It’s been said that there is more confusion about Acts 15 than almost any other chapter of the Bible. How are we to understand what was at issue? What was the actual decision reached, and how was it reached?
The important question for us is what are the implications for us as Christians in terms of obedience to God? In order to understand we must take a closer look at the historical and Scriptural background and at how the Church arrived at its decision.
The Roman Catholic Church and the Papacy have made extremely bold and audacious claims. The papacy has claimed authority to appoint kings or depose them, to grant salvation or to deny it.
Innocent III (1198-1216) claimed as pope that he was the “Vicar of Christ” and of God, and that he was “Supreme Sovereign over the Church and the World.” He claimed that “All things on earth and in heaven and in hell are subject to the Vicar of Christ.” (Halley’s Bible Handbook, p. 883).
Pope Nicholas I (858-67) declared: “We popes alone have the power to bind and to loose,” claiming that the judgment of a pope “alone is infallible” (cited, A Woman Rides the Beast, Dave Hunt, p. 85).
Pope Gregory VII (1073-85), “…declared that the power to ‘bind and loose’ granted by Christ to Peter gave the popes ‘the right to make and unmake kings, to construct and reconstruct governments, to wrest from those who disobeyed all the territory held by them, and to bestow it upon those who would hold it subject to papal authority'” (A Woman Rides the Beast, p. 233).
On what foundation do such bold claims rest? They rest on the proposition that Jesus Christ gave to Peter the power to “bind and loose,” and that power somehow was passed on to a supposed unbroken line of successors. The idea is that Peter was the first Bishop of Rome, and that he was the first Pope, and that his authority has been passed down to his successors as Bishops of Rome.
It would seem that anyone, especially those who are interested in following Jesus Christ, would want to carefully examine such claims, to test their legitimacy. Before turning over your hope of salvation to such claims, wouldn’t you want to know their validity? Let’s then examine the question: “Was Peter the First Pope?”
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Jesus said to Peter: “And I also say to you that you are Peter [petros], and on this rock [petra] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
This verse does not imply what some have assumed, that human authority, beginning with Peter, is at the foundation of the Church.
Continue readingThe New Testament makes some very strong claims about Jesus. That he was born of a virgin. That he worked many miracles. That he died by crucifixion, and was resurrected three days later. That he has the authority to forgive sins, and thus remove their penalty. That he was God in the flesh.
None of us has seen Jesus, but does that mean God wants us to have blind faith, faith without evidence? We’re told that Jesus offered convincing evidence to those who became apostles, commissioned to preach the gospel to the world. He did not expect them to believe he was who he said he was without evidence to back up his claims.
If we are to believe not by blind faith, but in accordance to supporting evidence available to us, what is the evidence? In this message, we discuss evidence available that the New Testament testimony concerning Jesus is a reliable foundation for faith in him as the Messiah promised in the prophesies of the Bible. This message, is part one of a two part series.
“Can You Believe What the Bible Says About Jesus? (Part 1),” presented by Rod Reynolds, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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The Bible warns us not to depart from the teachings of Jesus Christ and the apostles and prophets as recorded in Scripture. But also warns us of deceivers, teaching contrary to God’s word. Some of the claims and devices of various false teachers are exposed in this message, along with encouragement aimed at helping you remain faithful to the truth of God’s Word.
“Find and Remain in the True Church (Part 2),” by Rod Reynolds, COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.