Rod Reynolds explains the importance of the blessing of truth, and what truth is. Though rare in today’s world, God wants everyone to have it, and he will see that in due time the world is confronted with this blessing on a universal scale.
Tag Archives: word of God
Was Peter the First Pope?
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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Purity of Heart
The pure of heart will see God (Matthew 5:8). But our hearts are by nature corrupted by the leaven of sin (Romans 7:14; 8:7). The Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures the removal of the spiritual leaven that corrupts us, so we can have pure hearts. How is that accomplished? How can you have a pure heart, so you can see God?
God’s Wisdom or the World’s?
The Bibles instructs us, “…incline your ear to wisdom…” (Proverbs 2:2). But how does one define wisdom? What is the source of true wisdom? Commonly, wisdom is sought in human philosophy, in sources like ancient philosophers such as Plato, and others, along with more recent philosophers. Or it may be sought in the opinions of scholars, religious leaders, historians, scientists, educators, or even politicians. Or maybe whatever ideas happen to be popular at any given moment. The world has its wisdom.
We’re told that God “stores up sound wisdom for the upright” (Proverbs 2:7). But the world’s wisdom is often at odds with the wisdom of God as recorded in Scripture. Often the scholars and “wise” of the world ridicule the Scriptures, and assign them to realm of myth and fable. In many ways the wisdom of the world and God’s wisdom cannot be reconciled. “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (I Corinthians 3:19).
As Christians, how then should we approach learning and knowledge, making judgments and decisions about life? In this message Rod Reynolds discusses some key principles to guide us in evaluating what may be called “wisdom,” or learning or knowledge.
“God’s Wisdom or the World’s?” a message by Rod Reynolds, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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Feeding the Sheep
What did Christ mean when he told Peter to feed his sheep? (John 21:15-18). Did this assignment apply only to Peter, or are there others charged with the responsibility of feeding God’s sheep? How does this apply in the Church? How are the “sheep,” as they are described in this analogy, to respond to what they are being fed? How might it apply in a broader sense to others not in the Church of God? Do you share in the responsibility to feed God’s sheep? And if so, how?
“Feeding the Sheep” audio recording by Rod Reynolds, COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.