CATHOLIC APOLOGISTS ABUSE JOHN 16:13

 

“Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.” (John 16:13)

What exactly did Jesus mean when He said the Holy Spirit would guide His audience “into all truth”?  Is He talking about the truth found in science, logic or math?  Is He referring to the great mysteries of space and the universe? 

No, He is speaking of spiritual and eternal truths, i.e., the things of God, morality and how He expects one to live.  But someone could say that everything that God knows is the truth, so does this mean that the Holy Spirit is going to show us all things that God Himself knows?  Of course not.  There is no person or group of people that could possibly contain all the spiritual knowledge that God possesses.  So, “guide you into all truth” simply means that the Holy Spirit will give you all the truth that you need in a particular circumstance, for example: 

“And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: for the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.” (Luke 12:11-12)

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:26)

He will give you all the wisdom and direction you need and bring that which is necessary to the believer’s remembrance.  The meaning of John 16:13 is that simple.

Catholic Apologists vs. the Catholic Catechism

But there are many attempts today by Catholic apologists to use this particular verse to buttress the concept of the supposed infallibility of the Catholic Church.  They will say the Holy Spirit, through the promise of Jesus, will give Peter and the apostles (and by extension, the Catholic Church) the authority to teach infallibly and to never be able to teach error or false doctrine when “officially” addressing and teaching the whole church.  They believe that the term “guide you into all truth” applies to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and offers a “negative charism,” i.e., an infallible gift of protection from error.  In this way, the “chair of Peter” would always fail to promote false doctrine.  

But this passage does not at all support this idea of infallibility for the Church or the popes.  In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that Jesus’ words (“guide you into all truth”) do not only apply to the Magisterium, but also to individuals:

“All the faithful share in understanding and handing on revealed truth.  They have received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, who instructs them and guides them into all truth.” (CCC #91 – emphasis added)

This paragraph from the Catechism contains a footnote specifically pointing to John 16:13, so there is no doubt that it is speaking of this passage.  Therefore, the Catechism is teaching that this applies to “all the faithful” individuals in the Church.

So, what does this mean?  It means that if Catholic apologists want to claim that Jesus’ words (“guide you into all truth”) offer special protection from error for the Magisterium, they must also believe that the individual believer is specially protected from error in the same way.  And I know they don’t want to say that!

But you can’t have it both ways.  It either provides infallible protection from error for both the Church leadership AND for the individual, or it is for neither.  I will assert it is for neither.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: In Scripture, there is no guarantee of infallibility for anyone in the post-apostolic church. 

So, what is this “all truth” that Jesus was speaking of in this passage?  How exactly will the Holy Spirit guide us?  He tells us clearly in the very next chapter of John:

“Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth.” (John 17:17)

God tells us in no uncertain terms, and He tells us throughout the Bible that truth lives in His Word – Scripture (e.g., see Psalm 119).

First Example

Is it really true that Catholic apologists claim that John 16:13 means that the (Catholic) Church is infallible?  For anyone who may deny this, I would like to offer a few examples.  For the first, see this article written by Jason Evert on the Catholic Answers website:

https://www.bing.com/search?q=catholic%20answers%2C%20john%2016%3A13%2C%20infallibility&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&lq=0&pq=catholic%20answers%2C%20john%2016%3A13%2C%20infallibility&sc=0-43&sk=&cvid=68F12749BE6440778C7EE5D7A52959E7

In this write-up, Evert has a short paragraph in which John 16:13 is pressed into service in an attempt to affirm the idea of the infallibility of the Catholic Church.  He says:

“The early Christians knew that they could turn to the apostolic teaching of the Church as a norm for the truth.” 

Ok, so far, so good.  Apostolic teaching is indeed a norm for the truth, but we must make sure that what we are talking about is indeed apostolic teaching.  And we determine that by looking to Scripture.

He then says, “For whoever heard the Church heard Christ (Luke 10:16), and Christ cannot teach error.”

Again, when Catholic apologists use the term “the Church,” it is almost always used to mean specifically the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.  But this is simply reading into the context of Scripture an idea that isn’t there. 

