The Chair of Saint Peter

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The Chair of Saint Peter (The Popes Chair)
The Imperial Crown Symbol of Popes 3-fold
authority Universal Pastor Universal
Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Temporal Power
The Popes letter is the most weighty authority
in the church (Cardinal James Gibbons)
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Paul warned the saints of an upcoming apostasy in
2Thes. 28-12 1Tim. 41-6
the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord
Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth
and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9 The
coming of the lawless one will be in accordance
with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of
counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10 and
in every sort of evil that deceives those who are
perishing. They perish be-cause they refused to
love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this
reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that
they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will
be condemned who have not believed the truth but
have delighted in wickedness.
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Paul warned the saints of an upcoming apostasy in
2Thes. 28-12 1Tim. 41-6
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some
will abandon the faith and follow deceiving
spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such
teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose
consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.
3 They forbid people to marry and order them to
abstain from certain foods, which God created to
be received with thanksgiving by those who
believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything
God created is good, and nothing is to be
rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5
because it is consecrated by the word of God and
prayer. If you put these instructions before the
brethren, you will be a good minister of Christ
Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of
the good doctrine which you have followed.
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Paul warned the saints of an upcoming apostasy in
2Thes. 28-12 1Tim. 41-6
Paul was writing about things already beginning
to happen, but we see the pre-diction fulfilled
completely in the centuries following.
Lets briefly trace some major steps of apostasy
by noting major times, persons, Principles and
decrees that are clearly traceable through
history.
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-- Watching Apostasy Happen In History --
ORIGEN 185-254
His contribution to the apostasy was his
allegorical method of interpreting the
Scriptures. His scorn for the literal sense of
the text knows no bounds. (DeFaye, Origen and
His Work, 49)
His allegorical interpretation is ingenious, but
often runs away from the text and degenerates
into the merest caprice while at other times he
gives way to a carnal literalism, by which he
justifies his ascetic extravagances.
(Schaff, II, 792)
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-- Watching Apostasy Happen In History --
Gets credit for crystallizing the doctrine of
the church as it was developing into the Roman
Catholic Church.
AUGUSTINE 354-430
He taught the absolute authority of the church
i.e., that the Scriptures are subordinate to the
decisions of the church I would not believe the
gospel, if I were not compelled by the authority
of the universal church. (Schaff, III, 613)
He taught that the church leaders were
responsible for preserving truth, so that the
authority of church doctrine rested in the
bishops. Cf. Jude 3
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-- Watching Apostasy Happen In History --
Gets credit for crystallizing the doctrine of
the church as it was developing into the Roman
Catholic Church.
AUGUSTINE 354-430
He taught the absolute authority of the church
i.e., that the Scriptures are subordinate to
the decisions of the church I would not believe
the Gospel, if I were not compelled by the
authority of the universal church. (Schaff,
III, 613)
He taught that the church leaders were
responsible for preserving truth, so that the
authority of church doctrine rested in the
bishops. Cf. Jude 3
Jude 3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to
write to you about the salvation we share, I
felt I had to write and urge you to contend for
the faith that was once for all entrusted to the
saints.
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-- Watching Apostasy Happen In History --
Gets credit for crystallizing the doctrine of
the church as it was developing into the Roman
Catholic Church.
AUGUSTINE 354-430
He taught the absolute authority of the church
i.e., that the Scriptures are subordinate to
the decisions of the church I would not believe
the Gospel, if I were not compelled by the
authority of the universal church. (Schaff,
III, 613)
He taught that the church leaders were
responsible for preserving truth, so that the
authority of church doctrine rested in the
bishops. Cf. Jude 3
The Scripture are not necessary for salvation
And thus a man who is resting upon faith, hope
and love, and who keeps a firm hold upon these,
does not need the Scriptures except for the
purpose of instructing others.
He opened the door for the authority of human
traditions. By his under- mining the authority
of the Scriptures and putting them beneath the
decisions of bishops, the traditions of those
bishops were at least equal in authority with
the Scriptures of God.
He believed that every person must be in the
Church. He went to the ex- treme of claiming
that if one would not enter the Church willingly,
the civil state must force him to come in.
