This past week, the world watched as a new Pope was installed in Rome. For many, it marked a sacred milestone. But for those who view the Bible as the final authority in all matters of faith and practice, it raises an important question:
Is the office of the Pope biblically legitimate?
The Catholic Claim
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 882):
“For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as the Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church, has full, supreme, and universal power of the whole church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered.”
This statement makes five bold claims about the Pope:
He is called “Father.”
He is the “Vicar of Christ.”
He is the global “Pastor” of the Church.
He holds “full, supreme, and universal power.”
Submission to him is essential for salvation.
Let’s examine each of these claims in light of Scripture.
1. “Call No Man Father”
The word Pope derives from the Latin papa, meaning “father.” Yet Jesus clearly warned:
Matthew 23:9 “And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.”
This is not simply about titles—it’s about spiritual authority. No earthly leader should take a title that belongs to God alone.
2. The Vicar of Christ?
The Pope is described as Christ’s “vicar” or substitute on earth. But Scripture declares:
1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
There is no room for a human substitute when Christ Himself is our living Mediator. The position of “Vicar of Christ” undermines the sufficiency of Jesus’ ongoing role.
3. Pastor of the Entire Church?
Peter, claimed by Catholics to be the first Pope, wrote:
1 Peter 5:4 “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear…”
1 Peter 2:25 “For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”
Jesus—not Peter or any successor—is the Shepherd of the Church.
4. Supreme Authority?
Catholic teaching says the Pope has “full, supreme, and universal power.” But Scripture says:
Colossians 1:18 “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”
Colossians 2:10 “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.”
Even Peter, held by Rome as the first Pope, was publicly corrected by Paul:
Galatians 2:14 “But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all…”
The Apostle John also condemned those who sought control over the Church:
3 John 9-10 “Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence… receiveth us not.”
The New Testament repeatedly opposes the kind of unchecked authority Rome assigns to the Pope.
5. Salvation Through Submission to the Pope?
In 1302, Pope Boniface VIII issued the Papal Bull Unam Sanctam, stating:
“We declare, state, define, and pronounce that it is altogether necessary to salvation for every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.”
But this directly contradicts the Gospel. Nowhere in the Bible is submission to a church official made a condition for salvation.
Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
That name is Jesus Christ—not Peter, and not any pope.
Conclusion: Christ Alone is Head of the Church
The office of the Pope, as defined by Roman Catholic teaching, is not supported by Scripture. It attributes titles, roles, and authority to a man that belong to Jesus Christ alone.
Ephesians 1:22-23 “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body…”
Let us not look to men for spiritual headship, but to Christ—the true Shepherd, Mediator, and Head of the Church.
Share your thoughts: Do you believe the office of the Pope aligns with Scripture? Comment below.
*The core content of this blog post is my original work. Some help was given by AI for paraphrasing.
There is an aspect of the Lord’s Supper that I think needs some clarification. The part I am referring to is the idea of partaking of the Lord’s Supper “unworthily.” What exactly did Paul have in mind when he said, “whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord?” (1 Cor. 11:27). I have had people come to me with deep concern about whether they should partake of the Lord’s Supper on certain occasions, fearing that they would be partaking “unworthily,” because they had a struggle with some sin in their life. This is a legitimate concern. Who wants to engage in a holy ceremony in an unholy way, be “guilty of the body and blood of the Lord,” and “drink damnation upon himself!?” I think I can see at least a part of the reason why the average church goer feels this way…
Typically, the pastor stands before his congregation (I’m coming at this from a Baptist background, where the Lord’s Supper occurs once a month or so and fills up the good part of a whole service) and rightly encourages his parishioners to “examine” themselves to make sure their life is order before God and that they are “worthy” to partake. The pastor soberly recommends this, in obedience to the Scriptures, indicating that there may be or probably is at least someone in the room who will fail to do partake in a worthy manner. At the very least it indicates that everyone present may be tempted to eat unworthily, otherwise there’s no need for the admonition. The room is most likely filled with average people: not violent gang bangers or hardened criminals. There isn’t usually a catalog of what kinds of sins or behaviors would serve as a checklist as to whether someone is “worthy” or not.
Then you put on top of this the consideration: “Well, actually, who is even worthy to eat with Jesus anyways!?” I know me, and I know that I am not worthy to sit at the table of Jesus. If anything I’d be the slave who washes the feet of the people who come to dine with Jesus. I’m reminded of Abigail when David sent to marry her, she “bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” If she felt this way about David, how much more she we feel unworthy to eat at his table like we’re an equal with him!