Furthermore, the reference to Luke 10:16 is forced here.  In this verse, Jesus is addressing the seventy-two disciples whom He had sent out ahead of Himself to preach the gospel (the good news) to the surrounding towns and cities.  They were sent out as ambassadors of Christ, preaching truth.  So, whoever “heard” these ambassadors were, in effect, “hearing Christ” because these preachers were faithfully sharing His message.  So, if you want to apply Luke 10:16 to your church, you’d better make sure that your message is indeed His message.  But unfortunately, not every teaching that the Catholic Church promotes is what Jesus says.

Getting back to Jason’s quote, it is certainly true that “Christ cannot teach error.”  But to equate Jesus’ infallibility with the Catholic Church (or ANY church) is ridiculous and is usurping Jesus’ authority.  Jesus shares His infallibility with no one but the other two members of the Trinity.  The only time He has shared it with man is when He stirred them to write Scripture, which is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

Evert then says:

“So the question should not be ‘where is infallibility in the Bible,’ but where in the Bible is the idea that Christ’s Church would teach error?”

No, Jason, I’m sorry, but you guys are the ones making the positive assertion that not only is the Catholic Church infallible, but that this information can be found, at least partially, in the Bible.  So it is up to YOU to prove your assertion and you certainly didn’t do that in your article.

Also, concerning the church teaching error, it is true that the gates of Hell will not prevail against the true church (Matthew 16:18).  Catholics use this verse all the time to point to infallibility.  But this has nothing at all to do with church leaders being exempt from teaching error.  The sad truth is that Hell will indeed prevail against MANY who claim to be part of the church (Matthew 7:21-23).  But it will not prevail over those who trust in (and keep the words of) Jesus.  

Furthermore, note that the apostle Paul sternly warned the Ephesian elders/leaders to “keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock,” and that some “from among your own selves” would draw disciples away with false teaching (Acts 20:28-30). 

That doesn’t sound like a guarantee that the church leadership has a promise to avoid false teaching.  Why would they need to “keep watch” if they had no possibility of error?  The bottom line is there is no gift of infallibility for the post-apostolic church – showing that no one is safe if he deviates from God’s Word.  This demonstrates that Catholic apologists are abusing John 16:13 and it does not prove their case.

Second Example

In the “Question Corner” of the Catholic Courier (November 7, 2013) a Catholic priest named Kenneth Doyle answers a discerning patron who is asking about infallible teachings of the Church.  Doyle points out that the doctrine of infallibility is “founded on Christ’s promise to the apostles that He would send the Holy Spirit, ‘who will guide you to all truth’ (John 16:13).”

See the question here:

https://catholiccourier.com/articles/what-teachings-are-declared-infallible/

So, again, we see a Catholic leader try to use John 16:13 as support for the Church’s so-called infallibility.  He then says:

“That secure sense of protection from error on fundamental teachings was part of the early history of the church and is reflected in St. Augustine’s fifth-century statement, ‘Rome has spoken; the case is concluded.’”

Concerning the Church’s “secure sense of protection from error,” see this article on the “Rome has spoken” quote by Doyle, which is so often abused by Catholics, and is thoroughly debunked here:

Catholic Legends And How They Get Started: An Example (Sermon 131) - Alpha and Omega Ministries

Just saying that the verse refers to infallibility does not make it so.  Again, the Catholic Church has a false sense of protection from error when they try to use John 16:13 to teach papal infallibility.

Third Example

In an article written by Kevin Noles at the Catholic 365 Website, Noles mentions John 14:16-17 together with John 16:13 to promote Catholic infallibility.  He says:

“It is clear in these two passages that there is a promise of infallibility… Since the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity this makes the Holy Spirit’s teaching necessarily infallible.”

Yes, the Holy Spirit’s teaching is indeed infallible – no argument there.  But Catholic apologists are greatly distorting that promise to be led into truth and are usurping that promise to refer to only one institution/organization – to themselves – rather than to all true believers.  There is nothing in the context of John 16:13 about either infallibility or about a particular church.

Simply mentioning the two verses he noted and saying “it is clear” that they include a promise of infallibility does not magically keep the Catholic Church from error.

Once again, skewed interpretations of the Bible do not prove an infallible post-apostolic church.  These apologists are guilty of eisegesis, that is, they are just reading that idea back into Scripture.  But a faithful look at the whole of Scripture will demonstrate their error.

