:23-25 shows that Christ is the only head of the church. ``Let wives be subject to their husbands as to the Lord; because a husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is head of the church, being himself savior of the body. But just as the church is subject to Christ, so also let the wives be to their husbands in all things.'' Consequently, the wife is subject to her husband as the church is to Christ. Just as the wife is subject to only one head--her husband, the church is subject to only one head--Christ. Just as the husband does not send a substitute to rule over his wife, Christ does not authorize a substitute to rule over His bride, the church. Catholics often use the expression, ``One fold and one shepherd'' to sustain the doctrine of the papacy. (See Catholic Catechism For Adults, p. 59, q. 3.) They teach that the ``one shepherd'' is the Pope and the ``one fold'' represents the Catholic Church. Hear what Jesus said about it: ``I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep...I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, even as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep. And other sheep I have that are not of this fold. Them also I must bring and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd'' (John 10:11, 14-16). Jesus is that one good shepherd. If one can understand that one and one equals two, he can understand this. If one is subject to Christ as the one shepherd--that's one. If one is subject to the Pope as the one Shepherd--that's two! The church is often compared to the human body in the Scriptures. The members of the church are represented as the various parts of the body. Christ is always said to be the head. (See 1 Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:15-16.) Our question is: ``What part of the body is the Pope? Also, ``How does one get the idea of a sub-head into the body?'' One of the greatest arguments against the primacy of Peter is the fact that the apostles had an argument among themselves as to which of them should be the greatest. Notice the following: ``Now there arose a dispute among them, which of them was reputed to be the greatest. But he said to them, `The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and they who exercise authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. On the contrary, let him who is greatest among you become as the youngest, and him who is chief as the servant''' (Luke 22:24-26). The very fact that the apostles had an argument among themselves shows they did not understand that Peter was to be prince. Also, the occasion of the argument was the night of the betrayal--the last night of the Lord's earthly ministry--and yet the apostles still did not understand that Christ had given Peter a position of primacy. The Lord settled the argument, not by stating that He had already made Peter head, but by declaring that the Gentiles have their heads, ``But not so with you.'' Thus, Jesus very plainly taught that no one would occupy any such place as a Benefactor (or Pope) to exercise authority over the others. All of the above Bible quotations are from Catholic Translations. ___________________________________________ ``Do Something Religious'' Recreation and entertainment have become such a part of many modern denominations that I sometimes wonder if church-goers don't look upon the church as a sort of glorified and sanctified country club. Which reminds me of the story told about the man flying on a business trip. The airplane developed engine trouble in flight, and the stewardess came around asking the passengers to pray. Upon making the request to this particular gentleman, she received the reply, ``But I don't know how.'' She then suggested to him, ``Well, do something religious.'' Whereupon he started a bingo game. -- Selected (via The Old Path II, May 25, 1997) EDITOR'S NOTE: Need I even explain that bingo is neither religious nor something to be sponsored by the church? But because of the many social activities that many "churches" or "denominations" engage in today, is there any wonder why so many people have formed such a wrong conclusion about what the work of the church is to be? To some, the church is a type of welfare institution to care for all the needs of the community -- regardless of whether the needy are Christians or not. To others, the church is a type of YMCA that is to provide its youth with a safe place to play or a place for health-conscience people to exercise. We need to let the church be the church instead of trying to turn it into something God had never intended -- nor something for which Jesus had never died. ___________________________________________ "And yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness" (Acts 14:17). ___________________________________________ A Christian -- Almost or Altogether? by Ken Weliever As the peerless apostle Paul pleaded his cause before Herod Agrippa II in Acts 26, he took advantage of the occasion to preach Christ unto the ones at that gathering. Festus doggedly dodged the emphasis of Paul's sermon by accusing him of insanity. The immoral Bernice compliantly and indifferently sat through the tiring speech. Agrippa, however, seemed to be of a different disposition. He was gracious and courteous to this man of God and listened with interest to his lesson. Yet, at the conclusion of the sermon he could only muster the words: ``Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.'' To that Paul retorted: ``I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.'' Many are like Festus in trying to discredit the gospel or the man who preaches it. Such a rationalization, of course, does not change the Truth. To shout such prejudicial statements as -- ``You're narrow minded'' or ``You need to have more love'' or ``That's what your little group teaches'' does not alter what God has said about any matter. Folks in the religious world need to realize that when God has spoken, it does little good to discredit the messenger of His word, for it shall abide forever. Others imitate the unconcern of Bernice. This attitude is a foolish one in view of eternity and the judgment to come. ``It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment.'' This writer has actually heard people say, ``I don't need all that religious stuff.'' How pathetic it is to realize that many will be lost because they have failed to manifest a concern in things of a spiritual nature. But still many are trying to soothe their consciences by almost being Christians. Untold thousands are lost because they keep waiting and being almost persuaded. This devilish deception is not unknown in Hillsboro. Many have attended the services of the church in the past, heard the gospel preached with a realization of their needs, but have not obeyed. How many ``Agrippa's'' do we have (even in Hillsboro) who are almost persuaded? Sinner, friend, don't let the angel of death arrive and find you ALMOST a Christian. Be a child of God today! -- via Search For Truth, June 1997 ___________________________________________ News & Notes Due to not being able to eat for the last couple of weeks -- and even having trouble keeping liquids down -- Ernest Hamm was re-admitted to St. Mary's Hospital in Huntington, WV. Let us be praying for him. Write today for one of our FREE BIBLE CORRESPONDENCE COURSES. We heartily welcome those of you who are visiting with us this day. Please come again. ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@wwd.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.wwd.net/user/tedwards/go ________________________________________