So, put all of that together, and it’s understandable that you have people in the church who struggle with some kind of sin – short temper, lust, gossip, laziness, etc. – just like everyone in the church does, who fears that they might be bringing damnation upon themselves for eating the cracker and drinking the juice.
Now, I’d like to offer what I think is the right perspective.
First, the fact that someone is being sensitive to the Spirit and concerned that they might be displeasing the Lord is a MAJOR indication that they ARE worthy to dine with Jesus. What does the Lord require of us? “He hath shown thee, O man, what is good: and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8). “A broken and a contrite God will not despise” (Psalm 51). If you are coming to the table with humility and a repentant heart – regardless of what your besetting sin is – then you are coming in a worthy manner. The truly unworthy person who is not going to stress themselves out over whether they are following the Scriptures to a “t” or not. They will brashly take what they can get from God and the church.
Secondly, on what basis are we relying to be worthy? Are we considering whether we have been “good enough” or not throughout the week? Do you feel like you’ll only be worthy if you overcome that pestering, besetting sin? Remember the Gospel!!! Our only worthiness to have any accessibility to God only comes through Christ – Christ alone! Not Christ and my goodness. We are welcomed into God’s favorable presence because of Christ. We are received as God’s children because we are born again by the Spirit of God. We are washed of our sins because of Christ. The only thing that makes us worthy to partake of the Lord’s Supper is Christ! In every way our access to Christ is conditional only by repentance and faith, but as long as we have that posture then we are worthy!!!
Thirdly, the context reveals to us specifically the “unworthy” behavior Paul had in mind. Verses 18 & 19 Paul chides the Corinthians for tolerating “divisions” and “heresies,” which both refer not to doctrinal impurity, but behavioral deficiency. One of the chief purposes of the Lord’s Supper is to highlight the unity that we have in Christ! We are “one body and one bread.” The broken body of Christ is the spiritual gluten (the Corinthians must have been a gluten free assembly – sorry, I had to) that holds very different people together in love. BUT, instead, the Corinthians decided to use this observance as a wonderful opportunity to display their selfishness and pride.
One faction in the church would get the scoop on when and where the “love feast” would occur. They would show up to the party early, eat all the food and get drunk on the wine before everyone else showed up. This is even more egregious when you think that their society didn’t have a welfare system like we do, there was a much more sharp contrast between the poor and higher social classes. This communal meal was probably a highlight for many people – a true feast – and for others who were poor it may actually have been the only meal that they would have eaten that day. Paul then enters into the narrative of when the Lord instituted the Lord’s Supper: the sweet, serene setting where the Lord washed his disciples feet and then sat surrounded by his disciples. This was the night before his passion. He would be “broken” for them and shed his blood for them. Every time in the future they would gather to remember their Lord they would remember that night. They would recall with vivid memory the day following as well – his love, his blood, his cries, his agony, for them, for them all.
Now, imagine people trying to use this memorial as an opportunity for the flesh. I can see any one of the apostles busting into that assembly with fire in their eyes, “Do you have any idea what you are doing!!! I was there when he washed my feet! When he suffered on that cross! He died for us! And you have the nerve to shame your brethren, steal all the food, get drunk on the wine, and arrogantly divide into factions amongst one another!!! And instead of being remorseful you glory in your sins and double down in your pride! The Lord is going to bring judgment on you for taking his name in vain!” This is what I see going on here in Corinth, and how I imagine Paul speaking to them.
So, what does it mean to eat and drink “unworthily?” I think we have a strong case to argue that an unworthy participant is someone who is proud in their sins, who has no humility or repentance over their sins; someone who doesn’t have a desire for unity and has no problem being at odds with others in the church and who will use others in the church for their own gain. If that’s you, then yes, do not assume that Jesus wants to eat a meal with you, because he doesn’t. He wants you to put down your gift at the altar and go be reconciled with your brother first. God will not be mocked – mess with his church and you’ll pay.
