WHAT DID JESUS CHRIST TEACH?
When the Lutherans and Calvinists came together in Geneva at the time of the Reformation to discuss a common approach to the Bible which was inspired by the Holy Spirit, despite a great deal of prayer and mediation they found they could to come to any common agreement as to the things of Scripture, so they parted and went their own ways following their own version of what Jesus taught. There are now around 25,000 Christian sects in contradiction and following the truth. They would deny they are following their own version of Scripture but each would insist that they are not following anyone elses version of scripture but inspired by the Spirit they are following Jesus Christ. This of course is very unhelpful to anyone who is seeking the Gospel as Jesus Christ taught.
So where can we find the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not by anyone thumping their breast and claiming "follow me" Consider this, that for the first four hundred years there was no Bible books to call the Word of God. But there was a Church which fought to preserve that truth and triumphed always over those who would change it. That Church was the Catholic Church with its centre in Rome and on the Rock of Peter. Had there been no Rock then the Church would never have survived.
Yet this truth of a true Church is found in scripture. In Matthew 16 Jesus came to Caesarea Phllip and asked the disciples "Who do men say that I am" There were many answers but Simon , the brother of Andrew, said "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God". Jesus replied "Blessed are you Simon, son of Johan, for flesh and blood have not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven and I say to you, you are a rock and upon this rock I will build my Church" If we examine this we can see that it was at this point that Simon was called Peter and he was not called Peter because he had worked anything out but because God had revealed who Jesus was to him. So neither was it a matter of Faith. Here we have probably the first infallible statement from a Pope. All sorts of translation games are played on whether he used Petra, a little rock, or the Greek Petros a rock of any size, but the question of Infallible leadership comes with the next phrase "And I will give you the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, so that whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven, whatever you bind upon earth will be bound in Heaven.
The Kings of Isarel would go off to war leaving their kingdom for months perhaps years, and they would give the Keys to the Royal Household, the power to Govern in their name to an appointed representative, who could bind and loose, who could make laws and dissolve laws. So the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven Meant that Peter had the Power of Leadership in that way in the absence of Jesus.. He, and his successors, could Govern the Church. It is really very simple this Papal Infallibility thing. If you are looking for what Jesus taught you just come to the Catholic Church for they are guided by heaven to loose (teach) what heaven wants them to loose, and bind what heaven wants them to bind. And it is not the evidence of flesh and blood prophets but the Father in Heaven who reveals matters of Fatih and Morals to His Church. Those outside the Church are guided with love and insight according to their love of Jesus, but those within who on commenting on this passage of Scripture speak only of the Faith of Peter, which is not mentioned at all in the narrative, are not following the Jesus of the Gospels but their own Gospel. Standing for Christ and his Truth is not triumphalist, it is acknowledging the Church Jesus founded.
So where can we find the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not by anyone thumping their breast and claiming "follow me" Consider this, that for the first four hundred years there was no Bible books to call the Word of God. But there was a Church which fought to preserve that truth and triumphed always over those who would change it. That Church was the Catholic Church with its centre in Rome and on the Rock of Peter. Had there been no Rock then the Church would never have survived.
Yet this truth of a true Church is found in scripture. In Matthew 16 Jesus came to Caesarea Phllip and asked the disciples "Who do men say that I am" There were many answers but Simon , the brother of Andrew, said "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God". Jesus replied "Blessed are you Simon, son of Johan, for flesh and blood have not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven and I say to you, you are a rock and upon this rock I will build my Church" If we examine this we can see that it was at this point that Simon was called Peter and he was not called Peter because he had worked anything out but because God had revealed who Jesus was to him. So neither was it a matter of Faith. Here we have probably the first infallible statement from a Pope. All sorts of translation games are played on whether he used Petra, a little rock, or the Greek Petros a rock of any size, but the question of Infallible leadership comes with the next phrase "And I will give you the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, so that whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven, whatever you bind upon earth will be bound in Heaven.
The Kings of Isarel would go off to war leaving their kingdom for months perhaps years, and they would give the Keys to the Royal Household, the power to Govern in their name to an appointed representative, who could bind and loose, who could make laws and dissolve laws. So the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven Meant that Peter had the Power of Leadership in that way in the absence of Jesus.. He, and his successors, could Govern the Church. It is really very simple this Papal Infallibility thing. If you are looking for what Jesus taught you just come to the Catholic Church for they are guided by heaven to loose (teach) what heaven wants them to loose, and bind what heaven wants them to bind. And it is not the evidence of flesh and blood prophets but the Father in Heaven who reveals matters of Fatih and Morals to His Church. Those outside the Church are guided with love and insight according to their love of Jesus, but those within who on commenting on this passage of Scripture speak only of the Faith of Peter, which is not mentioned at all in the narrative, are not following the Jesus of the Gospels but their own Gospel. Standing for Christ and his Truth is not triumphalist, it is acknowledging the Church Jesus founded.
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