"In him the whole building is joined together
and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord."
Ephesians 2:21 NIV
We are living in an interesting day. Not only is March 1 the anniversary of Deana becoming my wife and not only is March 1 a day of unknowns in our nation's economy, but this is a day when the Roman Catholic Church is without the leadership of a Pope. That doesn't happen very often.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the Pope serves in a line of apostolic succession. That means that he is God's appointed one to lead in the same way (they believe) Peter was selected by Jesus to lead. The idea is not clearly found in Scripture and not found in Christian writings until the late First Century.
In Matthew 16, Peter proclaims that Jesus is the Christ. Jesus then says, "I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church" (Mt 16:18). Some, like the Roman Catholic Church, think Peter is the rock upon which the church is to be built. Their conclusion then is that a line of succession must flow from Peter in order to substantiate the church.
A better understanding of Jesus' words is that Jesus is the rock upon which the church is built. This interpretation best fits with the balance of Scriptural teachings like that found in Ephesians 2:21, "In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord." In 1 Peter 2, Jesus is referred to as the cornerstone - or the one upon whom the church is built.
The Bible says that all men are sinners except for one. Just one. Jesus Christ. I want my faith to be built upon the sinless one. Then I can trust my faith. I expect church leaders to look to Jesus for purpose and direction. And I expect Christians to look through their leaders to Jesus as those leaders faithfully serve them and the Lord. Pray that God will help our Christian leaders focus on Jesus Christ so they can help others become maturing disciples.
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