More Examples

Catholic Online website:

https://www.catholic.org/news/hf/faith/story.php?id=42151

Catholic Share website:

https://www.catholicshare.com/what-is-papal-infallibility-and-when-does-it-apply/

Catholic Stand website:

https://catholicstand.com/doesnt-church-just-infallibly-interpret-every-verse-scripture/

Archdiocese of Boston website:

https://www.bostoncatholic.org/papal-infallibility

Catholic Company website:

https://www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/catholics-believe-everything-the-pope-says/

You get the idea.  This is just a small sampling of Catholic sources on the internet who wrongly tie papal infallibility to John 16:13.  It was my purpose here to focus specifically on this one passage and to show the world that these Catholic apologists, whether intentionally or not, are deceiving their audience.

Conclusion

I know that Catholics have a number of other Bible verses and other arguments for Church infallibility, but in order to avoid a multitude of links, I will not list them here, but there are also plenty articles in this blog that deal with the Catholic Church’s claim of infallibility.  You can type the words “infallible” or “infallibility” in the search bar in the upper left corner of the blog to see some of the Protestant arguments.

The consistent abuse of John 16:13 by many Catholic apologists to “prove” papal infallibility/Church infallibility is either dishonest or attempted by poorly informed Catholics.  Either way, it does not help the image of the Catholic Church, but rather weakens it.

THE “INFALLIBLE CHURCH” DECEPTION (Part 2)

Last month, we mainly dealt with 1 Timothy 3:15, which speaks of the church of Jesus Christ being the pillar and ground of the truth, and we addressed how the Catholic Church wrongly interprets this passage.  See Part 1 here:

https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-infallible-church-deception-part-1.html

This is just one passage that the Catholic Church uses to attempt to claim infallibility for itself.  But they also use a few other passages, like Ephesians 1:22-23 together with Colossians 2:9-10 to assert their infallibility and we will talk about these today.

Confusion of Terms

Let’s read the Ephesians 1 passage first.  The author of this epistle (the apostle Paul) says:

v. 22 – And [God] hath put all things under his [Jesus’] feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 

v. 23 – Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Ok, so we have here a passage saying that the Father has put all things under Jesus’ feet (that is, under His control) and He appointed Jesus as Head over all things, including the church.  Then Paul says that the church is the “body of Christ” and it is the “fullness of Christ.”  Catholics will also tie this in to Colossians 2:

v. 9 – For in Him [Jesus] dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily

v. 10 – and ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power [or, “which is over every ruler and authority” - NASV].

And somehow, they take this to mean that the Church therefore has infallibility.

This is the logic of at least one popular Catholic apologist, John Martignoni, in his newsletter, “Apologetics for the Masses” #352.  This particular newsletter is, for the most part, about the “infallibility” of the Catholic Church and Martignoni goes on to reason this way:

1) The church is the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23)

2) Jesus Christ is the Head of that body (Ephesians 1:22-23)

3) Jesus is also the Head of all rule and authority (Colossians 2:10)

4) Therefore, the Church IS all rule and authority (which gives them infallibility)!

See the article here:

https://www.biblechristiansociety.com/newsletter/466-apologetics-for-the-masses-352-problems-with-protestantism-1

But this logic is utterly ridiculous.  This is like saying that a business owner has/owns two separate shops in two different places.  One is a bait shop and the other is a flower shop.  But it would be absolutely wrong to assume that the two shops are one and the same just because he is the owner/head of both.  It just doesn’t follow. 

Headship over multiple things does not make all of (or even any of) those things equal.  God is Head over the animal world on earth just as He is Head over all the galaxies in space, but they are certainly not the same in any sense.  Likewise, Jesus is the Head over the church, and He is also Head over all rule and authority, but that in no way makes these two things equal.

There is nothing in these verses about infallibility for the church, either explicitly or implicitly.  It is amazing the length that Catholic apologists will go to in their desperation to exalt Mother Church!

Is the Church Christ?

Catholic apologist Tim Staples, writing for Catholic Answers, tells us:

“In Ephesians 1:22-23, Paul tells us that the Church is Christ, extended in this world” (Emphasis in original).  See here:

https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/mary-saves

No, I’m sorry, but Paul is not telling us that the church is Christ. 

Maybe Staples is just meaning that Jesus is giving us authority to spread the gospel truth.  That would be true.  Perhaps he means that the church is an extension of Christ’s will, behavior, character, etc.  Maybe he’s saying that the church is closely related to Christ.  These are all true.

