With the first American Pope installed in 2025, many are discussing Catholicism, Christianity, and religion in general. While interesting and perhaps a key figure in the end times drama in the primarily prophetic book of Revelation, the Roman Catholic Pope has nothing to do with authentic, Bible Christianity. Notice the phrase I used, “Bible Christianity.” Not to put down or minimize those who have a Catholic background as their faith tradition, but the pope only speaks for Roman Catholicism, he does not speak for Bible-believing Christians.
Adrian Rogers once said, “If Peter was the first Pope, he didn’t know it!” The claim that Peter was the first pope and that “Papal Succession” can be traced to the first century is the basis for the supposed “Papal Authority.” One of the primary verses utilized to make the Papal successive and authoritative claims is found in Matthew 16:18, in which Jesus declares, “And I say also 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.” Jesus continues in Matthew 16:19, stating, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Some have supposed that Peter is the rock on which the church is built. In that vein of thinking, Peter also would have the “keys to the kingdom of Heaven.” When jokes or stories are told about one dying and about to enter Heaven, it is no wonder that he encounters Peter, who says, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” These humorous stories and jokes occasionally told are contrived from the idea that Peter has the keys and stands at the gate of Heaven.
All joking aside, the proposition that Peter is the rock on which the church is built and holds the keys to who can enter Heaven is not established in truth, but in an erroneous understanding and interpretation of this passage. Indeed, Catholic, Protestant, and Independent Scholars may read and interpret these verses differently. I’ll share the traditional and contextual Bible interpretation in the following paragraphs.
The Rock On Which We Stand
Is Peter the “rock” on which the church is built? Short answer – no. The word Jesus uses for “rock” is πέτρα (petra), which means “a (large mass of) rock.”[1] The name Peter is a word related to “petra.” Peter is Πέτρος (Petros), which is used as a proper name, means “a stone” or “a boulder.”[2] Some would say it means “pebble,” a small stone. Theologian Charles Ryrie suggests Petros means “Rock-man.” Ryrie continues to clarify the contextualization of the words Jesus uses. “In the next phrase Christ used petra (upon this rock), a feminine form for “rock,” not a name. Christ used a play on words. He does not say “upon you, Peter” or “upon your successors,” but “upon this rock”—upon this divine Revelation and profession of faith in Christ. I will build shows that the formation of the church was still in the future.”[3] I agree entirely with Ryrie on this point.
The “rock” Jesus refers to is not Peter, but the faith in Jesus that Peter just conveyed in Matthew 16:16. Peter makes a memorable declaration of faith, which is what any born-again Christian makes when they believe and receive Jesus as the risen son of God. Peter says in Matthew 16:16, “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” An incredible declaration of faith indeed.
The rock being Christ Himself, evidently and providentially, is demonstrated in three ways. First, faith in Jesus is the only thing that brings a person into God’s Kingdom. Peter’s declaration of faith in Jesus being the Son of God was the moment he became a Christian. Second, this faith is confidence and trust in the finished work of Jesus. Jesus died on the cross, paying the price for our sin, and then was resurrected on the third day. The resurrection had not yet occurred when Peter made this statement because Jesus had not been crucified yet, but notice how Peter says Jesus is the “Son of the living God.” Jesus must be alive, just like the Father is alive to save. Third, the rock is Jesus because a man, (Peter) a “pebble,” is not large enough on which to build a church. Billions of people have believed the Gospel of Jesus and only the God-Man, Jesus, is large enough for the weight of the world.
Interestingly enough, Peter also declares that Jesus is the chief cornerstone – the rock on which the church is built in 1 Peter 2:4-7. He shares that this “rock” or “petras” is the rock that is rejected. Indeed, many religiously minded people have rejected “Jesus only” for their salvation. Works, religion, atheism, and evolution, along with other worldviews, have misguided many. Peter continues to share in 1 Peter 2 how individual Christians are “lively stones” placed on top of the cornerstone – Jesus. The church is built upon more than a mere man – it’s built on Christ. Jesus is the rock on which we stand.
Summarizing the “rock” meaning, Jesus is the rock upon which His church is built. Every time a person believes the Gospel of Christ and becomes a Christian, another stone is added to the building of God’s church. Every time a believer lives by faith and not by sight, the Kingdom of God is blessed and encouraged because that person is living out their faith.
No Biblical Evidence of Papal Succession
Concerning the potential of Papal Succession, John Perrodin and Alan Hultberg write about Matthew 15:19, saying, “Within the Roman Catholic tradition, this passage has been used to support the pope’s infallibility as Peter’s successor. Peter and other NT writers don’t sustain this view.”[4] The fallibility of Peter (and the pope) and his inability to be the sole representative of Jesus are inaccurate for at least three reasons.
First, in Galatians 2:11-21, the Apostle Paul points out Peter’s error. Feeling pressure from the Jewish religionists in Antioch, Peter has started to impose the Old Testament Law onto his life and practice. Paul asked in Galatians 2:14, “What are you compelling Gentiles to live as if they are Jews?” Paul charges Peter with hypocrisy when he’s imposing Judaism on Christian converts and says in Galatians 2:16, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law…for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” Peter, and any pope, are mere men. All men have sinned (Romans 2:23) and continue in sin while living on earth (Romans 6).
