The latest catechism of the Roman Catholic church (1994) contains the doctrines of the church which all Catholics are to believe and follow. Catholicism teaches that the Roman Catholic church is the one true church of God and salvation is only granted to those who are members of the Catholic church. Catholics believe Jesus Christ set up his church on earth through the Apostle Peter based on the Scriptures in Matthew 16:15-19. Since the Catholic church claims Peter as their first Pope they claim the divine mandate falls to the Roman Catholic church alone as the way to eternal life.
When I previously discussed Bible interpretation I stated it’s not a good idea to pull out a verse or verses of Scripture and use that as the basis for establishing doctrine. Even more so when those verses are ambiguous and the exact meaning is not clear. I also mentioned that Bible doctrine is usually very clear and repeated many times to make sure we get it. You should always use Scripture to interpret Scripture because God will invariably explain himself in other parts of the Bible which will then help interpret the ambiguous verse. The Catholic church didn’t do that here. They found the verse that fit their narrative and locked onto it without verifying it with other Scriptures. In the verses referenced above Jesus is speaking to his disciple Peter and Jesus asked him who he thought he was. Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Catholics base their authority as the only church of God solely on Jesus’ response in Matthew 16:18.
Matthew 16:18 – (Jesus speaking) – And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it.
It’s unclear in this verse if the rock Jesus is referring to is Peter or the knowledge that Jesus is the Christ and Son of the living God. Nowhere else in the Bible is Peter identified as the sole conduit through which Jesus will establish his church on earth. However, there are numerous Bible verses that establish Jesus as the eternal rock of our salvation as Christ, the Son of God. When you use Scripture to interpret Scripture it’s easy to see Jesus was referring to the belief in him as the Son of God as the key to eternal life and overcoming the forces of darkness.
The message of the entire Bible is about the coming of Jesus Christ to redeem mankind from their sins through faith in him. The Bible is not about a church set up by human beings who will then decide who gets to go to heaven while God is placed in a supporting role. That’s absurd! When you have the choice of going to heaven through the devices of a human being (Peter and all the Popes who follow him) or by listening to and following the commands of God himself the wise man should choose God. Choosing God will lead you to heaven while following man will lead you to straight to hell.