Roman Catholic Church: The Church Built By Christ?

The Roman Catholic Church in her attempt to prove of its being the true Church built by Christ use the declaration of Christ as recorded in Matthew 16:18 as proof of its existence. Based on the said verse, Catholic Authorities teach its members that Christ built the Roman Catholic Church on Peter as the foundation of it and making Peter and its successors – the Popes, the Head of the Church.

The Matthew 16:18 states:18And I tell you that you are Peter,[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it.[c](Matthew 16:18, NIV)However, by just examining the verse we will notice that it was not stated by Christ that He built the Roman Catholic Church, because what Christ built was His own Church not a Roman Church nor a Roman Catholic Church.

And if this Church is really the Roman Catholic Church in which its members are called Catholics, then Apostle Paul must say on his greetings in Roman 16:16, “All Catholics greet You”. But Apostle Paul didn’t say that instead he said, “The churches of Christ greet you”, that is because the members that he were referring to are members of the Church of Christ.16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. The[a] churches of Christ greet you. (Romans 16:16, NKJV)Secondly, Catholic authorities claim that the Roman Catholic Church was built or founded by Christ on Peter as its foundation. Again, if we will examine the Holy Bible, we will learn that the true Church founded by Christ was not built on Peter but on Christ Himself.

When Christ said, “and on this rock I will build my church”, the rock mentioned by Christ here is not Peter but Christ Himself. That’s the reason why Apostle Paul advised his brethren in the true Church of Christ, as it was stated on the Colossians 2:6-7.6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it[a] with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7, ibid)Let us not forget that Christ is the cornerstone, not Peter.20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. (Ephesians 2:20)It is true that Peter means stone, however he was not the foundation stone because it is Christ who is the foundation stone. And Peter is just one of the stones that stood on top of Christ.

Lastly, according to the Catholic authorities, Peter (and his successors, the Popes) was made by Christ the head of the Church. This teaching is clearly false based on the truth written on the Holy Bible, because the true Church of Christ is headed by Christ Himself. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (Colosians 1:18, NIV)Even if Christ is already in heaven and seated at the right hand of God (Colosians 3:1, NIV) however, he didn’t appoint anybody to replace Him being the head of the Church because according to Apostle Paul, “He continues forever”.24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. (Hebrews 7:24, NKJV)Put it in your mind, Christ was the Head of His Church when He was still here on earth, and He is still the head of the Church now and forever, because according to Apostle Paul, “Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever”. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8, NKJV)Therefore, those claims and teachings of the Catholic Authorities are false claimsand teachings, because they are not supported by the truth written on the Holy Bible. Any churches that will claim to be the true Church of Christ, must show proofs from the Bible that will support their claims because the Holy Bible is the only document that witness the existence of the true Church founded by Christ on the first century. They should also bear witness from Christ Himself and even from the Apostles, and most of all from God.