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Is papal infallibility Biblical?



    
    

Clarify Share Report Asked July 01 2013 Mini Anonymous (via GotQuestions)

Community answers are sorted based on votes. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is.

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Shea S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the pope is infallible when he speaks from his position of authority on a particular issue or doctrine (speaking ex cathedra). Many misunderstand "papal infal...

July 01 2013 7 responses Vote Up Share Report


11
Philip medium Philip Davies Supporter
Popes are not mentioned in the Bible. At all.
Therefore it is not possible to have Biblical support for the doctrine of Papal infallibility. 

There is Biblical reference to Peter, but there is no connection in the Bible between Peter and Popes. The idea that Peter was the first Pope and passed his authority on to other popes is a human idea and not found in the Bible.

December 17 2014 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


6
Data Tony Flores Supporter Tony Flores a servant of Jesus Christ
Yes, but only to the Catholic and a few others that use their teachings and traditions to teach about a Pope that is head of the Christian Church. No to the other denominations that study the Bible for there is nothimg in the Prostestant Bible regarding a Pope. The Head of the Church is Jesus Christ whom is the only mediator between God and man. The New Testament (which quotes from the Old Testament) teaches that Jesus Christ is the only way to Eternal Life.

September 14 2016 1 response Vote Up Share Report


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Mini Carolyn Hostetter Supporter Wife, mother, grandmother, retired church administrator
Merriam-Webster definition of infallible: 1. incapable of error : unerring, an infallible memory; 2. not liable to mislead, deceive, or disappoint : certain, an infallible remedy.

Is papal infallibility Biblical?

No. How could the Pope replace or be on par with the Bible and Jesus? By definition, he would be perfect. He's just a man and just as guilty of sin as any one of us. Besides righteousness and holiness, the Holy Spirit gives all believers discernment, revelations and various gifts, none of which is infallibility. Rather than accept the priesthood and the Godship of Jesus Christ, a human-created institution wanted their own ruler. The pope's not infallible just because a human-created institution decided they needed one to fulfill a human-created doctrine. 

This idea reminds me of the Israelites when they rejected the Lord God as their King and wanted a human king instead. And, they asked Samuel to pray for them that their sins, including asking for a king, would be forgiven.

In 1 Samuel 8:5 the Israelites asked Samuel to appoint a king, saying, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” Was this wrong? The following verses make clear that it was. Samuel was displeased and prayed to the Lord concerning the matter. God answered, “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you” (1 Samuel 8:7–8). God said the Israelites’ request was a rejection of Him, that they had forsaken Him and were serving other gods.

Later, Samuel gave a farewell speech that would also address this issue, saying, “I will call on the Lord to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king” (1 Samuel 12:17). In verse 19 the people responded, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.” Quoted from Gotquestions.org

With the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we no longer need a go-between. We don't need somebody else to ask God to forgive us. The curtain has been ripped in two. He is our One and only Ruler. The King of the Universe. The Lord God Almighty. The King of Kings. Our God and Supreme Ruler. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and the only infallible human that ever existed. I could go on and on!

Thanks!

April 27 2022 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


2
Mini James Kraft Supporter 74 year old retired pipeline worker
The pope is just a man which makes him a sinner just like everyone else. Romans 3:23 Romans 3:9-10. He has set himself up as an authority, but he is not. He has no more authority than anyone else. 

He is anti Christ. The bible is our only authority. Gods word. There is no private interpretation. Anyone can read the bible. 

John 6:40. And this the will of Him who sent me, that All that seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up on the last day. Gods word. Not the Pope. The Pope did not die for the sins of the whole world. First John 2:2. Jesus did. John 6:47. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me HATH EVERLASTING LIFE. 

John 10:28-29. The Pope can not give anyone eternal life. He did not pay for the sins of the whole world so anyone who would accept Jesus free gift would be saved from hell. John 3:18

November 08 2021 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


1
Stringio Vincent Mercado Supporter Skeptic turned believer, Catholic, father of 3
Let me break up my answer into three parts:

1. Papal Primacy - that the pope is first among equals.
2. Papal Authority - as designated by the keys to the kingdom.
3. Papal Succession - that there is a continuous line.

Papal Primacy

We see Peter mentioned in the bible as the first to step forward and speak out, courageous to step out of the boat and walk on water, heading the list of apostles, often times called "Peter and the rest". He baptises the first Gentile, Cornelius. Jesus seem to single him out. In Luke 22:32, he prays for Peter, "that your faith may not fail ... strengthen your brothers." In John 21:17, he tells Peter, "Feed my sheep." When Jesus ascended into heaven, Peter instictively took charge.

Papal Authority

Peter had authority. He led the election of Matthias to replace Judas. He gave the first sermon at Pentecost, and 3000 were added to their number that day. He spoke bravely before the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin couldn't keep him quiet! Lying to Peter about the price of a sold property cost Ananias and Sapphira their lives. He led the First Council at Jerusalem to discuss the necessity for circumcision. In Acts 15:7, after much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them, and the debate was over.

Peter is set up as a kind of prime minister role, as denoted by the keys. In Matthew 16:17-19, Jesus gives Peter this authority, "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 

Papal Succession

In Isaiah 22:20-22, it shows the keys of the kingdom tied closely to the office of the Palace Administrator, the person second-in-command to the King. Shebna, the current palace administrator is being kicked out (he will die) and Eliakim is set to take his place. The same authority is passed on to him, "what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open." 

Pope is English for Papa or Father. It is in Isaiah 22:21 where we make this connection, "He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah." Peter is set up for this same office.

Whenever a king, apostle, or palace administrator dies, another takes his place and the same authority is passed on to the next, as with the case of David, Judas and Shebna.

September 23 2013 8 responses Vote Up Share Report


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