Second, if Papal Succession is legit, the Bible would describe how it should occur. In addition, Peter would have been the one to say how Papal Succession would take place. However, his books, 1 and 2 Peter, do not say how to perform this act. While 1 Peter 2 discusses how everyday Christians are part of God’s “royal priesthood,” no formal priesthood, cardinal, bishop, or other Catholic hierarchy is described. In fact, 1 Peter 2 shows the opposite. Each Christian is his own priest who goes directly to God the Father through the person of Jesus Christ. There is no plan in the Bible detailing Papal Succession. It’s a manufactured idea, not found in God’s Word.
Third, the concept of the pope being the Vicar of Christ, or God’s representative, is not found in the Scripture. This concept directly impacts the idea of Papal Succession. Catholic Encyclopedia says, “Vicar of Christ (Lat. Vicarius Christi), a title of the pope implying his supreme and universal primacy, both of honor and of jurisdiction, over the Church of Christ.”[5] The one presiding over the body of Christ around the world is not an individual man or a religious organization. Jesus is the head of His church. Jesus presides over the church as He is the one residing within each Christian (John 15:4). Catholics derived the concept of Peter being the Vicar from John 21 when Jesus tells Peter to “Feed my lambs and feed my sheep.” In this scene, Jesus is restoring Peter, who initially denied Jesus three times. In three sentences, Jesus asks about Peter’s love and then instructs Peter to offer spiritual food to the flock of God. Peter had a job to do in his lifetime and goes on to do amazing things including preaching at Pentecost, writing letters included in Scripture (1 and 2 Peter), and was an outspoken promoter of the Gospel. However, the interaction with Jesus does not clearly or implicitly provide evidence that Peter’s calling is transmitted to a pope.
Reasons a Pope is Unnecessary
Jesus is the “Head of the Church.” Colossians 1:18 asserts, “He (Jesus) 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.” Jesus is the preeminent one who is the head of the church.
No one is to be called “father.” Pope means “Father” or “Papa.” The Bible instructs, “And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven” (Matthew 23:9). While many of us have earthly fathers and father figures, we are not to elevate a man above Christendom.
There is only one mediator. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2:5-6). The only way to God is through His Son, Jesus. Mary, the pope, or any other saint cannot pray for you or intercede for you. We pray to God in Jesus name or with the authority of the name of Jesus (John 14:13-14).
The “Hierarchy of Clergy” is discouraged in the Bible. James and John discuss who will be the greatest in the Kingdom. Jesus replies, “Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25–28). Christian ministers today are not elevated above the people. They are merely shepherds serving the Great Shepherd and feeding the Word of God to the flock. Shepherds are sheep too. They need pastors and mentors they look up to.
In Bible prophecy, there is an attempt to unite all the world’s religions into a “One World Religion.” This globalism effort may sound noble to some, but any religion, faith, or worldview that excludes Jesus is wrong. Any worldview that adopts Jesus as only a side part of the whole is wrong. It’s Jesus only upon whom Bible-Christianity is built. Revelation 13:11-17 speaks of this united, ecumenical religion. The Beast and Antichrist have a False Prophet who is calling on people to unite in worship of the Beast. He unites Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and all the other religions into one. This false prophet works miracles and demands people receive the “Mark of the Beast.” He is false, and God judges him. “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). If the Pope of the end times of Revelation is not the False Prophet, no doubt, he will be helping him mix the various religious groups into one.
Conclusion
Jesus is the Rock. David knew this when he wrote and sang, “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower” (Psalm 18:2).
Jesus is the Rock. Paul knew this when he wrote to the Ephesian church about how God was building them, saying, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19–22).
Jesus is the Rock. Peter, preaching to the religious people in Jerusalem, declares Jesus is the rock, the stone on which the church is built. “This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner” (Acts 4:11). Even though the Jewish High Priest and other religious fanatics in Jerusalem saw and heard Jesus, they rejected Him. Peter affirms the stone rejected is the rock they were looking for and the only one who could save. Peter explains, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the only way.
Instead of a pope, Bible-believing Christians have been given four gifts. God’s Word guides us (John 17:17, Psalm 119:105). We have shepherds to teach, challenge, and encourage us (Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:2). We have God’s church, the local body of believers we meet with for fellowship and service (Hebrews 10:25). We have God’s Holy Spirit in us who will guide us to truth, comfort us, and help us live godly lives (Matthew 28:20, John 15:26).
NOTES
[1] Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998).
[2] Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998).
[3] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, Expanded ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), 1544.
[4] John Perrodin and Alan Hultberg, “Matthew,” in The Apologetics Study Bible for Students, ed. Sean McDowell (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1194.
[5] Catholic Encyclopedia, “Vicar of Christ,” Accessed 5.9.25. https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/vicar-of-christ.
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