However, if you are a Christian struggling with your sin, and even being often overcome with it to one degree or another, but you hate your sin and confess it to God, let these promises wash over you, my dear brother or sister, “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin…If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7,9). As soon as you confess your sins you are instantaneously and fully forgiven by your loving, heavenly Father. He says, “Don’t be afraid. I’ve already forgiven you. Come and dine.” The blood of Jesus is your worthiness to come to his table. Now, all of that being said, when you do approach the Table, you should examine yourself. It is a wonderful moment – probably the best moment – for God’s people to do some introspection, and allow the Holy Spirit to search your heart. Every Christian should leave the Lord’s Supper with joy in their hearts because they were all encouraged specifically to “do business” with their God. There is a need to reason with Christians to realize how devastating sin is and there are times to highlight the urgency of repenting of it. But I have sensed the need to give my brothers and sisters relief on this particular issue. If you’re a church leader, maybe consider covering this with your congregation at some point. God bless you in your walk with God and may your next experience at the Lord’s Supper be extra special!!!
From my experience, the most often mentioned argument in support of women pastors is “Deborah was a Judge.” Every time Deborah is referred to I just can’t help but to giggle. I don’t mean any ill-will – at all – it’s just…the example is so weak, it’s actually self-refuting. I’d like to offer four reasons why the account of Deborah actually supports the position that women should notbe pastors. I also want to point to what the Bible does teach on the subject and to make some pleas to my Chrsitian brothers and sisters…
Four Reasons Why The Story of Deborah Discourages Having Women Pastors:
#1 Ecclesiology from the book of Judges?
Each book in the Bible has a specific purpose for why it was written. A good principle to follow to ensure sound theology is to gather support for your position from books that are directly written about the topic you are studying. For example: If you want to know what the Bible teaches about origins you should draw mainly from Genesis, not from Esther or Proverbs, because that’s not what those books are focused on explaining. John wrote his Gospel specifically to prove that Jesus is the Messiah, and that if we simply believe in him we will have eternal life. Similarly, Romans and Galatians were written specifically to explain the Gospel; how an individual can be declared righteous before God. We should be going to these books mainly and preeminently to build our doctrine of salvation, and not books like James, or Ecclessiastes.
What books in the Bible should we prefer as we build our Ecclesiology ( which is the doctrine about the nature of the Church and how it should properly function)? Well, Paul wrote a letter to his apprentice Timothy with the express purpose of guiding him how to properly lead and establish a church in the New Covenant. His first letter to Timothy even has a specific section about women’s roles in public worship. Can you think of a better place in all the Bible than this, for solid answers on the question of whether women should be pastors or not? There we find Paul instructing, “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” (1 Timothy 2:11-14) This passage unambiguously, prescriptively, in proper context, teaches that the responsibility of public, authoritative teaching and preaching of the Word of God, in the gathered church of God, is reserved for men only; that women should not be in positions of authority over men in the church; and that this arrangement is not to fluctuate based on cultural norms, as indicated by Paul’s appeal to creation for this order. The church of Jesus Christ today is much safer if she builds on the foundation of the Apostles’ doctrine, rather than an Old Testament History account. All of Scripture is inspired and beneficial, but needs to be understood in context, applied in context, and given its proper weight in relationship to context.
#2 The Account of Judges has no bearing on a New Testament office anyways.
The story of Deborah is descriptive not prescriptive. Meaning, the story is simply an account of what happened in Israel at that time, not a didactic passage instructing God’s people how to function. There is no divine calling, anointing or formal establishment of Deborah to an office.
Another important detail is the nature of the Judges ministry. The style of leadership the Judges provided was very unofficial. They were more like grass-roots warriors and influencers than formal, executive-branch office-holders, like the Kings were, or Apostles, or…Elders are. But let’s just say that Deborah was the leader of Israel, and let’s add to it the hypothetical situation that in the Old Testament God called, anointed and appointed just as many women to be prophets, priests and kings as he did men. That still wouldn’t make it ok for women to be pastors, because we are not in the same dispensation. It sure would make the case at least somewhat more strong, but it still would not be sufficient. But that is only a hypothetical situation and therefore pushes the majority of the weight in favor of the male-only leadership position.
#3 The Judges was a time when everyone did that which what was right in their own eyes.
The time of the Judges was marked by carnality, confusion, chaos, lawlessness and independence from God. This is hardly a wise time period to draw support for what should be normative in the New Testament Church. Should we dedicate a percentage of the tithe to cast idols for the house of God (ch.17)? Should we hand over our wives as a ransom to be abused by people persecuting us (ch.21)? Should we encourage single men to jump out of bushes to kid-knap women and then marry them (ch.21)? Are these practices to be standard procedure for the godly Christian today – they did it in Judges? Following the example of people in the times of the Judges is synonymous to saying that you are at a time when every man in the church is doing what is right in his own eyes. Ought not our default reaction be to resist imitating what we see in Judges?
