The Catholic Church teaches that the apostle Peter was the first pope of the church. On page 254 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we read: “The Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the ‘rock’ of the Church. He gave him the keys his Church and instituted him shepherd of the whole flock.” There are four major arguments used by the Catholic Church in an attempt to prove that Peter was the first pope. Let’s examine three of them in this article.
All three arguments come from a discussion Jesus had with apostles at the foot of Mount Hermon. Jesus had asked them about the opinions that man had of Him. All of them were wrong. He, then, turns the conversation to the apostles.
“He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:15-19).
The first argument used to affirm that Peter was the first pope is that the church was built upon Peter. This is taught because the name “Peter” means rock. This is how the Catholics read Jesus’ words in Matthew 16:18. “And I say also unto thee, That thou art rock, and upon this rock I will build my church.” If the English language was all that we had to make the determination, we might conclude this. However, the New Testament was originally written in the Greek language. In the Greek language, the words “Peter” and “rock” are different words. Here’s what is said in the Greek New Testament. “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Petros, and upon this petra I will build my church. The word “petros” means a piece of a rock or a pebble. The word “petra,” on the other hand, means a mass of rock or a huge bedrock stone. The church was not built on a piece of a rock or a pebble. It was built on a bedrock foundation of stone. That foundation was the confession that Peter had just made. The church is built upon Jesus Christ the Son of the living God. In I Corinthians 3:11, we read: “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Even Peter himself teaches us that Jesus is the rock upon which the church is built. “Wherefore also it is contained in Scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed” (I Pet. 2:6-8).
The second argument set forth to prove Peter was the first pope involves the keys that were given to him. Jesus told Peter: “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven…” It is noted by Catholics that only Peter was given the keys of the kingdom. Thus, they believe that he had power the others did not have. The question that must be asked, however, is: “What is the purpose of keys?” If a person has a key, he has the ability to unlock something. It was Peter who was given the privilege of unlocking the doors to the kingdom to both the Jews and the Gentiles. In Acts 2, Peter’s peaching is the focus of that day. “But Peter standing up with the eleven…” (v. 14). “…and they said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles…” (v. 37). It was Peter who answered the question: “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). Some three thousand obeyed his words (Acts 2:41). That day, they were added by the Lord to the church (Acts 2:47). Jews were now part of the kingdom of heaven because of Peter’s answer.
Later in the history of the church, the door of the church was opened to the Gentiles. It was Peter who took the gospel to the household of Cornelius. Cornelius was told by the angel of God: “And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter” (Acts 10:5). It was Peter who received the vision of clean and unclean animals (Acts 10:9-16). It was Peter who was told by the Spirit to go with the men who had been sent by Cornelius (Acts 10:19-20). It was Peter who preached to the Gentiles (Acts 10:34-43). It was Peter who witnessed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the household of Cornelius (Acts 10:44-46). It was Peter who commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord (Acts 10:47-48). Having the keys of the kingdom only made Peter the initial doorman who opened the doors of the church to both the Jews and the Gentiles.
The final argument regarding Peter’s position as pope found in Matthew 16, is found in these words: “…and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” It is alleged by the Catholic Church that Peter was the only apostle given the power to bind and loose. This, however, is not the case. In Matthew 18:18, this power is delegated to all of the apostles. Jesus said: “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” All twelve of the apostles were the Lord’s chosen ambassadors. Their authority to reveal the precious will of God is what enabled them to be part of the foundation of the temple of God, the church. Listen to Paul’s words to the church at Ephesus: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together growth unto a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph. 2:19-21). The church was not built on the foundation of just one apostle. It was built upon all of the apostles.