Gerald Daffer - Mark J. Ward Discussion on the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church

The Gerald Daffer - Mark J. Ward Discussion

Ward's First Negative

PROPOSITION ONE
"The Holy Scriptures teach that the bishop of Rome is the
head of the Christian Church and this teaching has been
embraced by the Church Universal since Apostolic times."

- Gerald "Jerry" Daffer affirms
- Mark J. Ward denies

FIRST NEGATIVE BY Mark J. Ward
I am thankful to God for this opportunity to engage Jerry in a Bible discussion that is of eternal importance. Many men are not willing to engage in such a discussion today for various reasons. I appreciate Jerry very much for his willingness to discuss the Bible, yet I believe him to be sincerely wrong in his affirmation of the proposition that follows…

"The Holy Scriptures teach that the bishop of Rome is the head of the Christian Church and this teaching has been embraced by the Church Universal since Apostolic times."

I would like to begin by stating that I do not hate Catholics or harbor any ill will towards them whatsoever! In fact, some of the most wonderful people I have met in this world are Roman Catholics. I also know several former Catholics who are now simply Christians, members of the Lord's true church, of which I am a member (Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:47; Romans 16:16). Jerry and I are not mad at each other. We will press our points of difference in this exchange (and well we should) for what we are discussing is of eternal consequence. GOD'S TRUTH is what Jerry and I both want to believe, teach and practice…for only then will we please our God.

BIBLE AUTHORITY
Since God's Word is truth (See John 17:17), we must look to SCRIPTURE to see the truth of this matter. Is the office of "Pope" really authorized by God? If so, we would certainly expect to read of it in the Holy Scriptures, wouldn't we? Did God really set up an "earthly head" over the "church universal"? If so, how would we know except to read of it in God's Plan for Man: the Holy Bible? I can't find any passages in God's Holy Word that would establish such an office. Please re-read my friend Jerry's first affirmative and see if he provided us with PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE that really uphold that view. I look forward to examining Jerry's thoughts in future articles (as these first opening speeches were written by agreement without seeing the others' article).

THE CATHOLIC CATECHISM & THE POPE
Since the Bible never uses the word "Pope", it will be most interesting to see what Scriptures Jerry tries to use to uphold his proposition. Jerry must prove "The HOLY SCRIPTURES teach" that the bishop of Rome is God's earthly head of the Lord's church. I did find an uninspired book, "Basics of the Faith: A Catholic Catechism" by Alan Schreck (Author of Catholic and Christian) where the idea of a "Pope" is explained. In part, on pages 100-102, we find these statements,

"…the pope is viewed as the successor to the specific apostle singled out by Jesus to be leader and shepherd of the whole church, St. Peter." and, "The second step in understanding the role of the pope is to determine whether Peter had a successor. There is no word of Jesus that indicates that either Peter or the apostles were to be succeeded by others in their positions of authority and leadership. However, Jesus intended the church he founded to endure until he returned at the end of time, and the early Christians recognized the importance of having a leader in each church…" and, "..Likewise, the universal church gradually came to see the value and the necessity of recognizing the special authority of one of the bishops, just as Jesus gave Peter a special leadership role among the apostles."

These and other statements point to the fact that while the BIBLE does not teach Peter was a POPE and that there were to be successors to the apostles (much less having a single earthly head of the universal church), that GRADUALLY some "Christians" believed it was a good idea and began to look to the bishop of the church at Rome for decisive guidance and for direction for all the churches! Jerry and dear readers, this is a departure from God's ordained, authorized plan for church government. God's Word is to be consulted for direction and guidance, not a single earthly head over a universal church! As Isaiah 55:8,9 and Jeremiah 10:23 teach, as well as other passages, man is not capable of making those decisions apart from God. God's Word is truly all-sufficient as our guidebook in religious matters today. Furthermore, Christ, as the sole perfect Head of His Church (He reigns while being in heaven) is all-sufficient as the leader of the church universal! We know from God's word that there should be bishops (a plurality of) in local churches who rule over each individual congregation, but nothing like the hierarchial arrangement that Roman Catholicism endorses and practices. Please open your minds and Bibles as we continue this good study.

