Sorry for jumping in the conversation and barraging you with criticism, but like Dave said, it is to be expected because we do not share your beliefs.
Oh, no! Thank you for your comments.
I'll give you this. Jesus will keep his church as surely as he died, and Jesus was definitely talking about Peter. Your leap from the text to the doctrine of Papal Succession doesn't follow.
Okay. Let me approach this from yet another tack.
What was it that God was doing in the salvation plan? He was restoring all that was lost in the Garden when Adam fell. There are little "keys" in scripture which pointed me in this direction years ago. For instance:
[color:"0000FF"]Luke 3:38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the
son of God.[/color]
And then there is this:
[color:"0000FF"]1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.[/color]
I hope you see something fascinating here. Adam is called "the son of God" Can't tell you how many times I just missed that reading the geneology.
And then Jesus, the MAN, is called "the Last Adam".
WOW!!
Do you start to sense that God is connecting the dots here? The first man fails -- the Last man does not. And the death of the last man PAYS for the sin of the first man so that the program of God begun in the Garden can be regenerated. Death is defeated by death. A new man -- the Last Adam -- now takes the place of the first one who failed.
The Last Man is called by the first man's name. The first man is called by the Last Man's name. This is NOT an accident in scripture. God is pointing to something very important.
And WHAT was the role of Adam? He was the "federal head" (a term lovingly used around dese parts!! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> ) He was to be the head of manking ON EARTH.
God was still the head over all, wasn't He? The federal headship of Adam over mankind did in no way dimminish the headship of God over all Creation as its "covenantal head", right?
Do you see the parallel beginning to form now? Jesus is in Heaven, the covenantal head over all Creation. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. But by being so, this does not mean that there are not kings on earth with real authority. Their authority does not take away from His overall authority, indeed, they are expected to act out their authority in ultimate submission to His!!
Likewise, since Jesus is now in Heaven, there must be a covenantal (federal) head over the earthly and physical people of God in this life. That is the Holy Father. His headship simply follows that patter of federal headship over the people of God
ON EARTH But like kings and dominions here on earth, he as federal head of the Church is expected to rule and reign IN SUBJECTION TO THE KING OF KINGS!
You see, this was Adam's destiny, had he not failed. He would have been the ruler over earth (at least for as long as God left him here). God's intent was to always have a family on earth with a covenantal head over that family. A head who would teach, discipline, lead, and guide in love. That is the office which Adam
could have had and which the Holy Father holds now.
I hope that makes sense. Sometimes I ramble.
I'm not sure if you read my last post or not, but you are still referring to Protestantism as being united, when it's obvious that it isn't.
No, I'm saying that the scandal is that it is not. By your own self definition, which I have read numerous times, the Protestant Reformation was returning to the orginal teachings of Jesus the Christ and St. Paul, His apostle. Well, if that was true (which it obviously can't be) then there would be a united religion called Protestantism, right? See my point? The numerous schisms in Protestantism alone, [color:"FF0000"]each one of them claiming that their teachings are a return to the teaching of the Bible, and that the Holy Spirit guides them into "all truth" [/color] is a moot testimony that in fact the Reformation was NOT of the Holy Spirit.
I also don't see pagans giving any respect to the Catholics.
Are you talking about nowadays or in history? In history, the annals of the Church are filled with the praises of those Catholic missionaries who came to pagan lands and brought to them the worship of the true and living God.
Cordially in Christ,
Brother Ed
Ben
