Jesus Christ is the head of the church, not the Pope. (EPH 5:23) ...,even as Christ is the head of the church:.. .Jesus also taught his disciples not to use or accept flattering religious titles like "Father" (the word "Pope" means father), or "Master". (Math 23:8-10) "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
In (Math 16:15-18) Jesus asks Peter who he thought he was. Peter said "Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God." In verse 18 Jesus said, And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, (Petros, a piece of a rock) and upon this rock (Petra, a massive rock) I will build my church;..." What rock? Not Peter, but what Peter just proclaimed, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. None of the disciples thought the church was to be built upon Peter, because two chapters later they asked who was the greatest? (Math. 18:1). Peter said in (Acts 4:11-12) "This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." It say's in (1Cor. 3:11) "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ". Peter declares that stone to be Jesus in (1Pet 2:4-8).
What about Paul? In (2Cor. 12:11) ...for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I am nothing. If Peter was the Supreme Pontiff, then wouldn't Paul have been somewhat behind him? When someone tried to bow before Peter he said in (Act 10-26) ...stand up; I myself also am a man". Paul even gave Peter a rebuke "because he was to be blamed" (Gal 2:11) This couldn't be if Peter was considered a infallible Pope. Paul was the apostle to the gentiles and Rome is a gentile city Paul preached there but the Bible doesn't mention Peter ever going there even once.
1. Peter was married. The fact that Peter was a married man does not harmonize with the Catholic position that a pope is to be unmarried. The Scriptures tell us that Peter's wife's mother was healed of a fever (Matt. 8:14). Of course there couldn't be a "Peter's wife's mother" if Peter didn't have a wife! Even years later, Paul made a statement which shows the apostles had wives-including Cephas (1Cor. 9:5). Cephas was Peter's Aramaic name (John 1:42).
2. Peter would not allow men to bow down to him. When Peter came into his house, "Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself am a man". (Acts 10:25, 26). This was quite different form what a pope might have said, for men do bow before the pope.
3. Peter did not place tradition on a level with the word of God. To the contrary, Peter had little faith in "traditions from your fathers" (1 Peter 1:18).
4. Peter was not the Pope, for he wore no crown. Peter explained that "when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away"(1 Pet 5:4). Since Christ has not yet appeared again, the crown that the Pope wears is not one bestowed upon him by Christ.
WHAT ABOUT THE SAINTS & IDOLS?
What does it take to be a saint? According to the Bible, all true Christians are saints, even those that lack spiritual maturity. When Paul wrote to the Christians at Ephesus, Philippi, Corinth, and Rome, he addressed them "to the saints". In all cases the letters to "the saints" were written to living people, not to those already dead. So if we desire the prayers of the saints, we should contact living people, not those already dead. If we try to commune with people that have died it is called necromancy. Here is how God feels about this subject. (DEUT 18:10-12) "There shall not be found among you anyone that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all they that do these things are an abomination unto" the LORD:...Tell me why should we pray and pay homage to anyone other then the Lord? (LUKE 4:8) "...Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (EXO 20:4-5) "Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God..." This is the second commandment of Gods ten. Why has the Roman Catholic church thrown this important law out? Nobody but God has that right, and he did not give that right to anyone not even the Pope! If you bow down to a statue of a saint or Mary or even of Jesus, who gets the glory? Where is the worship being received? Don't let Satan deceive you , to take your sight off the only true God and his Word.
