Do You Believe in Papal Infalliblity?
On December 8, 1869, Pope Pius IX formally convened the 20th ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, a council that became known as Vatican I. The assembled bishops were “virtual prisoners.” They were not allowed to get together in small groups or to engage in free discussions (Hunt, Dave. A Woman Rides the Beast, Harvest House Publishers, 1994. p.133.) Pius had an agenda that he wanted carried out. So on July 18, 1870, after much intrigue and oppression, the doctrine of papal infallibility was adopted as an official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. The “Council… asserted that ‘the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, that is, when in discharge of the office of pastor and teacher of all Christians, by virtue of his supreme apostolic authority he defines a doctrine regarding faith or morals to be held by the universal Church, by the divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter, is possessed of that infallibility with which the divine Redeemer willed that his Church should be endowed.’ The decree was… retroactive, even though there were historical incidents that appeared to contradict the retroactivity...” (Roman Catholicism, history of. "Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD.)
Pope Pius IX pressured the bishops into approving a statement that said the pope was “incapable of error in defining doctrines touching faith or morals” (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary). In other words, all his statements are truth. The doctrine of infallibility had been argued for years. In 1523, Pope Adrian VI said “It is beyond question that he [the pope] can err even in matters touching the faith” (Hunt, p. 108). But in 1591, a Jesuit cardinal declared that whatever the pope commanded must be believed and obeyed regardless of how evil or ludicrous (Hunt, p.110). In the early 1700s, bishops argued that “every Christian is obliged in conscience to follow the last declaration of the Pope, and blindly to obey it, without inquiring into the reasons that did move the Pope to it” (Hunt, p. 110).
What is the truth? Is the Pope – or any human – infallible? Historians have recorded that Pope Pius attempted to demonstrate his infallible power on at least two occasions by commanding cripples to “Rise and walk.” His efforts were in vain. So much for papal infallibility.
Now, it is highly unlikely that anyone in the Church of God or even Protestant churches would say that the head of the Catholic Church is infallible, yet some in the Church of God have fallen for this destructive doctrine. Whenever a person elevates the teachings of a man above the word of God, that person shows that he believes in a form of the papal infallibility doctrine.
What does the Bible have to say about humans being infallible?
Paul wrote to the Romans that “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23). That statement indicates that all humans are capable of error. John later wrote that “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (I John 1:8). In Romans 7, Paul wrote about his struggle to put sin out of his life. These basic scriptures indicate that no human is infallible; humans keep sinning and making errors. It does not make logical sense that a person who is constantly sinning and making mistakes has this one area in which he is incapable of error.
The following warning is recorded in the book of Psalms.
Psalms 146:3
Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in a son of man [margin: a human being], in whom there is no help.
Paul stated who we should trust in 2 Corinthians 1:9. He said “…we should not trust in ourselves but in God.” The Bible clearly instructs us not to rely on the infallibility of human beings; instead our confidence should be in He who will and can never sin or make mistakes.
What was Christ’s attitude when He was on earth?
The following scriptures indicate that even Jesus was aware of the fallibility of human flesh. He pointed to the Father as the source of His power and teachings.
John 5:30-31
30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. 31 "If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.
John 7:16-18
16 Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory;…
The human Jesus Christ was humble. He did not come boasting about His own greatness. Instead, He gave God the Father the credit for true doctrine. He showed clearly that men who make statements not clearly based on the truth of God are seeking their own glory. He set the example for those who represent Him. No minister, church member, or human being should ever seek to elevate his/her ideas above or equal to the truth of God.
Examples of Fallibility
The Bible records a number of instances where the apostles made errors. What was spoken was not the infallible truth. The apostle Peter on one occasion was adamant that Christ would not be crucified.
Matthew 16:22-23
22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" 23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."
Obviously Peter made an error. Later, this same apostle asserted that he would never deny Christ (Matthew 26:35). He only denied Him three times. The apostles were human and made mistakes like every other human. Their divinely appointed position did not keep them from making errors even in regard to church teachings. It is evident that Peter and Paul thought that the end would come in their lifetimes. Peter said “…the end of all things is at hand” (1 Peter 4:7). Paul wrote “But this I say, brethren, the time is short” (1 Corinthians 7:29). Those statements were made nearly 2000 years ago. Additionally, the apostles and elders were not free from interpersonal conflict. Paul and Barnabas had a conflict over taking Mark along on one of their journeys. “Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another...” (Acts 15:39).
Paul accused Peter on one occasion for his treatment of Gentile Christians and for not being “straightforward about the truth of the gospel.” In other words, Peter was not telling the full truth; he was shading his message “a bit.” These actions certainly prove that Peter, believed to be the chief apostle, was not infallible in preaching about things pertaining to faith and morals.