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-- Watching Apostasy Happen In History --
THOMAS AQUINAS 1225-1274
As Augustine demanded that one be in the Church,
Thomas demanded that one be subject to the
Pope. He was the first to state the position
It is also shown that to be subject to the Roman
pontiff is essential to salvation. (Adolph
Harnack, History of Dogma, VI, 122)
He defended the death penalty for heretics
Leaning back upon Augustine and his
interpretation of compel them to come in, he
declaredthat heretics deservedto be excluded
from the earth by judicial death. (Schaff, V,
part I, 518)
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-- Watching Apostasy Happen In History --
COUNCIL OF TRENT 1543-1563
The Protestant Reformation forced the Roman
Church to make a clear statement of the doctrines
and laws of the Church this was the purpose of
this council. The result was that traditions now
became binding on all Men, as seen in this
section of their decree, The Profession of the
Tridentine Faith
seeing clearly that this truth and discipline
are contained in the written books, and the
unwritten traditions which, received by the
Apostles from the mouth of Christ himself, or
from the Apostles themselves, the Holy Ghost
dictating, have come down even unto us,
transmitted as it were from hand to hand (the
Synod) following the examples of the orthodox
Fathers, receives and venerates with an equal
affection of piety and reverence, all the books
both of the Old and of the New Testamentseeing
that one God is the author of bothas also the
said traditions, as well those pertaining to
faith as to morals, as having been dictated,
either by Christs own word of mouth, or by the
Holy Ghost, and preserved in the Catholic Church
by a continuous succession. (Schaff, Creeds of
Christendom, II, 80)
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The Roman Catholics had pushed the authority of
the Scriptures even lower than before. The order
now
The Church
Traditions of the Fathers
The Scriptures
In reality Gods Scriptures now take last place,
because if any set of mens rules or opinions are
made equal with His Scriptures, then they must
take last place simply because they are no longer
regarded as Gods complete only guide in
spiritual matters. They are seen as incomplete
and, therefore, imperfect.
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-- Watching Apostasy Happen In History --
The climax of the centuries of gradual apostasy
came in 1870. Pauls prediction reached its full
bloom in
THE VATICAN COUNCIL 1870
Therefore carefully adhering to the tradition
received from the beginning of the Christian
faith, for the glory of God our Saviour, the
exaltation of the Catholic religion, and the
salvation of Christian people, the sacred Council
approving, we teach and define that it is a dogma
divinely revealed that the Roman Pontiff, when
he speaks ex cathedra, that is, when in discharge
of the office of pastor and doctor of all
Christians by virtue of his supreme Apostolic
authority, he defines a doctrine regarding faith
or morals to be held by the universal Church, by
the divine assistance promised tohim in blessed
Peter, is possessed of that infallibility with
which the divine Redeemer willed that his Church
should be endowed for defining doctrine regarding
faith or morals and that therefore such
definitions of the Roman Pontiff are irreformable
of themselves, and not from the consent of the
Church. (Schaff, Creeds, II, 270-1)
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-- We conclude with this quote from --
CARDINAL JAMES GIBBONS 9TH Archbishop of
Baltimore, 1877-1921
Now the Scripture is the great depository of the
Word of God. Therefore, the Church is the
divinely appointed Custodian and Interpreter of
the Bible That God never intended the Bible to
be the Christians rule of faith, independently
of the living authority of the Church, will be
the subject of this chapter. (Gibbons, Faith of
Our Fathers, 77)
We must, therefore, conclude that the Scriptures
alone cannot be a suffi- cient guide and rule of
faith because they cannot, at any time, be
within the reach of every inquirer because they
are not of themselves clear and intelligible
even in matters of the highest importance, and
because they do not contain all the truths
necessary for salvation A Popes letter is
the most weighty authority in the Church.
(Ibid., 89-90, 93)
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This is what the Bible says about its authority
and sufficiency
The Gospel revealed in it is Gods only power
to save Romans 116
It is Gods wisdom, revealing the deep things
of Godso, a divine source not subject to
mistake 1Corinthians 26-16
Both Old/New Testaments are inspired by Gods
own Spirit 1Peter 19-12 2Peter 120-21
The Scriptures are complete, perfect, thorough
2Timothy 316-17
In its revelation of Jesus, the Gospel gives all
that is neededall that pertains to life and
godliness 2Peter 13
It revealed Gods wisdom once, for all time
Jude 3
That revealed wisdom is understandable by all
who read itis both complete and intelligible
to the common man Ephesians 31-6
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-- Watching Apostasy Happen In History --
ORIGEN 185-254
AUGUSTINE 354-430
THOMAS AQUINAS 1225-1274
COUNCIL OF TRENT 1543-1563
THE VATICAN COUNCIL 1870
CARDINAL JAMES GIBBONS 9TH Archbishop of
Baltimore, 1877-1921
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-- Watching Apostasy Happen In History --
God gave us His complete, perfect, intelligible
revelation to guide us to salvation through Jesus
Christ. Since then, men put it aside to replace
it with their own authority and traditions,
building a religious organization and world power
that the Bible knows nothing about, except in
Pauls prediction that it would come, through
hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been
seared as with a hot iron, 1 Timothy 42. So
weve seen how the religious world went from the
perfect, complete revelation God gave us, to
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The Chair of Saint Peter (The Popes Chair)
The Imperial Crown Symbol of Popes 3-fold
authority Universal Pastor Universal
Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Temporal Power
T H I S
The Popes letter is the most weighty authority
in the church (Cardinal James Gibbons)
-- to be continued next week --