But then again, maybe he is saying that the (Catholic) Church IS actually Christ or that the Church has become Christ, as it states in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC #795).  And of course, this would bolster their concept of Church infallibility, but this is certainly not biblical. 

See this article:

https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2017/05/can-we-become-christ.html

The Fullness of Christ

At any rate, the Catholic Church makes much of the phrase concerning the Church being “the fullness of Christ.”  But in what sense is the body (the church) the fullness of Christ?  What does that even mean?

Just as Jesus (the Son) is the full and true expression of the Father in Heaven (John 14:9), the church (when it is functioning correctly and properly responding to God’s Word) is also the full and true expression of Christ on earth. 

As I mentioned in Part 1 of this series, Jesus (the Head) is indeed infallible, but the body (the church) is not, since it is not always functioning correctly and not always properly responding to God’s Word.  Even when members of the church are indeed functioning as God wants them to, it is still not infallible.  So, being the “fullness of Christ” has nothing to do with church infallibility in the contexts of Ephesians 1 and Colossians 2.

A “Concrete Application”?

Another passage that the Catholic Church uses to try and bolster their claims of infallibility is Acts 15:1-31.  This is about the very first church council (the Jerusalem Council), which involved the question of the Law of Moses and justification (i.e., “Must a person follow the Mosaic Law in order to be saved?” Acts 15:1, 5).  Catholics will claim that this debate in the Jerusalem Council is a prime example and a “concrete application” of the need for an infallible church. 

I beg to differ.

Catholics want to compare this Jerusalem Council in the very early church to the modern Catholic Church’s councils and their operations (and claims).  Catholics are claiming that we must have an infallible church today to be able to interpret Scripture correctly and to provide the world with true and authoritative doctrine with certainty, just like they did in Jerusalem.  Catholics will say that the Jerusalem Council is the example to follow for the church today.  Furthermore, they’ll emphasize that the Holy Spirit agreed with the decision of the Council (Acts 15:28), so if the Holy Spirit agreed, then it must have been an infallible decision, right?

No, although the early church described in Acts 15 could indeed claim to have a certain level of infallibility, it was only an infallible decision because there were APOSTLES present in this Council (v. 7, 12, 13).  In other words, the church in that day was still receiving new divine revelation from God, and this was only because apostles and prophets were still around then, who enjoyed at least some measure of infallibility.   

But we don’t have apostles and prophets today who operate in the same capacity as they did back then in the early church.  Furthermore, why should the Holy Spirit’s agreement with that specific church council prove the concept of church infallibility for today?  The Holy Spirit “agrees” with anyone who proclaims biblical principles, but that doesn’t imply infallibility for that person or group in the post-apostolic church.  Again, the difference is the Holy Spirit working through apostles and prophets in the early church.

As I said, the post-apostolic church does not have the benefit of receiving new divine revelation like the early church did.  Even the Catechism of the Catholic Church would agree with me on that (CCC #66).

So, the Jerusalem Council simply does not prove the need for an infallible church today.  The only infallible source of truth we have today is the Holy Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16-17), so there is no need for infallible Tradition, nor for an infallible Magisterium.  Interestingly, the Catholic Magisterium only claims to be infallible on very rare occasions, but Scripture is infallible ALL the time.

Conclusion

There are more passages that the Catholic Church would call upon to attempt to demonstrate that their Church is infallible.  We’ve only covered a few of the main ones here.  Of course, we haven’t forgotten Matthew 16, which is probably their main argument.  But this chapter has been dealt with elsewhere on this blog.  See here:

https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/search?q=matthew+16

https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2016/09/ 

https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2016/08/

 Other passages might include John 21:15-17, where Jesus asks Peter to “feed My sheep.”  But feeding His sheep applies to all pastors, not just Peter.  Not a word about infallibility here.

They also refer to Matthew 18, concerning “binding and loosing,” but that topic is covered in the Matthew 16 links just above.

There is also Luke 22:31-32, where Jesus prays for Peter’s faith.  Jesus did this because He knew that Peter would be weak in his trial and end up denying Him.  But Jesus intercedes for all of us, myself included, but that certainly does not make me infallible.

