The Pope - Where is that in the bible?

By David Hipple

Where is that in the bible?

Outline:

Tradition and scripture

The church has authority

The apostles have authority

Peter was the leader of the apostles

Definition of infallibility

Scripture plus Tradition?

Above, we showed that the Bible is not sufficient as the sole rule of faith for Christians and that nothing in the Bible suggests it was meant to be. In fact, the Bible indicates it is not to be taken by itself.  But Catholics go on to claim that  "the task of authentically interpreting the word of God, whether written or handed on, has been entrusted exclusively to the living teaching office of the Church,  whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. "  (From Vatican  II, Dei Verbum, Divine Revelation, paragraph10) But does scripture support this?  Does scripture support the existence of a living, teaching, authoritative Church?

Is there any precedent for this in the Old Testament?   There, we find that the Levitical priests were to be the judges and source of wisdom and decision in difficult cases.

Malachi 2: 7 For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

Deuteronomy  17: 8  "If any case arises requiring decision  any case within your towns which is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to the place which the LORD your God will choose, 9 and coming to the Levitical priests, and to the judge who is in office in those days, you shall consult them, and they shall declare to you the decision. Is the Bible our pillar of truth?  No, the Church is.   The New Testament church continues the precedent of the Old Testament with the Christian Church.

I Tim 3:14   I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, 15 if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.

How is the wisdom of God made known?  Through the Church!

Eph 3: 7  Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace 8 To me, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9  and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in  God who created all things; 10 that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.

The next passage points out that we need the offices of the church in order to achieve completeness, to be equipped, to be perfect.  Other scriptures point out that we need the scriptures 2 Tim 3: 15-17"and that from infancy you have made known the sacred scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work." and we need Love I John 4:12 "noone has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us." and I Cor 13  and following points out that we need the offices of the church:

Eph 4: 7 But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift's.   11 And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine

The apostles are the first listed office in the church in Eph 4:11 above.  The apostles and prophets are our foundation. 

Eph 2: 19 you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Jesus is talking to the apostles here in Matthew Chapter 18 (see verse1).  Starting in verse 15, Jesus is describing a church with the authority to discipline Christians (to discipline those who are "brothers").  Recall that Jesus is talking to the apostles, so the you that Jesus refers to here are the apostles.

Matt 18: 15   If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ¨20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

If, as some teach, the church is completely present when two or three gather in my name verse 20 then why are v 17, 18, and 19 necessary above?  V18, here addressed to all the apostles, is an echo of the second part of Matt 16, verse 19 (more on this later), which speaks of the authority to bind and loose, and that authority of the church is only present when the apostles (or their successors) are present and make a ruling.  More on this next.  Now we know we need the church:  who is the Church?  Lets make it personal;  He appointed the Apostles to have Authority

Jesus spoke this to all of us and He promised to be with all of us:  but He also spoke this to the apostles in a special way:

John 13: 20  speaking to the twelve  " Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives any one whom I send receives me; and he who receives me receives him who sent me." (see also Matt 10: 40 "Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives  me receives the one who sent me." , Luke 10: 16 "whoever listens to you listens to me.  Who ever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."  

Eph 3: 5 Paul says that "the mystery of Christ" has been " revealed to his holy apostles"

In John chapter 20, Jesus is speaking to the disciples:  Jesus gives power to the apostles

John 20:21  Jesus said to them, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." 22  And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

This is what the Apostles are supposed to do:

Matt 28: 18  And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."

Some  argue that there are no Apostles any more:  that they died out with the writing of the new Testament.  But in the New Testament, we see that Apostolic authority resides in the Office, not the person filling the office, and the office is to be passed on.

In Acts chapter 1, Peter leads the remaining apostles to appoint a successor to Judas, the apostle who fell away.  There was no debate about whether this should be done, only about who should fill the office.  The fact that Judas fell away does not mean that the office fell away.  The office continues, and needs to be filled by a man who knows Jesus.

Similarly, in 2 Tim 2:2 Paul tells Timothy to appoint others to carry on after him. "and what you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will have the ability to teach others as well."

In Acts 15 we see the first council of the Church, called as described in Matthew 18 to address disagreements between brothers.

The issue is stated in Acts 15:1 "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."

The issue was decided on the basis of the council's own authority.  Only after the question had been discussed and decided did James add that Scripture was in harmony with the decision (as we should expect).

Note that it was Peter who spoke the answer (Acts 15 Vs 7-11) "we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus".  After Peter spoke, they all fell silent (v12) and listened to others describe how the doctrine pronounced by Peter was already at work. The only thing remaining for the council to do was to work out all the administrative details, which fell to James's capable hands. OK now lets make it really personal:  The Primacy of Peter, The First Pope.

