: MAIN
: STATEMENT OF FAITH
: ABOUT THE EDITOR
: THEOLOGY ARTICLES
: FAQ
: BIBLE MESSAGES
: BIBLE STUDY
: TORAH READINGS
: HEBREW/GREEK FONTS

: PRODUCTS (OIM)
   : Books
   : Commentaries
   : eBooks
: SUPPORT (OIM)
: THEOLOGICAL
RESOURCES

POSTED 01 SEPTEMBER, 2000

Questionable Authority

by J.K. McKee
editor@tnnonline.net

For centuries, the Roman Catholic Church had been the epicenter of European politics, economics, and social structure. Although most of modern-day Europe has become atheist or agnostic, the Church still has a large influence over both it and the world. When one considers that the Roman Catholic Church is probably both the world’s richest and most influential organization, with over 1 billion constituents, it should pose some concern, especially in light of current events and for those of us who study end-time prophecy.

What is the true nature of Roman Catholicism? Is the pope truly the “vicar of Christ” on Earth? Why are many Catholics proposing unity with Protestants and tolerance of those of “other faiths”? How do these phenomena play into any end-time scenario? These and other questions are some that have greatly intrigued those who study end-time prophecy.

Build or Strengthen?

Generally speaking, many in Protestant Christianity are not aware of how Roman Catholicism began. The Roman Catholic position has always been that the Church started through a divinely appointed line of popes, beginning with the Apostle Peter. This position is Scripturally supported in Catholicism with Yeshua saying “upon this rock I will build My church.” Quoted from The New American Bible, a Roman Catholic translation, Matthew 16:17-19 reads,

“Jesus said to him…‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’”

Suffice it to say, this is a very controversial passage of Scripture as far as Protestants are concerned. Did “the Church” begin with the Apostle Peter? What did our Lord mean when He said that He would build it upon “this rock”? Perhaps the answers can be found when we delve into the original text.

The Greek verb used in Matthew 16:18 for “build” is oikodomeō (oikodomew). According to Thayer, oikodomeō can mean, “to build (up from the foundation),” “to restore by building, to rebuild, repair,” and “to promote in Christian wisdom, affection, grace, virtue, holiness, blessedness” (Thayer).[1] When examining the original word translated in English as “build,” one should wonder, was the Messiah speaking of something new or something already existent? Was His job to build or create something new—or was it to repair and strengthen something already in existence—to lead it to growth, wisdom, and further piety as this scholarly definition suggests?

Furthermore, the word translated “church” consistently throughout the Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament) and in Matthew 16:18, ekklēsia (ekklhsia), itself can mean “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place; an assembly” (Thayer),[2] which includes both Believers and non-Believers alike. Ekklēsia is also used in the Septuagint, or ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, in reference to the assembly of the people of Israel to translate the Hebrew word qahal (lhq). So again, the key question remains: Is “the Church” (Catholic or otherwise) a new phenomenon? Or was something that was strengthened on Himself, the true Rock? If the ekklēsia (“church”) is not a new phenomenon, then what does this do to so-called Roman Catholic authority? Specifically, what was Yeshua telling Peter in Matthew 16:18-19?

“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven”

The Messiah told Peter that on Himself the community of faith would be strengthened. Peter, the foremost of the Disciples, would be given the authority to bind and loose, a Hebraism meaning to restrict or to permit, by implication to loosen or strengthen restrictions.[3] This is exactly what happened with the first non-Jewish Believers in Acts 15, as Scriptural regulations were relaxed for unique needs of the assembly. However, according to Roman Catholic theology, the “keys” of Heaven belong to the pope.[4] The critical question that continues to remain for both Protestants and Catholics is this: Is “the Church” a new phenomenon? If so, then is Catholicism’s papal claim Biblically valid? But if not, then whose authority is the pope acting upon?[5]

Click here to read the full article "Questionable Authority"

J.K. McKee (B.A., University of Oklahoma; M.A., Asbury Theological Seminary) is the editor of TNN Online (www.tnnonline.net) and is a Messianic apologist. He is a 2009 recipient of the Zondervan Biblical Languages Award for Greek. He is author of numerous books, dealing with a wide range of topics that are important for today’s Messianic Believers. He has also written many articles on theological issues, and is presently focusing his attention on Messianic commentaries of various books of the Bible.

NOTES

[1] Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003), 440.

[2] Ibid., pp 195-196.

[3] Consult the article “Binding and Loosing” by Raymond F. Collins, in David Noel Freedman, ed. et. al., Anchor Bible Dictionary, 6 vols. (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 1:744.

[4] The “keys of Heaven,” supposedly belonging to the pope, are displayed on the Vatican flag.

[5] Please note that we fully reject the concept that “the Church” and Israel are separate entities of “elect,” but rather that the true “church” or assembly/congregation began at Mount Sinai and born again Believers become a part of Israel when they attain salvation in Messiah Yeshua. Consult the editor’s article “When Did ‘the Church’ Begin?” for a further discussion.