They sometimes also use John 16:13 to say that “… when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth.”  That is true, but is there any one person or group who actually, literally, possesses “all truth”?  No, that’s not what the verse is saying: Jesus is telling us that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will give you all the truth you NEED for any particular occasion.  I think it is safe to say that God has never given any single human being “all truth,” i.e., every bit of truth in Heaven and earth in human history.  Not even the Bride of Christ, the whole church collectively, has this level of knowledge, but only the Trinity.

I’m sure that there are other passages that I haven’t mentioned, but I believe that what we have shared is sufficient to show that, according to Scripture, the concept of an “infallible church” is truly a deception, a mere figment of the Catholic Church’s imagination.

 

JOHN MARTIGNONI AND “DECAPITATING” JESUS

In a fairly recent newsletter (#352 of his “Apologetics for the Masses”) put out by Catholic John Martignoni of the Bible Christian Society, he again brings up the topic of infallibility when he says that “…no one – absolutely no one! – in Protestantism can make an authoritative interpretation of Scripture that is binding on anyone else, because each and any interpretation, being fallible, could be wrong.”   And because of this, he says that Protestantism is a “free-for-all.”  See the newsletter here:

https://www.biblechristiansociety.com/newsletter/466-apologetics-for-the-masses-352-problems-with-protestantism-1

It is interesting that John says that any fallible interpretation could be wrong, yet, in this very same newsletter, he tells us what John 1:16-17 “very clearly states.”  Now, I agree with John Martignoni concerning what John 1:16-17 states, but we have to ask, has this verse been “infallibly interpreted” by the Catholic Church?  No, it hasn’t.  So how can John know that his interpretation of this verse is “authoritative” or even correct?  After all, as John himself said, if it hasn’t been infallibly interpreted by the Church, then it could be wrong, right?  But by telling us what this verse “very clearly states,” he’s using his fallible interpretation of this passage to make it “binding” on everyone.

You see, John is trying to play both sides.  He knows that many Bible verses are absolutely clear for both Protestants and Catholics, alike.  He is enjoying the freedom to fallibly interpret Scripture according to what it plainly says without worrying about his interpretation being wrong.  But he doesn’t want Protestants to be able to do the same thing.  He’s concerned about the “problem” of fallible interpretations for Protestants, yet it’s not a problem when he fallibly interprets a verse.  

He does the same thing with a couple of other passages right after this (Colossians 1:19 and Colossians 2:9-10) and says that these are also clear to both Catholics and Protestants.  Again, he doesn’t seem to care that the verses he mentions are fallibly interpreted by him.  I suspect that the real reason that Catholic apologists push infallibility is to protect those very few “infallibly defined” uniquely Catholic interpretations of certain passages that falsely exalt the Catholic Church. 

Anyway, we’ve already dealt with this issue of Protestants lacking infallibility when we addressed some of John’s other articles.  For example, see here:

https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2015/10/martignoni-and-authority-to-interpret.html

https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2015/11/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html

But in this more recent newsletter (#352), John has added a unique accusation against Protestants… he accuses us of “decapitating” Jesus.

He says that we Protestants are “pitting the Bible against the Church.”  And he claims that Protestants say 1) that “we can’t trust what a church tells us,” 2) that “you don’t need the church as long as you’ve got the Bible,” and 3) “the church isn’t necessary for one’s salvation.”  John accuses us of “separating the Church from Jesus,” thus cutting the Head (Jesus) off the body (the church).   

   

First of all, I believe that very few knowledgeable Protestants would say these things using the biblical definition of “the church,” and they would certainly need to qualify these statements.

One problem is, when Catholics mention “the church,” they are often thinking of the Magisterium, or the leadership of the Catholic Church, specifically.  But there is absolutely no biblical reason to describe the church this way.

But John Martignoni then quotes Ephesians 1:22-23, which says that the body (the church) is the “fullness of Jesus Christ.”  Then he strings this verse together with Colossians 2:9-10, which tells us that Jesus is Head over “all rule and authority.”  But John’s logic gets twisted here and leads him to believe that the church itself is somehow “all rule and authority!”  But it doesn’t say that about the church. 

His logic here says, 1) “Jesus is the Head over the church,” and 2) “Jesus is the Head over all rule and authority.”  Therefore, the church is “all rule and authority!” 