The percentage of female leadership in the church has steadily been rising over time. Are we to see this as a sign of health and growth or a time of decay? Well, Scripture warns that one sign of a society under the judgment of God is when women begin ruling over the people: “As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.” (Isaiah 3:12) This verse is in the context of very intense rebuke from God over his people’s sins. You say, “But women are rising up because men are failing to do their jobs!” Perhaps, but if you are taking that position, you are admitting that your church has been embracing the “Judges spirit,” which is when “every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25) Instead, if we look at the times in Scripture when God’s people experienced true revival, awakening and lasting reform, it was always men leading the way – Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, Ezra, Nehemiah, Jesus, Peter, Paul, etc. There are too many to number. The point is that there are time periods in the history of redemption that are wise examples to follow and then there are times when we are not so wise to follow their example. Let’s yield to the nearly universal rule in Scripture, that healthy times in the church happens under male leadership.
#4 Deborah Didn’t Recognize Herself As The Leader.
In the account (Judges 4), Deborah recognized the leadership of Barak. She came to motivate and awaken him to his duty. He was cowardly and only went up to battle because Deborah was willing to go with him. In the end it was a woman, Jael, who valiantly drove a spike through Sisera’s temples and fastened his head to the floor. All of this in the story is designed to cast shame on Barak; it should have been him that led the way, fought the battle and defeated the enemies General.
We do live in a time of male complacency, lack of valor and manliness among God’s people. It seems as though fewer and fewer men are surrendering to passionate service for Jesus, while more and more women are attending seminary, or standing up and speaking up for Christ. It’s sad when you see more women than men showing up to prayer meetings, bible studies, and open air evangelism.
God is going to get his work done one way or another, through whatever means he chooses (Balaam’s donkey for example). I do believe that God is speaking through many women pastors in the church today. I’m sure there are people getting saved and growing in Christ through their ministries. However, it is possible for God to do his work through disobedient vessels — God miraculously brought water out of a desert rock when Moses smote it, but this very action caused him to forfeit his place in the Promised Land. I bet the majority cheered Moses that day, not realizing that his actions were a massive personal failure. The spirit of God was mightily upon Samson, but he did lots of damage and died in shame. Jesus spoke about men who prophesied in his name, cast out devils and did many wonderful works, but they did not know him and didn’t make it into the kingdom.
Pragmatism is when the end justifies the means. It’s not wise to conclude that God is pleased just because you see special things happening – our only safe basis for concluding that God is pleased is if we are carefully submitting to the Word of God. So, yes, there are many very gifted, intelligent, theological, eloquent, spiritual women who are pastors, but they are being disobedient in this area to the clear teaching of Scripture. If you are a woman Pastor you should step down from your position and use your passion, gifts, and knowledge to motivate the men around you to do their job, and to do it well. I know some valiant Christian women and I thank God for them. They are vital and essential to the success of the church. It’s awesome to see Jael’s driving nails through the temples of enemy generals. But we must follow the prescriptions of the Word of God if we want to please God and have true success.
Applications
The design of the story of Deborah is to rebuke cowardly men, not to encourage women leadership. It ought to be our goal to see the percentage of female pastors dropping. The root issue really is unconfessed sin in the camp. Sin causes God to remove his hand of blessing, and one way in which God blesses his people is by raising up strong, valiant, godly male-leaders. So, whatever your sins are, put them away so we can see a time of refreshing again.
Women – If there are no men around you leading, then pray for them and encourage them to stand up and do their job. Beg them. If you are asked to be a pastor or elder or bishop, use that wonderful opportunity to call out the men in that church to their post. If men are not going to step up, then be valiant for Jesus, chop some demons heads off – pray, fast, weep, speak up! But don’t disobey God and lose your reward, by moving into a place that is not yours. King Uzziah was struck with leprosy in his forehead because as a King, he tried to offer incense in the Temple. 80 valiant priests withstood him and said to him, “It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God.” (2 Chronicles 26:18) Ladies- resist the temptation to usurp authority, it will not be for thine honor. It is to the shame of men to not rise up to their position, but it is likewise to the shame of women to assume a position that is not theirs.
Men – Don’t sit on the sideline and watch as more woman run into battle for the LORD. Put on your armor, pick up your sword, and run into battle. More plainly – stop playing video games and watching porn, open your Bible, study and memorize it, go out in the streets and preach the Gospel, then find a church or start a church and faithfully teach the Word of God.
Brother Lee 