(Act 17:29) "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device." (DEUT 4:16) "Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female," (1JOHN 5:21) "Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." (1COR 10:7) "Neither be ye idolaters..." (1COR 10:14) "Wherefor, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry." (1COR 12:2) "Ye know that ye were gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led." For more information you can read 1 COR 6:9, ACT 7:39-42 & 17:16, ROM 1:23, 1 PET 4:3, REV 2:14, 9:20, 21:8 & 22:15. GAL 6:7
Are any of you out there bowing down to dumb idols? Lighting candles before them? Praying to them? If you will turn and repent, the Lord is faithful to forgive, and he won't ask you to say fifty hail Mary's. No amount of work can cover your sin's, only the blood of Christ. One last warning, please read what (REV 21:8) has to say about idolaters. The nation of Israel was punished over and over again for idolatry. God made it very clear in his Word how he felt about this practice, and we know God does not change (MAL 3:6). I guess the big question to ask yourself is," Do I hold to ungodly practices which God will judge, to keep my Church, Family, traditions, job, life style, ect? I know many of you don't look at those statues as idols. They are just a representation. But God is very clear
THE CATHOLIC MASS, TRUTH OR ERROR?
The Roman Catholic church teaches that the wafer and the wine physically turn into the body and blood of Christ, and each time the mass is said, it renews Christ's sacrifice. Each time they say the mass and renew Christ's sacrifice, they claim it adds more merit that can count towards their salvation. When mass is said for the dead, it is supposed to reduce the amount of time they are to suffer in purgatory. To offer up Christ again and again as a renewal of the sacrifice on the cross is contrary to what Gods word has to say about this matter, and infers that his sacrifice on the cross that one time, was insufficient. (HEB 10:10-12 & 14) By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
(HEB 9:28) "so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many;" It does not say Christ was offered over and over again. When Jesus said "It is finished" That is what he meant. In spite of these words, there are those who believe the sacrifice of the cross should be continually renewed in the mass. Christ never once told his disciples to offer his body again, but he told them to partake in "remembrance" of him. Christs sacrifice was finished perfectly and permanently at Calvary.
WINE & BREAD / FLESH & BLOOD?
(MATH 26:26-29) "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, take, eat, this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, drink ye all of it; For it is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Fathers kingdom."
Christ's statements are figurative. The bread and wine are symbols of his body and blood, to be taken in the same light as when the Bible call Jesus the "door," the "vine," and the "rock". When Jesus was talking about the bread and wine being his body and blood, he was standing before his disciples in his body, holding up the bread and wine so that it was clear "This is my body" was to be understood symbolically. After he stated that the bread was his body, later he called it bread again three more times, which he certainly would not have done if it had laterally become his body. The same is true with the wine. After he had blessed the cup he continued to call it the fruit of the vine. Take the time and check this out for yourselves. What could be more important? For Jesus to have his disciples to drink blood would have been contrary to his word, for we are not to drink blood. GEN 9:4, LEV 17:12, 19:26, DEUT 12:16, 12:23, EZK 33:25 ect. This also proves that his words were symbolic, because Jesus would never contradict himself. When Jesus changed the water into wine, it was a real change that was evident. When he healed the lame, blind,ect. Jesus and his Apostles showed the power of God to perform the miraculous. When that Roman Catholic priest say's he has the power of transubstantiation, I ask them to show the evidence, biblical or physical. Nobody has the power to pull Christ down and sacrifice him again, bloody or unbloody. Read the top of this page again if you don't understand. Many people are caught in bondage to this false system of worship for fear of losing access to the mass.
DID MARY REMAIN A PERPETUAL VIRGIN?
(MATT 1:25) "And he knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus." The words till and firstborn are self explanatory. To say that Mary remained a virgin all of her life infers that she did not obey God's will for a married woman. (MATT 19:5-6) "And said, for this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. Also read EPH 5:31-32. (MATT 13:55-56) "Is not this the carpenters son? Is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us?..." They named his family by name except his sisters. There is a difference between his brothers and his disciples. In (JOHN 2:12) "After this he went down to ca-per'-na-um, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days."
ARE WE TO PRAY TO, OR WORSHIP MARY?
In (Luke 4:8) Jesus answers this quite well. "...Get thee behind me Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." Paul stated in (1Tim2:5-6) "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;"(John 14:6) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me".
