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By NiteOwlDave
The verse the Roman Catholic Church says credentials Peter as
the inaugural Pope is Matthew 16:18 and reads,
"And I say 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."
Let's be clear upfront: Peter was neither the first, second,
nor the third pope. There are no popes listed in the Bible. The word
"Pope" means "papa" and was used as an infant's first word.
Related to the pope term, we are distinctly told not to call
anyone "Father" (in a religious sense). All Roman Catholic priests
are called Father in violation of a biblical warning.
Matthew 23:9 states clearly, "And call no man your
father upon earth; for one is your Father, which is in Heaven."
If the papacy is biblically fraudulent, who is the Rock that
the Church is built upon? The Church of Rome bristles at this, but so be it:
The Matthew verses are Peter's confession, not his coronation.
The Roman Catholic Church ignores and rejects the traditional
Rock of both the New and Old Testaments and substitutes Peter instead.
Jesus told Peter that upon this Rock (Jesus) He would build His
(my) church.
The Church of Rome replaces the Bible's Rock of Salvation
with blasphemous plans of salvation of its own invention. The gates of Hell
shall not prevail or defeat what Jesus completed on the cross. Peter and other
Christ followers are messengers of that truth.
Peter confessed to the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 16:16:
"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Throughout the Bible, Christ is spoken of as the Rock. 1
Corinthians 10:4 states, "—for they drank of that spiritual Rock that
followed them, and that Rock was Christ." There is just one Rock; Jesus.
It's not Rock Jesus, plus Rock Peter.
In order for us to have Christ as our Father, we must be
born into His family. In John 3:7, Jesus said, "...Ye must be born
again."
We are born again when we ask Christ to save us from our sin
and believe that Jesus paid our sin debt in full when He died and rose again.
John 1:12‑13 states, "But as many as received him,
to them gave He power to become the children of God, even to them that believe
on his name. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor
of the will of man, but of God."
How do we receive Jesus into our heart? Just pray. Pray
something like this:
Dear God:
I am a sinner.
Others have sinned greater than I have. But,
nevertheless, I stand before you now as a lost sinner, deserving of Hell.
I choose to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God
who became a man.
I choose to believe He allowed Himself to be put to
death, arose again on the third day, and is alive today.
The Bible says our sins are washed away by the blood of
Jesus Christ, and I believe that.
Father I want to be cleansed of all my sins right now.
I know I am not right with God, and I want to be. I want
to go to Heaven when I die.
Right now at [say date and time], I bow at the foot of the
cross of Jesus Christ, and I am dumping all of my sin there. ALL of it!
I ask that the blood of Jesus Christ wash away all my
sins—past, present, and future.
I am sorry for my sin, and I accept your forgiveness.
Right now I declare that I am a Christian.
I ask, Father, that you will make me aware of when I want
to sin, and give me the courage to say No.
I ask, too, that you will help me understand the Bible,
and to make the rest of my days on earth count for eternity.
I pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ—my new
Lord and Savior. Amen.
Anything else?
1. Tell someone in person that you invited Jesus into your life
as Lord and Savior.
2. I suggest that you read the books of John and Romans in the
New Testament.
3. Go to a church where salvation through Christ is clearly
preached.
4. Start or continue doing good stuff to demonstrate that
Christ is within you.
5. Check out getting baptized by immersion.
This all probably sounds complicated. It really isn't.
Salvation through Jesus Christ is not a Roman Catholic nor a
Protestant thing. It's a Bible command.
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