Papal Validation of the Truth
TITLE: POPE GIVEN AUTHORITY TO INTERPRET THE TRUTH OF SCRIPTURE
Subtitle: Roman Catholic doctrine teaches that only the Pope has the final
authority to interpret the Holy Bible. What does the Bible say?
The following quote is from Paragraph 100 in the Catholic Catechism:
"The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted
solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the
bishops in communion with him."
Yes, that is Paragraph 100 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church; I'm
not
making this up. Now, it is not saying that the Pope is the only one who
does
research. The Catholic Church has many scholars who study and interpret
the
texts of the Catholic Cannon in their original languages. It is saying
that
the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, and the bishops under him validate the
correct
view of Scripture. So, if you are a good Catholic, you should have the
Catechism close by every time you read the Bible to guard you from forming
independent and I dare say, heretical ideas.
The Catechism is a good example of this validation. I don't know the exact
history of the production of the Catechism, but following is my best stab
at
what probably took place. Many scholars searched the traditions and codes
of
the Catholic tradition. They worked separately and together. They
conferenced and they toiled. They inserted certain words and struck
others.
They boiled down the theological system in a huge and time consuming
process. The Pope, the bishops, and many other card-carrying Catholic
clergy
reviewed the drafts and made suggestions. At last, the final draft was
presented to the Pope. He looked it over, made some last minute changes,
and
then put his stamp upon it. And that's the point; the Pope decides what
God
actually says in the Scripture for all Catholics.
Let's examine Paragraph 100 word by word to get the full idea of the
statement:
Interpreting: this is the process of explaining. In this statement, it
means
that the Pope explains the Bible for "the Church."
Word of God: the Catholic Cannon or roughly, the Bible plus some other
stuff. The Roman Catholic Church recognizes things as the Word of God that
the Protestants and Evangelicals would never. This partly explains why the
veneration of Mary has come about (but let's not get off the subject).
Authentically: to me, this is the million dollar word of the statement. It
is basically saying, "You can read the Bible for yourself, but you can
never
know its genuine meaning without consulting the Pope's interpretation."
This
thinking truly diminishes the importance of the Catholic to read his or
her
Bible. This thinking is illustrated by a story I heard from a lady in
Ireland. She believed on Christ alone through the witness of a missionary
church in Dublin, but she was afraid to leave "the Church" and become a
member of the Baptist church. Being fearful of joining an unknown group,
she
went to her priest concerning their practice and beliefs. The priest
responded, "Stay away from those Baptists -- they take the Bible
seriously."
The lady retorted, "Aren't we supposed to take the Bible seriously?"
Entrusted: this means that the Pope has been assigned with the duty of
explaining Scripture. We ask, "By who?" The answer is God. Catholic
doctrine
holds the Pope, as an apostle in the line of Peter, has been given power,
apostolic power, to explain what the Bible really means. The Pope's
God-given job is to tell us what the Bible means. I say, "Thanks, but no
thanks."
Solely: is the final word to focus on. It is saying that the Pope is the
only one with the authority or right to decide what truth is. Never has
such
power belonged to a mortal man. The Pope is entitled to his opinion, but
should he be the final word on the Word?
By my tone, you know that I disdain the idea of Papal authority over the
Scripture. The concept is wholly against the teaching of the New
Testament.
A simple place to look at this is an interesting account in the 17th
chapter
of Acts: "And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night
unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These
were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word
with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether
those
things were so" (vv.10-11). These folks were hearing the preaching of an
apostle and his assistant, but they did not just accept their teaching
without question. They took the Scriptures they had (the Old Testament),
and
checked the various prophecies for themselves. Luke, the writer of Acts
and
the fellow worker of the Apostle Paul, regarded this as "noble" behavior.
The Bereans were double-checking the teaching of Paul with the Word of
God.
In a "noble" fashion, they were deciding what truth was. Therefore, if the
Pope claims to be an Apostle, let us check his teachings with the
teachings
of the Bible. If he is an Apostle, his teaching would match up to the
testimony of Scripture.
Finally, let us look at some reasons why all Believers can look into the
Scriptures for themselves and discern truth.
1. The message of the Bible is clear and plain. We should not have to
worry
about any "secret code" which is only available to those in seminaries.
Psalm 19:7 says, "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the
testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple." The simple mind
can
understand, grow wise, and be changed by the clear teaching of Scripture.
2. All Believers are part of an ordained priesthood, equal in status with
each other, equal in status before God. No Christian should be considered
as
having the corner on truth or able to overrule the conscience of another.
We
are accountable to Christ alone, our High Priest and Shepherd (1 Peter
2:2,3,9; Rev. 5:10).
3. Every Believer in Christ has the Holy Spirit to help in the discernment
of what the Bible says. 1 Corinthians 2:14-15 teaches this: "But the
natural
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness
unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned.
But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of
no
man."
As Spirit-filled priests, we are able to see what God is saying in His
wonderful Book. No man should be able to claim sole authority to truth
unless that man is Jesus Christ, who is worthy to break open the
seven-sealed book at the end of time. The root of this error in Paragraph
100 is that the Pope is regarded as the head representative of Christ on
Earth and has been regarded as having the authority of Christ. Let us
wholeheatedly deny and condemn this Catholic teaching and read our Bibles
in
the power of the Holy Spirit.
If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, but have come to
realize
His reality and want to accept His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can also
do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you accept Him as Savior, you
are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were
already there. Then, you can rest assured that nothing will not hurt you
spiritually. You will also know the greatest heart peace that the greatest
God can give to one of His own children.
If you would like to become Born Again, and come to know this wonderful
heart peace, turn to our Salvation Page now.
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