But that would be like saying, 1) God is Head over the planet Mars, and 2) God is Head over the planet Neptune.  Therefore, Neptune is the same thing as Mars!  It just doesn’t follow.  But it does show their desperation to exalt the authority of the Catholic Church.  We can’t let John get away with this.  If he wants to be recognized as a credible and trustworthy apologist, he can’t be using this kind of logic.

Then John claims that this concept is “further strengthened” by Matthew 18:15-18 where Jesus speaks of “binding authority” in the church. 

Therefore, he concludes that all this, taken together, means that the church must enjoy “infallibility” and “freedom from error” in its judgments.  But that is a giant illogical and unbiblical step to take.

When the apostle Paul says that the church is the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23), he is saying that the church, the universal body of believers, in its best light, is the fullness of the expression of Christ.  It cannot mean that the church is infallible, as John Martignoni says, because Ephesians 3:19 also speaks of “fullness” (using the exact same Greek word):

“… that you may be filled up to all the fullness [“pleroma”] of God.” [NASV]

If this “fullness” means “infallibility” in Ephesians 1:22-23, then it also means “infallibility” in Ephesians 3:19, as well.  But in Ephesians 3, it was speaking directly to the members of the church of Ephesus.  So does this mean that all the members of the Ephesian church were infallible, also?  Someone might point out that it applies to all Christians, by extension, not just to the Ephesians.  Ok, if that’s true, then by John Martignoni’s reasoning, it would mean that all Christians world-wide are infallible.  But does John Martignoni want to say this?  I seriously doubt that.

So there is no infallibility in the New Testament church (after the apostles).  The Protestants that John Martignoni complains about are simply reacting (possibly over-reacting) to Catholics’ unbiblical over-emphasis of the authority of the church.  There is a balance here.  Yes, the church is indeed made up of God’s people, but Protestants honor the Bible more than the church because Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  It is the very message of God to mankind.  It is the infallible standard and guide by which the church should live. 

  

And finally, there is no “decapitation” on the part of Protestants.  Putting the church in its proper biblical role is not “decapitating Jesus.”  Christ and the church are intertwined, but not on the same level.  The Head (Jesus) doesn’t need the church in order for Him to exist, but the church needs Him.  It is almost as if some Catholic apologists try to make the church [read “Catholic Magisterium”] equal to Jesus.

MATTHEW 16 - HAVE THE GATES OF HELL PREVAILED?

Matthew 16

v. 13) When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His Disciples, saying, “Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?”

v. 14) And they said, “Some say that you are John the Baptist: some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the Prophets.”

v. 15) He said unto them, “But whom say you that I am?”

v. 16) And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

v. 17) And Jesus answered and said unto him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood have not revealed it unto you, by My Father which is in Heaven.”

v. 18) And I say also unto you, “That you are Peter and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.”

v. 19) “And I will give unto you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.”

Introduction

This will be the first article in a series dealing with Matthew 16.  This wonderful passage above contains great encouragement for the church of Jesus Christ.  However, the Catholic Church claims that this passage  is “proof” that they are the church that Jesus has established from the beginning.  Here, they believe that Christ singled out Peter the apostle and made him the first of many popes.  They also see in this passage a special gift given to Peter alone, and they believe this somehow points specifically to the Catholic Church.  They derive some of their foundational doctrines by misreading these verses.  But these Catholic doctrines are founded on shifting sand (Matthew 7:24-27).

The Tactic

When someone accuses the Catholic Church of teaching false doctrine, the Catholic will often say, “Oh, no!  If the Catholic church would fall into error, then this would mean that Jesus’ words to Peter (“the gates of hell will not prevail against it”) would be false.  You wouldn’t want to call Jesus a liar, would you?!!  Therefore, the Catholic church cannot possibly teach error.  It is indefectible.  It is infallible.”

Or so they say.

The Gift of Indefectibility?

In last month’s article, we mentioned that the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia stated:

“The gift of indefectibility is expressly promised to the Church by Christ, in the words in which He declares that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” 

Well, the Catholic Church is not indefectible by any means, and this supposed gift of indefectibility was not at all “expressly promised” to them, or to anyone else, for that matter.  This is a misinterpretation of the passage.  See this article:

http://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-indefectible-church.html

The Gift of Infallibility?

