Contrary to the teachings of Rome, even Peter himself - whom it claims as the first pope - denied the papacy and the worship of popes. So must we.

From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Contrary to the teachings of Rome, even Peter himself - whom it claims was the first pope - denied the papacy and the worship of popes. So must we.

In previous articles, we discussed the pagan roots of Roman Catholicism's long-standing worship of dead persons it designates as "saints" as well as its worship of relics and of Mary.

We also find that the history of the Roman Catholic church, especially since the Protestant Reformation, involves growing worship of the popes, who Rome claims are the chosen successors of the Apostle Peter.

Peter Himself Denied the Papacy

However, we find in Scripture that Peter himself puts the lie to the notion of the worship of any man for any reason, much less of himself as an alleged pope or bishop of Rome.

And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. But Peter took him up, saying, "Stand up; I myself also am a man." (Acts 10:25-26)

Peter exalts Jesus Christ, not himself, as the chief cornerstone of the church, and speaks of the condemnation of those who reject the true Cornerstone:

Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. (1 Peter 2:4-8)

Furthermore, Peter cautions any church leader against assuming a position of lordship over the flock of God:

The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords 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 does not fade away. (1 Peter 5:1-4)

Rome's Exaltation of the Papacy

In contrast to these plain teachings of Scripture, the following are official Roman Catholic statements (ones that bear the imprimatur or formal approval of the Vatican) on the status and position of the Pope.

The pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man (...) He is as it were God on earth, sole sovereign of the faithful of Christ, chief of kings, having plenitude of power...¹

The supreme teacher in the Church is the Roman Pontiff. Union of minds, therefore, requires (...) complete submission and obedience of will to the Church and to the Roman Pontiff, as to God Himself.²

Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven and of earth and of the lower regions.³

[I, the Pope] hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.⁴

Power in the Blood of the Pope?

A remarkable event in recent times showed the true extent of Roman Catholic worship of popes. On May 1st, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI, along with officials of the Roman Catholic church-state and a crowd of 1.5 million people, worshipped the body, the blood, and images of Pope John Paul II during beatification ceremonies at the Vatican. More than fifty heads of state from nations around the world were present for the ceremony.

The Vatican teaches that the blood of this dead Pope has special power. They have taken some of his blood, which was collected during medical tests while he was alive and subsequently preserved, and they have housed this blood of the Pope in an ornate container. This container of John Paul's blood was held aloft for the worship of the crowd. The container of blood was kissed and worshipped by Pope Benedict XVI and other worshipping priests.

Dear friends, once again, this is nothing but the vilest form of paganism. There is power only in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. True Christians worship not His blood, but His person, because Jesus Christ alone is our God, our Savior, our Mediator before the Father, and the Head of the Church. The Apostle Peter himself, the one who Rome falsely claims was the first of the line of Popes, denied any other way to God:

Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things...but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:18-21)

There is no power in the blood of the Pope. There is no power in the worship of the Pope. All of this, dear friends, is the worst kind of falsehood and spiritual bondage. The worship of saints, relics, Mary, and popes - all of these things are of the Devil and not of Christ.

"Supreme Pontiff" - An Ancient Pagan Title

Many Bible-believing Christians do not understand the pagan origins of the papacy. In the Roman Empire, the Supreme Pontiff (Pontifex Maximus) was the highest officer in the pagan state religion. The Supreme Pontiff directed a College of Pontiffs. Julius Caesar and other Roman Emperors, whom the citizens of the Empire were commanded to worship as gods, held the title of Supreme Pontiff. It was for their refusal to acknowledge the emperor as Supreme Pontiff that many early Christians were put to death.

The main duty of the Supreme Pontiff and the College of Pontiffs was to maintain the pax deorum or "peace of the gods." The Supreme Pontiff ruled by formulating and enforcing what was called in pagan Rome the jus divinum or divine law. Among other things, this pagan law code enforced

• The regulation of ceremonies designed to appease the pagan gods in times of pestilence and other disasters
• The consecration of all temples and other sacred places and objects dedicated to the gods
• The administration of the law relating to burials and burying-places, and the worship of dead ancestors
• The regulation of morals, and the determination of punishments for sins

Do these things sound familiar? Indeed they should, because they were carried over from Roman paganism into the papacy and college of cardinals of the Roman Catholic church. Today the pope of Rome reigns under the title of Supreme Pontiff, just as the pagan emperors did. He enforces the worship of saints who are alleged to appease God for men. He enforces the regulation of the placement and worship of relics of the dead in the churches, cathedrals, and other sacred places of Romanism. He enforces the veneration of the dead. He determines the arbitrary classification of sins, and what must be done to pay for them.

Clearly, Peter himself, who Rome claims to be the first pope, understood the grossly un-Biblical nature of these things. We see it in his response to Cornelius cited above, in his sermons in the book of Acts, and in the deep humility we find in his two inspired epistles to the church.

Dear friends, God abhors the worship of any man or office. His true people and His true church must have nothing to do with these things. Biblical Christianity reprobates the very notion of the worship of a pope, who, although he claims to be the sole representative of Christ on earth, holds an office and exercises powers that are rooted in paganism and have no basis in Scripture.

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.

As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people." Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you." "I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1)

References:

1. Lucius Ferraris, Prompta Bibliotheca, 1763, Volume 5, article titled 'Papa II', reprinted by J. P. Migne, Paris, 1858.

2. Sapientiae Christianae, Encyclical Of Pope Leo XIII on Christians as Citizens, January 10, 1890.

3. Prompta Bibliotheca

4. Praeclara Gratulationis Publicae, The Reunion Of Christendom, Apostolic Letter of Pope Leo XIII, June 20, 1894.

bw0010

---

Copyright 1998-2024

TeachingtheWord Ministriesmmmmmwww.teachingtheword.org

All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced in its entirety only,
for non-commercial purposes, provided that this copyright notice is included.

We also suggest that you include a direct hyperlink to this article
for the convenience of your readers.