Galatians 2:11-16
Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all,"If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Further, Paul’s statements about Christians remaining unmarried in I Corinthians 7 have been a source of contention and dispute for centuries. When the passage is read carefully, it is evident that he is not saying all should remain celibate. But, there is enough written indicating that he felt remaining unmarried was preferable, at least at that particular time. If all Christians in succeeding centuries had followed his “preference,” there would have been even fewer Christians, and those Christians practicing celibacy would have missed out on important lessons in life that the marriage relationship teaches.
What did the apostles teach?
The apostles did not seek to promote their own words as the truth. Paul encouraged the Corinthians to “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1, KJV). The clear truth is that we must look to Christ and His word as the standard, not a human being.
Why the problem?
Where did this idea of infallibility come from? In the Catholic Church, it originated as a result of popes seeking more power. It was a way for them to justify actions that were arrogant and oppressive (Hunt, p.110). Even further back there was historical precedent for kings and emperors to claim that they were gods. If they were gods and not mere mortals, then their subjects should follow their every word and command. The real responsibility for the belief, though, actually lands in Satan’s lap. Satan has deluded himself into thinking that he is perfect - as he once was.
Ezekiel 28:12,15
"You were the seal of perfection ,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty…
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.
When his spirit guides human leaders, they begin to believe and assert that their words are perfect and should be followed without question. Human leaders who promote themselves, who are filled with vanity and not humility, are prone to making statements that are not based on God’s word, the sure word of truth (John 17:17). This doctrine is one of the major devices of Satan. He wants mankind to follow and worship him – or man – and not God. Satan wants man to believe he is perfect and to worship him. If we will not worship him then following a man is just as good.
Humans in general seem to have a desire to elevate leaders to god-like status and expect perfection out of them. How many people treat leaders as if they are on some higher plane than other humans? We all have observed the fawning, sycophantish, and toadying behavior of those who seek the approval of bosses or leaders. Yet, humans also are quick to jump on leaders when they make errors and destroy them with a frenzy of criticism. The news media especially fails for this flaw. They offer adulation to their “stars,” but when the star fails, they tear into him like a school of starving piranha.
The fruits of the doctrine of papal infallibility (or believing that any human is infallible) are plain. Countries or organizations whose leaders follow this doctrine fall into great error. There is tremendous oppression; leaders have total power and control. The subjects are just slaves and vassals for the leaders use. Churches which follow the “revelations” of a man can be led to drink cyanide-laced Kool-Aid as followers of Jim Jones did decades ago. We all would be well-advised to avoid those claiming titles and “new truth” or revelation directly from God. Following those who make such proclamations can quickly lead to spiritual error and enslavement.
The Bible nowhere proclaims that humans are infallible. Nowhere does it state that men should be blindly followed and believed. True leaders sent by God never seek to exalt themselves. Instead they are humble and seek to serve others. They are diligent to present the clear word of God as truth and not their own words.
We must always be on guard not to fall for this device off Satan. God has not left us without protection from this heresy. He has given us His Spirit and he has given us His Word, the Bible. When we allow ourselves to be led by His Spirit and believe His Word, we can be protected from the false doctrine of papal infallibility.
Pope Pius IX pressured the bishops into approving a statement that said the pope was “incapable of error in defining doctrines touching faith or morals” (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary). In other words, all his statements are truth. The doctrine of infallibility had been argued for years. In 1523, Pope Adrian VI said “It is beyond question that he [the pope] can err even in matters touching the faith” (Hunt, p. 108). But in 1591, a Jesuit cardinal declared that whatever the pope commanded must be believed and obeyed regardless of how evil or ludicrous (Hunt, p.110). In the early 1700s, bishops argued that “every Christian is obliged in conscience to follow the last declaration of the Pope, and blindly to obey it, without inquiring into the reasons that did move the Pope to it” (Hunt, p. 110).
What is the truth? Is the Pope – or any human – infallible? Historians have recorded that Pope Pius attempted to demonstrate his infallible power on at least two occasions by commanding cripples to “Rise and walk.” His efforts were in vain. So much for papal infallibility.
Now, it is highly unlikely that anyone in the Church of God or even Protestant churches would say that the head of the Catholic Church is infallible, yet some in the Church of God have fallen for this destructive doctrine. Whenever a person elevates the teachings of a man above the word of God, that person shows that he believes in a form of the papal infallibility doctrine.
What does the Bible have to say about humans being infallible?
Paul wrote to the Romans that “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23). That statement indicates that all humans are capable of error. John later wrote that “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (I John 1:8). In Romans 7, Paul wrote about his struggle to put sin out of his life. These basic scriptures indicate that no human is infallible; humans keep sinning and making errors. It does not make logical sense that a person who is constantly sinning and making mistakes has this one area in which he is incapable of error.
The following warning is recorded in the book of Psalms.
Psalms 146:3
Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in a son of man [margin: a human being], in whom there is no help.
Paul stated who we should trust in 2 Corinthians 1:9. He said “…we should not trust in ourselves but in God.” The Bible clearly instructs us not to rely on the infallibility of human beings; instead our confidence should be in He who will and can never sin or make mistakes.
What was Christ’s attitude when He was on earth?