First, a little about Peter.  Take note of "Peters firsts" (from Schreck p84)

Peter's Firsts:

Acts 1  Peter leads the effort to fill the vacant office of an apostle (Peter appoints the first bishop).

Acts 2  Peter preaches the first sermon

Acts 3  Peter works the first miracle of healing

Acts 4  Peter and John are the first to be arrested for the gospel, Peter gives the first defense of the Gospel

Acts 5 Aninias and Sapphira.  Peter performs the first church discipline (?!)

Acts 5:15  Peter's shadow healed them

Acts 5:29  Peter speaks for the apostles

Acts 8 Peter sent to confirm the Samaritans (the first gift of the Holy Spirit to the Samaritan half breeds is thru Peter)

Acts 9  Peter the first to raise the dead.  Peter heals Aeneas.

Acts 10  Peter is the first to preach the gospel to the gentiles and the first to baptize them

Acts 11  Peter defends the baptism of the gentiles

Acts 15 the first church council:  Peter stands up and declares the dogma.

Gal 1:18 Paul consulted with Peter (only) for 15 days before beginning his ministry.

Peter is mentioned 191 times in the New Testament.  All the other apostles combined are mentioned by name just 130 times.  The next most commonly referenced apostle is John, whose name appears 48 times in the New Testament.

Peter's name appears first in virtually every listing of the apostles, just as Judas name always appears last.  If there is a reason for the latter (which there obviously is) there must be a reason for the former.

The Catechism (CCC) explains this as follows: (citations to LG are to the Vatican II document Lumen  Gentium, The Mystery of the Church)

880 When Christ instituted the Twelve, "he constituted [them] in the form of a college or permanent assembly, at the head of which he placed Peter, chosen from among them." (LG19) Just as "by the Lord's institution, St. Peter and the rest of the apostles constitute a single apostolic college, so in like fashion the Roman Pontiff, Peter's successor, and the bishops, the successors of the apostles, are related with and united to one another." (LG22)

(CCC)881 The Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the "rock" of his Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the whole flock. (Mt 16:18-19, Jn 21:15-17) "The office of binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of apostles united to its head. (LG 22) This pastoral office of Peter and the other apostles belongs to the Church's very foundation and is continued by the bishops under the primacy of the Pope

(CCC)936 The Lord made St. Peter the visible foundation of his Church. He entrusted the keys of the Church to him. The bishop of the Church of Rome, successor to St. Peter, is "head of the college of bishops, the Vicar of Christ and Pastor of the universal Church on earth" (CIC, can. 331).

(CCC)937 The Pope enjoys, by divine institution, "supreme, full, immediate, and universal power in the care of souls" (CD 2).

This Issue of Authority, particularly Authority that can be identified with one man (the Pope) or a group of men (a Council) is one of the top reasons people leave the Catholic Church (or stay away) due perhaps to a rebellion against Authority or a reaction to the failure of authority in their lives.  This issue of Authority is also one of the top reasons people convert to the Catholic Church:  the Holy Spirit makes it clear to them their need of Authority.

In Matthew 16, the promise is made to Peter:

Simon = Reed

 Kapha  (Peter) = Rock.

 Peter has the keys.

Matt 16: 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" 14  And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16  Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17  And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18  And I tell you, you are Peter (Petros),  and on this rock (Petra)   I will build my church, and the powers of death  shall not prevail against it. 19  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Rabbinic terms:  bind = forbid ,  loose = permit

the keys:  these are given to Peter only,

 binding and loosing:  we see in other scripture that Jesus gives this power to all the disciples (Matt 18:18 for example)

(Side issue:  in the Greek, the words Petros and Petra are different.  Petros, the word assigned to Peter, is the male form of the word for rock, and when referring to stones, meant a small one.  Petra is the feminine form, and when referring to stones, meant a large one.  Naturally, Peter, being a male, would receive the male form of the word.  But this is a side issue, since Jesus most likely did not speak this in Greek, but in Aramaic. )

Cephas:  The Aramaic equivalent of Peter, and having the same meaning, namely, rock.  As a surname of the prince of the Apostles, it is applied to Peter eight times in the New Testament.  In one place (John 1:42) it is explicitly mentioned that it is the same as Peter.

John 1: 42  He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, "So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas" (which means Peter ).

I Cor 15: 5   he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

The keys that Matthew refers to are the symbol of the office that is passed on when the office becomes empty:  this means apostolic succession.  Here is an Old Testament example from the Davidic Kingdom.  Since Jesus fulfills the Davidic Kingdom, we will see that Jesus works the  fulfillment of this also.

Isa 22: 19 I will thrust you (Shebna) from your office, and you will be cast down from your station. 20 In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, 21 and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your girdle on him, and will commit your authority to his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22  And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. 23 And I will fasten him like a peg in a sure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father's house.

