Why We're Not Roman Catholic #4 -The Problem with the Pope: Christ Alone Is Head of the Church

We can’t deny the political and religious importance of the Pope. Even in a more secular and pluralistic society, people still seem interested in who the Pope is and what he has to say. For some, part of the attraction to Rome is found in the figure of the Pope himself. Having a central figure—apparently ordained by Jesus as the leader of the Church—can feel grounding and offer another layer of assurance that you’re believing and doing the right thing. But let’s take a closer look. Let me show you the problem with the Pope.

First, let's start with the biblical foundation. Rome claims that Jesus made Peter the first pope in Matthew 16:18. But is that really what the text teaches?

There are basically three positions on what is happening in that verse:

1. The “rock” is Peter’s confession—that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

2. The “rock” is Peter himself, but in his role as the confessor of the gospel.

3. The “rock” is Peter personally, and Jesus is establishing the Church with Peter having authority over the universal Church.

Most Protestants hold to positions 1 or 2, while Roman Catholics hold to position 3 (though a few Protestants accept 3 without adopting the Roman framework). But even if Peter himself is the “rock” and has a type of primacy among the apostles, it is an extrapolation to claim that Jesus was establishing a papal office as Roman Catholicism defines it today—or even hinting at any papal succession.

The idea of papal supremacy developed gradually over centuries and was not part of the early Church. Even if we accept that Peter had a certain prominence among the apostles, it was nothing like the papal primacy later asserted. This is especially clear in the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), where James, not Peter, seems to take the lead, and when Peter is publicly rebuked by Paul (Galatians 2). There is no evidence of a universal bishop in the New Testament or in the first few centuries of the Church. Papal supremacy is a human invention—built on political and ecclesiastical power. Even the Great Schism (East–West Schism) of 1054 AD shows there was no clear consensus on this matter. The Eastern Church rejected the Pope’s claims, and to this day, denies any concept of universal papal authority.

To make things worse, in 1870, Vatican I declared that the Pope is infallible when speaking ex cathedra on matters of faith and morals. This doctrine has no biblical foundation and directly undermines the sufficiency of Scripture by placing ultimate authority in one man. We should see this as the ultimate rejection of Sola Scriptura. Rome has placed a man’s voice on par with Scripture. When the Pope speaks as the final authority, the voice of Christ is silenced. This leads to false teaching and spiritual bondage. But the Church is called to hear Christ, our true Prophet, whose voice speaks to us through Scripture, not the voice of a fallible man.

The Reformers—along with some faithful voices before them—rejected the papacy and recovered the biblical vision of Christ as the only Head of the Church. Christ is our Prophet, who speaks God’s truth; our Priest, who atones for sin and intercedes for His people; and our King, who rules the Church and the nations with all authority. The Church needs no earthly pope—Christ is enough.

Even if the Roman Church held to an orthodox view of salvation and justification, it would still possess a dangerously flawed ecclesiology. And that would inevitably lead, at best, to an unhealthy church—and at worst, to the heresy, false teaching, and confusion we see today. That said, we must acknowledge that not all Protestant churches hold to a healthy ecclesiology either. Sadly, many evangelical churches today have fallen into a kind of medieval structure themselves—with an unhealthy separation between clergy and laity, and leaders who function like local popes. This is why it is so important for us to remember the Reformation and to keep returning to the foundations.

May God be gracious to us, and establish the rule of Christ in His Church and in all areas of life—for His glory and our good.

Nino Marques