And neither is the church infallible.  “Infallible” means, in part, that one cannot teach error.  Since Peter was an apostle and since he wrote two infallible books of Scripture (1 and 2 Peter), he did have access to infallibility when teaching or writing under the inspiration of God.  But there is nothing whatsoever in the above passage that would suggest that Peter’s successors would be infallible or teach infallibly.  The Catholic Church reads into this passage a special privilege for themselves that no one else can claim.  After all, according to them, they are the true church of Jesus Christ.  But every article on this blog is a testimony to the fact that the Catholic Church is NOT the church that Jesus Christ built.

The Gates of Hell Will Not Prevail

Jesus promised the true church that the gates of hell would not prevail against it.  There are several arguments over what exactly this means, but basically, we know that Jesus is saying that the true church will endure to the end and succeed in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and His saving work on the cross, and winning souls, keeping those souls from going to hell.  This is how the gates of hell will not prevail.  It has nothing to do with a particular group “never teaching error.”

Error in the Church

Again, the Catholic Church believes that this is a “can’t-teach-error” passage, and that it only applies to THEM.  But if “hell prevailing” means that error was taught, then hell did indeed prevail, because there were all sorts of error in the early church.  That’s the very reason why the great majority of the epistles in the New Testament were written in the first place.  They were written to correct FALSE TEACHING within the church!  Although the church did not experience a complete apostasy, error was present in different degrees and at different times, even in the early church.  See these examples:  Acts 20:17, 28-30; Galatians 3:1-3; 2 Thess. 2:3, 10-11; 1 Tim. 4:1-2; 2 Tim. 4:3-4;  2 Pet. 2:1; Jude 3-4; Revelation chapters 2 and 3.

Therefore, Matthew 16:18 must have a different meaning than what they think it means.  It is not about an office of a “pope” with successors who could not possibly teach error.  It is not about indefectibility or infallibility for a particular denomination.  It is about the gospel, the good news of the salvation of Jesus Christ, the True Messiah, Who is the head of the church, and Whose gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16).  THIS is the foundation on which the church is built, and it has nothing to do with Catholicism.

Qualifiers

Yet, the Catholic Church continues to teach that this passage is about an infallible church.  But they will “qualify” (limit or restrict) the scope of this “gift of infallibility” by saying things like, “But this ONLY applies to OFFICIAL teachings of the Church.  For example, the Catholic Church’s gift of infallibility only applies when the pope is making an official pronouncement; and it’s got to be directed to the whole Church.  It’s not just when a pope offers his opinion or some unofficial comments about a teaching, nor for ‘disciplinary decisions,’ but it has to be when he is formally declaring something.  Furthermore, it is only a ‘negative protection’ for the Church.  This means that although the pope doesn’t necessarily always teach what he needs to teach, this gift simply prevents him from teaching error as truth, so it’s only used in a negative sense.”

But this is all special pleading.  The Catholic Church conveniently tailors this “gift” with ridiculous qualifiers to suit the needs (and ego) of the Church.  There is so much read into these verses that the original meaning of the passage is unrecognizable!  Their interpretation of the passage is a fantasy… and it is a perversion of the Scriptures.

And using “supporting” verses like 1 Timothy 3:15 (“the church is the pillar and foundation of truth”) doesn’t help, either.  Here, Paul’s instruction to Timothy was basically, “You need to be a pillar,” not “You are guaranteed to be an infallible pillar.”  See here:

http://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/search?q=pillar

And they also try to support their interpretation of Matthew 16 with verses like Luke 10:16 (“he that hears you hears Me”), but this was spoken by Jesus to the seventy, not to the apostles.  So, when ANY believer shares the truth of the gospel, Jesus is saying to that believer, “He that hears you hears Me.”  So, these verses do not at all support the Catholic Church’s twisting of Matthew 16 and their claim of an infallible papacy.

Conclusion

Two things we know for sure:  1) “The gates of hell have not prevailed against the church” is a true statement, but NOT for the same reason that the Catholic Church says.  It is not because the church cannot teach error.  It is because of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) of spreading the gospel, which is the power of Jesus Christ for every believer.  And 2) The Catholic Church is NOT exempt from error, even in its official statements.  There are far too many contradictions between what the Bible says and what they teach.

We will continue addressing Matthew 16 and the Catholic Church’s view of it in our next article.