When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray he told them to start by saying our Father which art in heaven. Not Hail Mary. Concerning those repetitious Hail Mary prayers, Jesus said in (MATT 6:7) "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." While Mary was a godly and virtuous woman, and a vessel of the Lord, she was only human and therefore was in need of a savior. She plainly admitted this when she said in (LUKE 1:47) "And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior." "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."(ROM 3:23) This would also include Mary, the only exception being the Lord Christ Jesus. We find that after the birth of Christ she needed to go to the temple and offer a sacrifice for her purification Luke 2:22-24.
SAVED BY WORKS OR BY FAITH?
Most Catholics are taught they are saved by faith, works, and the sacraments. If you are saved by works it cannot be by faith and if by faith then salvation can't be obtained by works. You then either save yourselves through works or else God saves you by faith. It must be one or the other, it can't be both. (EPH 2:8-9) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (TITUS 3:5) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost; (EPH 3:27) Where is the boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay: but by the law of faith." Well, do you understand? If not read HEBREWS chapter 11. Paul said in (ROM 4:6) "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works." What kind of vain effort can a man do to save his soul? Long prayers, counting beads and long pilgrimages will not save you. If you have any righteousness at all it's all in Christ Jesus. Let me say this, it is true that faith without works is dead, but you see works will always follow true faith. Faith produces works. The works come because you are saved, not in order to be saved. Good works are produced because of the nature of the new creature. (2COR 5:17) "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new." Jesus is your savior by faith in the finished work, paid in full on the cross.
ROMES DEPARTURE FROM THE TRUTH
Prayers for the dead, introduced in 310 A.D.
The lighting of candles in 320 A.D.
Sunday decreed as day of worship in place of seventh by Constantine 321 A.D.
The veneration of Angels and dead saints began around 375 A.D.
The use of images in worship 375 A.D.
The Mass celebration was adopted in 394 A.D.
Exaltation of Mary and term "Mother of God" applied by the Council of Ephesus 431 A.D.
The birth of Christ set as Dec, 25th instead of birth of pagans Sun-god around 450 A.D.
Priests begin to assume distinctive robes in 500 A.D.
Extreme unction started in 526 A.D.
Doctrine of purgatory was introduced by Gregory 1 in 593 A.D.
Worship in Latin (since repealed) was mandated in 600 A.D.
The claim of Papal Supremacy took a firm hold in 606 A.D.
The custom of kissing the Pope's foot started in 709 A.D.
The worship of the cross, images and relics was authorized in 786 A.D.
The Druid festival of the dead instituted as All Saints Day around 850 A.D.
The invention of Holy Water began around 850 A.D.
The canonization of saints was formalized in 993 A.D.
The baptism of bells, instituted by Pope John XIII in 965 A.D.
The canonization of dead Saints is first done by Pope John XV in 995 A.D.
Fasting on Fridays and during lent begins in 998 A.D.
Feasts for the dead were introduced in 1003 A.D.
Celibacy of the priesthood was declared by Pope Gregory II in 1074 A.D.
Papal infallibility was announced in 1076 A.D. & at Vatican I in 1870 A.D.
Prayer beads were introduced in 1090 A.D.
The sales of indulgences began in 1190 A.D.
The wafer was substituted for the loaf in 1200 A.D.
The dogma of transubstantiation was proclaimed by Pope Innocent III in 1215 A.D.
Confession of sins to a priest instead of GOD, instituted in the Latern Council 1215 A.D.
The adoration of the wafer decreed by Pope Honorius III in 1220 A.D.
Laymen forbidden to have or read the bible decreed by Council of Valencia 1229 A.D.
The Ava Maria was introduced in 1316 A.D. And made official in 1508 A.D.
The cup of communion, forbidden to laymen. The Council of Constance 1414 A.D.
Purgatory was officially proclaimed a dogma in the council of Florence 1439 A.D.
Tradition placed on the same level as Scripture by the Council of Trent 1545 A.D.
The immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, announced by Pope Pius IX, 1854 A.D.
The personal corporeal presence of the Virgin Mary in heaven. Pope Pius XII in 1950 A.D.
Mary proclaimed to be the Mother of God by Pope Paul VI 1965 A.D.
