12/3/23
Call No Man Father, For Our Lord Is A Jealous God:
Deuteronomy 4:23, “Take heed unto yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of anything, which the LORD your God has forbidden thee. For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.”
Catholics address the Pope in many ways, and some of his titles appear to have had a head-on collision with the Word of God, for example: The head of the Roman Catholic Church is the Pope; in Latin, it means papa or father, and we have heard the Pope called the Holy Father!
Now in Matthew 23:9 it reads, “Call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.” Of course, we are speaking of A Christian’s spiritual Father. So, who is our Father? For sure, it’s not a man.
Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born (Jesus), unto us a Son is given, — and his name shall be called — the mighty God (Jehovah) the Everlasting Father.” So Isaiah writes that we have one Everlasting Father, He being the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Pope is also called the Vicar of Christ, so what does Vicar mean? Generally, it points to a person authorized to perform the functions of another or a substitute in office. The Pope claims to be the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth. He also has under him a grand Vicar, a Cardinal whose jurisdiction extends over all priests.
So, did Jesus Christ give the past, present, and future popes the authority to stand in His stead until He returns? Or has this authority been usurped by Rome without the Divine authority of the Holy Spirit or Jesus Christ? And if Jesus did, then my Bible would be in error. It is written in,
Isaiah 42:8, “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my GLORY will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”
Can we construe these injunctions and condemn every title by which Church leaders are distinguished from the flock? No, of course not, but if we did, it would be to denounce that rule itself, and some do both, this against the whole strain of the New Testament and sound Christian judgment. But when we have guarded ourselves against extremes, let us see that we retain the whole spirit of this warning against that itch for ecclesiastic superiority, which is banned.
Our Lord probably alludes to Matthew 20:21, by which Jesus gives his disciples an understanding that He would have no second established authority in the church of which He alone was/is the head, and that perfect equality must subsist among ALL the brethren.
“Neither be you called masters: for one is you Master even Christ.”
God is in every respect jealous of His honor. To him alone, it belongs to guide and lead His church and govern and defend it. Jesus is the sole teacher of righteousness; he alone is the Word, the Light, and eternal Truth who can illuminate the mind of man and who, as Savior and redeemer, speaks to every heart by His Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ alone is our Master, for we are all brothers in Christ Jesus and disciples of the same Master, and this includes all church leaders. Call no man Father upon the earth; meaning, constitute no man the Father of your faith.” God alone must be allowed as the Father of our spirits.
Hebrews 12:9, “We have had fathers of our flesh which when we were young fed, clothed and corrected us, and so we gave them reverence: so, shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits and live?” Our religion and faith must not be derived from or made to depend upon any man. We must not pin our faith on any man’s sleeve because we know he cannot carry it.
Paul calls himself a father in 1 Corinthians 4:14-15 and Philippians 2:22. Still, he uses that title to mean not authority but affection: therefore, he calls them not his obliged but his beloved sons. One is our Father, who is in heaven. He alone is the Fountain of it, and its Founders; the Life of it, and its Lord; for whom alone, as the Original, our spiritual life is derived, and on whom it depends. Christ taught us to say, “Our Father who art in heaven;” therefore, let us call no man Father upon the earth.
Here is a precept of humility and mutual subjection,
Matthew 23:11, “He that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” Take it as a promise; he shall stand highest in the favor of God, that is most submissive and serviceable, or as a precept: He that is advanced to any place of dignity, let him be your servant. He that is greatest is not a lord but a minister. Here is the reason for this,
Matthew 23:11:12, “He that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased (humbled), and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”
Matthew 23:25, “Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.” Verse 27, “Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like unto whited sepulchers which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.”
Verse 30-31, “(You) say, “If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore you be witnesses unto yourselves, that you are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill you up then the measure of your fathers.”
Phil LaSpino www.seekfirstwisdom.com