The following scriptures indicate that even Jesus was aware of the fallibility of human flesh. He pointed to the Father as the source of His power and teachings.
John 5:30-31
30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. 31 "If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.
John 7:16-18
16 Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory;…
The human Jesus Christ was humble. He did not come boasting about His own greatness. Instead, He gave God the Father the credit for true doctrine. He showed clearly that men who make statements not clearly based on the truth of God are seeking their own glory. He set the example for those who represent Him. No minister, church member, or human being should ever seek to elevate his/her ideas above or equal to the truth of God.
Examples of Fallibility
The Bible records a number of instances where the apostles made errors. What was spoken was not the infallible truth. The apostle Peter on one occasion was adamant that Christ would not be crucified.
Matthew 16:22-23
22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" 23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."
Obviously Peter made an error. Later, this same apostle asserted that he would never deny Christ (Matthew 26:35). He only denied Him three times. The apostles were human and made mistakes like every other human. Their divinely appointed position did not keep them from making errors even in regard to church teachings. It is evident that Peter and Paul thought that the end would come in their lifetimes. Peter said “…the end of all things is at hand” (1 Peter 4:7). Paul wrote “But this I say, brethren, the time is short” (1 Corinthians 7:29). Those statements were made nearly 2000 years ago. Additionally, the apostles and elders were not free from interpersonal conflict. Paul and Barnabas had a conflict over taking Mark along on one of their journeys. “Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another...” (Acts 15:39).
Paul accused Peter on one occasion for his treatment of Gentile Christians and for not being “straightforward about the truth of the gospel.” In other words, Peter was not telling the full truth; he was shading his message “a bit.” These actions certainly prove that Peter, believed to be the chief apostle, was not infallible in preaching about things pertaining to faith and morals.
Galatians 2:11-16
Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all,"If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Further, Paul’s statements about Christians remaining unmarried in I Corinthians 7 have been a source of contention and dispute for centuries. When the passage is read carefully, it is evident that he is not saying all should remain celibate. But, there is enough written indicating that he felt remaining unmarried was preferable, at least at that particular time. If all Christians in succeeding centuries had followed his “preference,” there would have been even fewer Christians, and those Christians practicing celibacy would have missed out on important lessons in life that the marriage relationship teaches.
What did the apostles teach?
The apostles did not seek to promote their own words as the truth. Paul encouraged the Corinthians to “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1, KJV). The clear truth is that we must look to Christ and His word as the standard, not a human being.
Why the problem?
Where did this idea of infallibility come from? In the Catholic Church, it originated as a result of popes seeking more power. It was a way for them to justify actions that were arrogant and oppressive (Hunt, p.110). Even further back there was historical precedent for kings and emperors to claim that they were gods. If they were gods and not mere mortals, then their subjects should follow their every word and command. The real responsibility for the belief, though, actually lands in Satan’s lap. Satan has deluded himself into thinking that he is perfect - as he once was.
Ezekiel 28:12,15
"You were the seal of perfection ,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty…
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.
When his spirit guides human leaders, they begin to believe and assert that their words are perfect and should be followed without question. Human leaders who promote themselves, who are filled with vanity and not humility, are prone to making statements that are not based on God’s word, the sure word of truth (John 17:17). This doctrine is one of the major devices of Satan. He wants mankind to follow and worship him – or man – and not God. Satan wants man to believe he is perfect and to worship him. If we will not worship him then following a man is just as good.
Humans in general seem to have a desire to elevate leaders to god-like status and expect perfection out of them. How many people treat leaders as if they are on some higher plane than other humans? We all have observed the fawning, sycophantish, and toadying behavior of those who seek the approval of bosses or leaders. Yet, humans also are quick to jump on leaders when they make errors and destroy them with a frenzy of criticism. The news media especially fails for this flaw. They offer adulation to their “stars,” but when the star fails, they tear into him like a school of starving piranha.
The fruits of the doctrine of papal infallibility (or believing that any human is infallible) are plain. Countries or organizations whose leaders follow this doctrine fall into great error. There is tremendous oppression; leaders have total power and control. The subjects are just slaves and vassals for the leaders use. Churches which follow the “revelations” of a man can be led to drink cyanide-laced Kool-Aid as followers of Jim Jones did decades ago. We all would be well-advised to avoid those claiming titles and “new truth” or revelation directly from God. Following those who make such proclamations can quickly lead to spiritual error and enslavement.
The Bible nowhere proclaims that humans are infallible. Nowhere does it state that men should be blindly followed and believed. True leaders sent by God never seek to exalt themselves. Instead they are humble and seek to serve others. They are diligent to present the clear word of God as truth and not their own words.
We must always be on guard not to fall for this device off Satan. God has not left us without protection from this heresy. He has given us His Spirit and he has given us His Word, the Bible. When we allow ourselves to be led by His Spirit and believe His Word, we can be protected from the false doctrine of papal infallibility.
posted by Manuel at 3:34 PM
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