The office being discussed here is like the Prime Minister of the Kingdom. The key of the house of David are passed on to successors.  Note that a bad man (Shebna had to be "thrust" from the office) did not contaminate the office or make it moot.  The office was passed on.   If Jesus is the fulfillment of the Davidic Kingdom (He is) , and the Church is His Kingdom on Earth (It is), then we should expect to find the things of the Davidic Kingdom fulfilled in the Church (we do:  in this case, Peter is the Prime Minister since he has the keys, and this office is meant to be passed on to successors, the Popes).

I already referred to Acts 1: the offices were Intended to be passed on , and the office was not made dirty by a scoundrel who held It for a time. 

Acts 1:15  In those days Peter stood up, and said  16 "Brethren, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David, concerning Judas who was guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was numbered among us, and was allotted his share in this ministry. 20  For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his habitation become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it; (Ps 69:26) and 'His office let another take.' (Ps 109:8) 21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us--one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection." 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, "Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two thou hast chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place." 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was enrolled with the eleven apostles.

We saw in Matthew 16 that the office with the keys was promised to Peter:  in John 21 is where Peter is appointed or commissioned to the role we now call Pope.

John 21: 15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." 16  A second time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep".

Lumen  Gentium paragraph 22 The lord made Peter alone the rock “ foundation and the holder of the keys of the Church (Mat 16:18-19) and constituted him shepherd of his whole flock (John 21:15) It is clear, however, that the office of binding and loosing, which was given to Peter,(Mt16:19) was also assigned to the college of apostles, united with its head.(Mt 18:18, 28:16-20)

Infallibility of the Pope

Here is a definition of Infallibility from Catholic Answers ( http://catholic.com )

Infallibility applies only to solemn, official teachings on faith and morals, not to disciplinary decisions or even to unofficial comments on faith and morals. A pope's private theological opinions are not infallible, only what he solemnly defines is considered to be infallible teaching. Infallibility is not a substitute for theological study on the part of the pope. What infallibility does do is prevent a pope from solemnly and formally teaching as "truth" something that is, in fact, error. It does not help him know what is true, nor does it "inspire" him to teach what is true. He has to learn the truth the way we all do through study ”though, to be sure, he has certain advantages because of his position.

Of course, infallibility does not include a guarantee that any particular pope won't "neglect" to teach the truth, or that he will be sinless, or that mere disciplinary decisions will be intelligently made. It would be nice if he were omniscient or impeccable, but his not being so will fail to bring about the destruction of the Church. But he must be able to teach rightly, since instruction for the sake of salvation is a primary function of the Church. For men to be saved, they must know what is to be believed. They must have a perfectly steady rock to build upon and to trust as the source of solemn Christian teaching. And that's why papal infallibility exists.

From the Catechism:

(CCC)891 "The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful - who confirms his brethren in the faith he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals. . . . The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter's successor, they exercise the supreme Magisterium," above all in an Ecumenical Council. When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine "for belief as being divinely revealed," and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions "must be adhered to with the obedience of faith."

 This is from Vatican II, Lumen Gentium Paragraph 25:

The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful who confirms his brethren in the faith (Lk 22:32) “ he proclaims in an absolute decision a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals. Scandals in the church

Many will deny the Authority of the Pope because there have been bad Popes, some very bad.  Just a few short thoughts on this topic:

 Consider the 12 Apostles:  one betrayed Christ, one denied Him, one refused to believe in His Resurrection, and they all abandoned Him at the Garden of Gethsemani.  Did any of this disqualify John and Peter and the others from being infallible when they wrote their books that are in the New Testament?

Should I leave Peter on account of Judas?  Dude, Peter's got the keys.

From Catholic Answers:

 Someone once asked him to address the situation of the scandal caused by so many of his brother priests. What Francis de Sales said is as important for us today as it was then. He did not pull any punches. He said, "While those who give scandal are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder [i.e., destroying other people's faith in God by their terrible example], those who take scandal-who allow scandals to destroy their faith-are guilty of spiritual suicide." They are guilty, he said, of cutting off their life with Christ by abandoning the source of life in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.

Jesus is with us, as he promised, until the end of time. He is still in the boat. Just as out of Judas's betrayal he achieved the greatest victory in the universe-our salvation through his passion, death and resurrection-so out of this new scandal he may bring, wants to bring, a new rebirth of holiness, a new Acts of the Apostles for the twenty-first century, with each of us-and that includes you-playing a starring role. Now is the time for real men and women of the Church to stand up. Now is the time for saints. How will you

respond?References:  

Gregory Oatis, Catholic Doctrine in Scripture , CHResources

Schreck, Alan:  Catholic and Christian   Servant Books

References to Vatican II documents include the letters of the first words in Latin, plus the paragraph number, thus Dei Verbum (Constitution on Divine Revelation) is DV.

CCC Catechism of the Catholic Church

Catholic Answers ( www.catholic.com )