Actually Peary I understand quite a bit about the Catholic Church. Fortunately I happen to know quite a bit more about the Bible.
First of all it is not the Popes job to be head over Gods Church It is Jesusâ and he does it quite well without help from the Pope. The stewardship you are referring to is given to the local church Pastor not a universal church Pope. Titus 1:6&7 Discusses such pastoral stewardship
âIf any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;â Which by the way states the qualifications for the Steward to be married. Yet another contradiction between the Catholic church and the Word of God as this steward must also be married. Second if you think the Pope is not being worshiped by yourself and other Catholics then maybe you should look up the definition of worship.
(1. Honor; respect; civil deference. 2. obsequious or submissive respect. 3. To adore; to pay divine honors to; to reverence with supreme respect and veneration. 4. To respect; to honor; to treat with civil reverence. 5. 3. To honor with extravagant love and extreme submission 6. To perform acts of adoration.) As you can plainly see these very acts as defined in the Websters 1828 Dictionary takes place every day in the presence of and directed towards the Pope. Thirdly the Catholic church did not give us the Bible. As a matter of fact the Catholic church did everything in its power to keep it from being translated. Even to the point of making Martyrs of anyone attempting to do so making your theory that the Catholic Church gave us the bible a fallacy.
Fourthly I beg to differ with you about your point of view of the Priesthood. Even more importantly the Bible disagrees with you as well. In addition the catholic terms you mentioned âsacrament of confirmationâ âsacred chrismâ, âsacrament of holy ordersâ, and âChrist in the Eucharisticâ cannot be found in scripture therefore cannot be used to prove biblical and doctrinal truth. This theory you have that a physical man is in someway ordained to be a go between or a priest for Christians is refuted in the book of Hebrews, and particularly in the following verses. *Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people", Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.". * While we are talking about the book Hebrews I challenge all Catholics to read this book. By doing this they will discover that the very practice you have mentioned were fulfilled in Christ. That the practice of a human priest being in someway privy to intercede between God and man. Also the practice you have mentioned of turning a cookie into the body and fermented (which always represents sin in the Bible) wine into the blood of Christ is heresy and goes completely against the Bible. When Jesus said it is finished on the cross he meant if is finished" To practice any thing else goes completely against scripture and contradicts Heb 10:10 âBy the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.â Notice once, not twice, not perpetually, (Heb 10:1 âFor the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.â) but once. You see what you are doing is what used to be practiced in the Old Testament under the law. That was because the animals blood was not perfect and hence were only a covering. However Jesus being that he was the perfect sacrifice finished forever the shedding of blood to cover sin. (II Corinthians 5:21 âFor he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.â) I apologize because I know this puts a lot of men out of a job.
Therefore the priesthood of the believer to intercede for the world as stated in I Peter 2:9 does not refer to two separate positions but one inclusive ability to approach God.
Heb 4:16 âLet
(us) therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.â
(Us=all)
Didnât have time to proof read. Please forgive any diction problems.