NEGATING THIS PROPOSITION
It is my job to negate the above proposition, as it is false. I can do this by showing one or more of its parts to be untrue. There are several things wrong in the proposition, some of which I will point out in this article. Please read carefully and examine the points I make along with the scriptures used to support my conclusions. Let every man and woman be fully persuaded in their own minds. Truth is not ambiguous. We both cannot be right on this matter. God is pleased when we study our differences in the proper spirit. It's the only way I know of wherein we might work at resolving the division that exists in the religious world today.

The "Holy Scriptures" are actually the 66 books of the Bible. These books constitute the Word of God, completely able to furnish the man of God to every good work (See 2 Timothy 3:16,17). Jerry will probably disagree with me on this, as he probably believes in a canon of at least 72 books and also believes that the "Pope" in the Roman Catholic Church, when speaking "ex cathedra", is also revealing new truths God would have mankind know. While such is not the main point in this Bible discussion, I did want to note the point of difference for our readers and truth seekers who will study this discussion. Jesus said to the apostles that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, would guide THEM into ALL truth (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13). Did He? I believe that Jesus told the truth and we now have the truth of God contained in the "perfect law of liberty" (James 1:25; 2:12), the 27 books of the New Testament (i.e. the new covenant by which we are to live our lives today. See Hebrews 9:11-17).

The "bishop of Rome" in the Roman Catholic Church is the "Pope" and that office and earthly role is not found in the Word of God! As such, the "Pope" is not authorized. God has already specified that the local churches have elders and deacons (Phillipians 1:1). This is the God-given arrangement of church government. Christ is the head of the universal church (Ephesians 5:23). There is no passage of scripture indicating any desire on the part of God for a "succession" of either apostles or any single earthly head of the church! I Peter 4:11 teaches that if any man speaks, he should speak as the oracles of God. Our Catholic friends, and we write this with tremendous love for their souls, simply do NOT speak as the inspired utterances of God when they have their Pope, their Cardinals, their Arch-Bishops, et al.

"Bishop" is a Bible term, but according to I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1 the "Pope" is NOT QUALIFIED to be a bishop (in the BIBLE sense of the word) for he is not married and has no children!

I Timothy 3:1-7 reads,

"1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."(KJV)

God's Word teaches in unmistakable language that "..a bishop then MUST BE...the HUSBAND OF ONE WIFE...one that ruleth well HIS OWN HOUSE, HAVING HIS CHILDREN IN SUBJECTION with all gravity..." (See verses 2 and 4 above) in Paul's inspired writing to Timothy above. Let's look at even more proof that the Pope is not truly qualified to be a bishop in a local church (much less over the church universal).

Titus 1:5-9 teaches,

"5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:
6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers."(KJV)

A scripturally qualified "bishop" (or "elder") in the Lord's church is one who meets ALL the qualifications, including being "..the husband of one wife…" and "...having faithful children…" (See verse 6 above). Could God have been plainer? A BISHOP "MUST BE"...it is mandatory that bishops be married and have faithful children! The Popes in the Catholic church have neither for they are not permitted to marry a woman. Such is in direct contrast to God's revealed Word on the subject of bishops.

Also, the careful Bible student will note that there were always a PLURALITY of elders, or bishops, in a local church and that their "rule" was limited to the flock which was "among them" (i.e. the local church where they were bishops, See Acts 20:28;I Peter 5:2). Such is NOT the case with the unscriptural arrangement the Roman Catholic Church has in place with its "Pope" being the earthly "head", as the "bishop of Rome" over a universal church!

Further, please note: Peter referred to himself as a fellowservant .... a fellow elder (I Peter 1:1; 5:1) but never called himself "the Vicar of Christ", ..."Reverend," ... "Father,"... or "the Pope." While "popes" accept worship, Peter refused to let men bow to worship him - (Acts 10:25,26 KJV) "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." While "popes" speak words that are traditions of men and bind them on their followers, Peter admonished all to speak "as the oracles of God" (I Peter 4:11). Peter pointed to Christ as the "chief shepherd" (I Peter 5:4) but the Pope himself claims to be the chief shepherd. Peter had a wife (Matthew 8:14) and, being an elder (I Peter 5:1), Peter had believing children (Titus 1:5,6) but the Pope has no wife - claiming to be married to the church.

The (singular) true head of the true church is Jesus Christ. There are NOT ~two heads~ over the church of our Lord! There is ONE body and ONE HEAD of that body! Remember, Christ was in heaven when His church was established and, as such, there is no need for an earthly "head" today (for there was none then). Peter is never mentioned in the Bible as "the earthly head of the Lord's church". In fact, Peter would teach, along with other inspired writers, that Jesus Christ is THE (singular) head of HIS CHURCH. This is in direct opposition to what my friend Jerry's position is in this Bible discussion.

While I cannot deny that the Roman Catholic Church teaches and its members believe that the Pope of Rome is an office over the church universal and is sanctioned by God since Apostolic times, I DENY that the office of "Pope" is sanctioned by God in the New Testament! Such is a departure from the "pattern" of organizational structure that God put in place in establishing the Lord's church, or body. In fact, the functioning unit of the local church is the individual Christian and local churches were autonomous in the New Testament. When some folks begin to put all their congregations "under" the authority of one bishop, call him "Pope", "Holy Father", "Sovereign One", "Reverend", etc. such is wrong in that it lacks SCRIPTURAL authority.

Ephesians 5:23 reads, "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body." Note the following argument based on this scripture. Paul spoke in this SCRIPTURE about husbands ON EARTH being the HEAD of their respective wives ON EARTH just as Christ IN HEAVEN was said to be the HEAD of the church ON EARTH! There is simply NO NEED, nor Bible authorization, for an EARTHLY HEAD.

The Roman Catholic Church teaches many things that are true. But, there are several erroneous doctrines held by that faith that are of eternal consequence. The Roman Catholic Church believes and teaches that it is the true church of our Lord, as started in Acts 2. Such is really not the case at all! The Lord's church that began in Acts 2 is the church of Christ and later some left, or departed from, "the faith" and began to teach and practice things for which there is no authority (I Timothy 4:1-4). This departure formalized into what we now know is the Roman Catholic Church.

In this study, we will concentrate on looking at the unauthorized office called the "Pope" in this apostate church. This being shown to be without God's approval, we should see the erroneous nature of the whole of Roman Catholicism. Colossians 3:17; 2 John 9; John 4:24; James 1:25; James 2:12; and I John 1:6-9 teach that we are to have Bible authorization for what we do and if we don't, we are not in fellowship with God. There is simply no God-given instruction to have a "pope" or "universal bishop" on earth in all of God's Holy Scripture! We call upon Jerry, who is in the affirmative, to PROVE from Scripture the authorization of this office of "Pope" or "universal bishop, earthly head over the church universal".

We can, however, read in UNINSPIRED literature, like the Catholic Encyclopedia, where this office of universal earthly bishop, or Pope, gradually took place over time, but we cannot read of it in God's Holy Word! Please note the following exerpt taken from the Catholic Encyclopedia section on the "Pope" at: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12260a.htm

"...The primacy of St. Peter and the perpetuity of that primacy in the Roman See are dogmatically defined in the canons attached to the first two chapters of the Constitution "Pastor Aeternus":

"If anyone shall say that Blessed Peter the Apostle was not constituted by Christ our Lord as chief of all the Apostles and the visible head of the whole Church militant: or that he did not receive directly and immediately from the same Lord Jesus Christ a primacy of true and proper jurisdiction, but one of honour only: let him be anathema."

"If any one shall say that it is not by the institution of Christ our Lord Himself or by divinely established right that Blessed Peter has perpetual successors in his primacy over the universal Church: OF (OR??? - mjw) that the Roman Pontiff is not the successor of Blessed Peter in this same primacy. -- let him be anathema" (Denzinger-Bannwart, "Enchiridion", nn. 1823, 1825)..."

What is sad is that the above written information quoted is NOT from God's Holy Scriptures, but rather from the pen of uninspired men!

Galatians 1:6-9 has something to say, an INSPIRED warning,

"6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." (KJV)

We look forward to reading wherein Jerry attempts to show FROM GOD'S HOLY SCRIPTURES what is asserted throughout Catholic writings. We appreciate so much our friend Jerry for taking up this attempt to justify the office of "Pope" from the Bible. But, dear readers, please keep your eyes and hearts on the Word of God. We will examine Jerry's passages of Scripture and see if they really teach what he and other good Catholics believe! Thanks for reading.

--END OF WARD'S FIRST NEGATIVE --

*************************

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE NEXT ARTICLE IN THIS STUDY

CLICK HERE TO GO BACK TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS STUDY

[Editor’s Note: We hope all readers will continue to study all Bible topics with open minds, willing to conform to God's Truth. Thanks for reading! - Mark J. Ward markjward@yahoo.com ]

Email the Editor at markjward@yahoo.com